Attorney Joe Wenzel last night formally kicked off his 11th District Congressional Campaign in Parsippany surrounded by Democratic Party pooh-bahs and their associates.
An attorney from Clifton, Wenzel wants to do what numerous Democrats over the years haven’t come closing to doing: denting the Teflon armor coating of U.S. Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-11) of Harding.
No one gives Wenzel much of a chance against the reclusive Frelinghuysen, a longtime leafy environs lawn sign going back generations to at least the American Revolution.
But he did draw some names into his so-called “Wake Up! Rise Up! kickoff at the local Sheraton, including (from, left, above) Essex County Freeholder Lenny Luciano, Morris County Democratic Chairman Chip Robinson, (Wenzel), Essex County Democratic Chairman Leroy Jones, Essex Freeholder Brendan Gill, and Essex County Clerk Chris Durkin, who gave the keynote.
As one can see below, the incumbent Republican congressman has destroyed every Democrat propped up against him.
| 1994 | Frank Herbert | 50,211 | 28% | Rodney Frelinghuysen | 127,868 | 71% | Mary Frueholz | LaRouche Was Right | 1,065 | 1% | * | ||||||||
| 1996 | Chris Evangel | 78,742 | 31% | Rodney Frelinghuysen | 169,091 | 66% | Ed DeMott | Independent | 2,870 | 1% | Austin S. Lett | Independent | 2,618 | 1% | * | ||||
| 1998 | John P. Scollo | 44,160 | 30% | Rodney Frelinghuysen | 100,910 | 68% | Austin S. Lett | Independent | 1,737 | 1% | Agnes James | Independent | 1,409 | 1% | * | ||||
| 2000 | John P. Scollo | 80,958 | 30% | Rodney Frelinghuysen | 186,140 | 68% | John Pickarski | Independent | 5,199 | 2% | James Spinosa | Independent | 1,541 | 1% | |||||
| 2002 | Vij Pawar | 48,477 | 26% | Rodney Frelinghuysen | 132,938 | 72% | Richard S. Roth | Libertarian | 2,263 | 1% | |||||||||
| 2004 | James W. Buell | 91,811 | 31% | Rodney Frelinghuysen | 200,915 | 68% | John Mele | Immigration Moratorium Now |
1,746 | 1% | Austin S. Lett | Libertarian | 1,530 | 1% | |||||
| 2006 | Tom Wyka | 74,414 | 37% | Rodney Frelinghuysen | 126,085 | 62% | Richard S. Roth | Libertarian | 1,730 | 1% | John Mele | Constitution | 842 | <1% | |||||
| 2008 | Tom Wyka | 105,095 | 37% | Rodney Frelinghuysen | 177,059 | 62% | Chandler Tedholm | For the People | 3,526 | 1% | |||||||||
| 2010 | Douglas Herbert | 55,472 | 31% | Rodney Frelinghuysen | 122,149 | 67% | Jim Gawron | Libertarian | 4,179 | 2% | |||||||||
| 2012 | John Arvanites | 123,897 | 40% | Rodney Frelinghuysen | 182,237 | 59% | Barry Berlin | Opposing Congressional |
