Keady Swats Away at Gergenized Welle
In the 4th congressional district Democratic primary race, the Keady for Congress campaign demanded that primary opponent Joshua Welle pull the plug on a March fundraising event co-headlined by mild-mannered TV personality David Gergen.
Welle’s March 6th fundraiser is a high-dollar celebration of Republican political operative David Gergen and is being hosted by a former Wall Street executive, Thomas Skove, who is permanently banned from trading on Wall Street, the Keady Campaign charged.
“Joshua must cancel this event,” said Ryan Hughes, Keady campaign manager. “It is entirely inappropriate for a congressional candidate in a Democratic primary to take money from a Republican operative and from someone banned from Wall Street, never mind having them as hosts to a high-dollar fundraiser.”
In 2015, Thomas Stove was fired from Scotia Capital and later sanctioned in 2017 by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) for allegations of fraudulent activity relating to pre-arranged trading. Skove accepted the sanctions voluntarily.
Pat Politano of the Welle Campaign released a statement.
“Mr. Keady thinks the race is all about him,” Politano said. “He’s wrong. It’s about all of the people of the 4th District and the entire state and nation. He’s a perennial candidate who abandoned the people of Asbury Park, who cut and ran out on people who put faith in him. Josh has support throughout New Jersey and the nation. David Gergen was one of Josh’s professors at Harvard.
“Perhaps Mr. Keady is unaware, that David Gergen worked for President Bill Clinton,” he added. “Perhaps he’s further unaware that President Clinton is a Democrat. Dozens of local Democratic leaders will be supporting Josh at Saturday’s Monmouth Convention. Unfortunately, Mr. Keady is running a desperate, scorched Earth convention campaign. Monmouth Democrats understand that’s not how to win.”
It seems like political suicide for Welle’s campaign to associate with these people. Gergen is a Republican spinmaster; a caricature of everything people hate about “Washington insiders.” Skove is a white collar criminal who refused to cooperate with the investigation into his fraudulent activity.
At a time where there is widespread bipartisan resentment against the political establishment and Wall Street excesses, Welle is choosing the worst possible company. This would not play well in November.