Most of New Jersey’s Republican congressmen stayed in the Garden State during the Republican National Convention, including Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-2). He told NJ Today Managing Editor Mike Schneider that he decided to stay in his district during the convention, but not because he disagrees with the GOP platform as some have suggested. LoBiondo said he was pleased with the way the convention was going, particularly with Gov. Chris Christie’s keynote address and Paul Ryan’s speech, and believes Mitt Romney will do a good job addressing his party and the nation.
When asked why he wasn’t in Tampa, LoBiondo said it’s a great opportunity for him to be in his district. “We have a lot of time when we’re forced to be in Washington and being at home in the real world was pretty important and I just chose to be at home,” he said.
He squashed claims that he didn’t attend the RNC because he didn’t feel comfortable with the direction of the national party’s political platform under a Romney administration. “That’s absolutely false,” he said. “I’m rather amused that people will get inside my mind without asking me and make statements like that. I can’t speak for any other members but as far as I’m concerned it was just a decision to be in the district.”
WATCH VIDEO:
LoBiondo said he felt Christie did his job as keynote speaker and he was pleased with his remarks. He also complimented others at the convention, including Utah Congress candidate Mia Love and Ryan on their speeches. He said Ryan did such a good job that according to a tweet he saw, Vice President Joe Biden’s speech writing team was called into an emergency meeting last night.
LoBiondo has worked with Ryan in Congress, where Ryan is chairman of the budget committee. Some have said that Ryan’s budget plan would have a negative impact on New Jersey, but LoBiondo said he supports Ryan’s plan to get the country back on track.
“Paul Ryan recognizes that we are borrowing 45 cents for every dollar we’re spending, primarily from the Chinese. Paul Ryan recognizes that if nothing is done with Medicare, it goes broke,” LoBiondo said. “And the budget is a blueprint. It is a starting point. It is meant to be the beginning of the debate and how we solve this problem.”
He criticized President Barack Obama for not working hard on the issues. “You’ve got President Obama who’s been in office almost four years who offers no plan forward, who is not talking about his record at all because he has no record of accomplishment,” LoBiondo said.
When asked if he believes Romney is running away from his record when he was governor of Massachusetts, LoBiondo said that type of criticism is “nonsense.” He said national media outlets have a strong bias favoring Obama. “If Mitt Romney had a cure for cancer, they’d accuse him of putting doctors out of work,” LoBiondo said. “They’re just not going to give this guy credit for anything.”
According to LoBiondo, Romney has a strong record to run on since he balanced the budget in Massachusetts and didn’t raise taxes. “He’s got a great opportunity tonight. I think he’s going to do well,” LoBiondo said. “I’m anxiously awaiting to see what his remarks include and how he delivers it and I think if I’m right on this, it’s going to be a great sendoff after Paul Ryan last night and Mitt Romney tonight.”
At a delegation breakfast, Christie said Romney wouldn’t win in New Jersey. When asked if he thought remarks like that could hurt voter turnout in the state, LoBiondo said he’s always worried about voter turnout. He said only about half of those eligible are registered to vote and often turnout peaks at 40 percent of registered voters.
“I think it is important that everyone understands their vote matters. There’s a full slate here besides president. We’ve got the Senate race, we’ve got the congressional races, you’ve got a lot of county races, a lot of local municipal races,” LoBiondo said. “They all make a big difference and you have to show up and vote to have your vote count.”