Name Todd Caliguire Role Politician | Party Republican Party | |
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Todd Caliguire is an American Republican Party politician in New Jersey. He is a former county freeholder and candidate for Governor of New Jersey. Caliguire is married to Laurie Gayle Stephenson, a professional actress who has appeared in several Broadway productions including the lead role in "Phantom of the Opera". Todd and Laurie have one daughter, Sarah Kate Caliguire. The family lives in Ridgewood, New Jersey and his daughter is a student at The University of Mississippi.
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Caliguire was an aide in the 1980s to then Governor of New Jersey Thomas Kean, where he served as an assistant counsel to the governor and later as Counselor to the Governor, a senior policy advisor. Caliguire left Kean's staff to work in the private practice of law in Bergen County.
During the 1990s, Caliguire was elected to two terms on the Bergen County Board of Chosen Freeholders, which is the county's legislative body. Caliguire surprised political observers when he announced his decision to not seek a third term as a freeholder to keep a term limit pledge.
2005 Gubernatorial campaign
In 2005, Caliguire announced his candidacy for the Republican gubernatorial nomination in 2005. Caliguire was considered a long shot candidate for the nomination as he was little known statewide. He raised the least of the seven candidates and had no campaign staff. He came across as the most academic of the candidates and he issued a 150-page campaign plan for what he would do as governor. He finished last in the field of seven. It was reported that his candidacy for governor was aimed to position himself for the Republican nomination for Bergen County Executive in 2006.
2006 Bergen County Executive campaign
Caliguire announced his candidacy for Bergen County Executive in early 2006 and was quickly endorsed by the Bergen County Republican Committee. In March 2006, there was a split between the moderates and the conservatives in the Bergen County Republican Party, which resulted from a fight for the county party chairmanship. Bergen County Clerk Kathleen Donovan announced her candidacy for county executive against Caliguire.
Caliguire was formally endorsed by the county Republican party, because of a rule enforced by the county party chairman which said that a candidate needed to have filed a notice of intent to seek the party endorsement before the endorsement meeting. Caliguire had met the deadline, while Donovan announced her candidacy after the deadline.
Thus, only Caliguire's name was presented to endorsement convention delegates, while Donovan did receive support. Donovan quickly recruited Freeholder Elizabeth Randall, who had been running with Caliguire, and Caliguire's running mate for county surrogate, Jae Y. Kim, Esq., to her campaign.
Following a competitive and at times, heated campaign, Caliguire defeated Donovan 51% to 49% for the Republican nomination. He lost to incumbent County Executive Dennis McNerney 60%-40% in the November election.