US SENATE: Singh Won Ocean. Does This Mean We’re Done With The ‘System Is Rigged GOP Establishment’ Garbage?

Hirsh Singh

Big surprise the other night! Someone other than Rik Mehta won a county line in the Republican U.S. Senate race. Despite Mehta having the recommendation of the screening committee Ocean County Republicans voted 106-77 to give the line to Hirsh Singh. New Jersey Globe reports Natalie Rivera received 5 votes and Tricia Flanagan couldn’t even get someone to second her nomination.

As Mehta was winning 11 straight county lines other candidates and/or supporters of the other candidates were complaining about the process and blaming the “GOP establishment” for their candidates’ losses.

Hopefully, with Singh’s win in Ocean County the whining and crying about the process and the “GOP establishment” is over. Singh relied on help from the establishment to win the line. Don’t take my word for it, here is what the Asbury Park Press had to say:

Currently, a power struggle is underway within the party between Frank B. Holman III, the current chairman, and its longtime kingmaker and former chairman, George R. Gilmore, who still retains the loyalty of many in the party’s leadership.

Gilmore, a master vote-counter, who resigned his formal leadership role after he was convicted in April of three federal tax counts, had worked to wrangle votes for Richter and Singh ahead of Wednesday night’s convention. Gilmore also accurately predicted to a reporter the outcome of the convention more than a week ago.

Former Ocean County Chairman George Gilmore “worked to wrangle votes for Richter and Singh…”

Folks, you can’t get much more “GOP establishment” than George Gilmore in Ocean County!

I couldn’t help noticing no one is crying and whining about the “GOP establishment” after the Ocean County convention. I suppose things are different when you learn how to work the system and win a convention WITH THE HELP OF THE ESTABLISHMENT.

To be fair, because the Asbury Park Press went out of its way to put it out there that Gilmore collected votes for Richter and Singh I got a comment from Singh. Singh assured me, by voice and by text, that he “did not work with Gilmore or Holman. This was from just hard work.”

I’m not going to take issue with the Asbury Park Press or Singh and leave it to the readers to decide.

My issue is with all the people who have been crying “the system is rigged” and complaining about the “GOP establishment.” I want to know what happened to all the crying, whining, complaining people now that someone other than Mehta has won a county line.

I’ll wait!

Note: Hirsh Singh called me at 12:27PM to clarify that “the Singh for Senate campaign Ocean County effort was led by Joe Rullo who beat Chris Russell and did not work with any establishment or county chairman.”