Ventnor man says he will run against LoBiondo in Republican primary

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VENTNOR - A Ventnor man said Monday that he is running for Congress as the conservative alternative to U.S. Rep Frank LoBiondo, R-2nd, and would challenge him in the primary election.

Michael Conte, 41, of South Nashville Avenue, said he was collecting petition signatures and running for office to counter national trends of larger government and increased borrowing and spending.

Conte, who described himself as a "Tea Party-Republican Congressional Hopeful" in a news release, has never held elective office. He said he worked closely with the current Ventnor city commissioners in their 2008 bid for office and subsequently served on the city's Zoning Board until last month.

"I'm just really concerned about the direction my county is going in, and I believe both parties are doing a lot of damage," Conte said Monday. "I fear that the ways the Republicans are handling things, they are too moderate, and I don't want my children growing up in a country that is in decline."

The tipping point for his candidacy, Conte said, was LoBiondo's vote in favor of emissions legislation over the summer. LoBiondo was one of the so-called "Cap and Trade Eight," eight Republicans who voted for legislation regulating carbon dioxide emissions in the House of Representatives. These members have been subsequently vilified by more conservative members of the party.

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/breaking/article_07ff6486-1518-11df-a30c-001cc4c002e0.html