Ed Gillespie	Terry McAuliffe

Today New Jersey is far more relevant in national politics given that the state's presidential primary has been moved up to February 5, 2008. This year there will be an enormous amount of early and intense campaigning in New Jersey by Democratic and Republican presidential hopefuls.

To that end, Terry McAuliffe, immediate past chair of the Democratic National Committee and chair of the Hillary Clinton for President Committee, and Ed Gillespie, immediate past chair of the Republican National Committee, will kick off the campaign season with a point-counterpoint debate at Rider University’s Bart Luedeke Center Theater on Thursday, April 19 at 7:30 p.m. The debate is free and open to the public.

“The Great Debate,” as it is billed on campus, is sponsored by the Rider University Institute for New Jersey Politics, Campaigns & Elections magazine and the Hennessy Fund. A book signing by McAuliffe and Gillespie will follow the debate.

“The early primary places New Jersey in the limelight,” said Dr. David Rebovich, managing director of the institute. “With the primaries previously in June, the best the state could expect was cursory attention. The 11th most populous state, New Jersey sends large contingents of delegates to both the Democratic and Republican conventions and has long been a major donor state for candidates from both parties.

“With this kick-off debate at Rider, residents can start thinking carefully about the current political issues and whom they would like to be their next president,” Rebovich said.

McAuliffe is the author of the New York Times’ and Washington Post best-selling book, “What a Party!: My Life Among Democrats: Presidents, Candidates, Donors, Activists, Alligators and Other Wild Animals,” which was released in January 2007. Gillespie edited the paperback book, “Contract with America,” which climbed to number two on the New York Times’ bestseller’s list in February 1995. His new book entitled, “Winning Right,” was released in September 2006.

McAuliffe is widely credited with rebuilding, reenergizing, and revitalizing the Democratic Party. Under his leadership, the DNC was debt free for the first time in the Democratic Party history. During his tenure from 2001 to 2005, the DNC contributed more to state parties, House, Senate, Governors’, Mayors’, and local races than in any other time in history.

Through his strategic vision DNC produced a new headquarters and created a computer database of more than 2.7 million grassroots donors, increased e-mail addresses from 70,000 to more than 4 million, and built a database of more than 175 million registered voters.

McAuliffe’s other myriad achievements include developing a new Women’s Vote Center, a multifaceted Hispanic outreach program; the Voter Rights Institute to ward off potential voter disenfranchisement, and the “Something New” program, an aggressive initiative to help mobilize America’s youth.

Gillespie, who served as chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC) for the 2004 election cycle, is one of the most prominent and successful strategists in the Republican Party. He was the first RNC chair in 80 years to preside over the reelection of a Republican president while retaining Republican majorities in both the House and Senate. In recognition of these efforts, “National Review” magazine called him an “indispensable member of the triumphant troika under Bush” (along with campaign manager Ken Mehlman and White House strategist Karl Rove).

Over the years, Gillespie helped guide the Republican Party to record fundraising levels, exceeding voter registration goals, aggressively expanding outreach efforts and using innovative strategies to communicate the party’s message.

His political work on behalf of President George W. Bush stands out particularly for his management of the RNC convention program in Philadelphia during the summer of 2000 to his service as a senior communications advisor in Austin to serving as communications director for the President’s inauguration in January of 2001. Most recently, he led the confirmation efforts for Chief Justice John Roberts. Gillespie also advised Justice Samuel Alito during his confirmation process.

Gillespie is a founder and co-chairman of Quinn Gillespie & Associates, a bipartisan public affairs firm that provides strategic counsel, government relations, and communications services to corporations, trade associations, and issue-based coalitions.

 

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