From the Philadelphia Inquirer:
Dennis Shulman is a blind psychologist who’s also an ordained rabbi. Political experts say the 58-year-old Democrat’s quest to unseat Rep. Scott Garrett is a long shot. “The Republican administration has simply made so many mistakes that people have given up on seeing Republican leadership as dealing with the issues facing the country,” said Ingrid Reed, director of the New Jersey Project at Rutgers University’s Eagleton Institute of Politics.
The 5th District, a narrow strip running along the state’s northern border, covers traditionally conservative areas that compliment Garrett’s own conservative views. Garrett, as an incumbent, also has the potential to raise cash fast.
So far, Shulman hasn’t lagged too badly in the money race: Shulman had $258,381 on hand, to Garrett’s $649,003, as of June 30. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee also included Shulman in an early July round of radio advertisements and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer has campaigned for Shulman.
Shulman argues that Garrett is so conservative that even 5th District residents want a change. The Alexandria, Va.-based American Conservative Union lists Garrett as one of the most conservative congressmen in the Northeast.
Shulman has a long list of differences with Garrett. Shulman, for example, is against President Bush and Republican presidential candidate John McCain’s proposal to allow more offshore oil drilling. Garrett thinks the proposal has some merit.
