A move to unseat Jersey City Director of Economic Development Jose Arango as longtime chairman of the Hudson County Republican Party failed last month, even after a group of Republicans, particularly in Hoboken, attempted to steer the local party in a more ideological direction.

Arango said that in a county that is so predominately Democrat, Republicans need to engage in more bipartisan relationships in order to get things done. His opponents disagreed, wanting to take the party further away from the middle.

While insiders claim that the political battle was more personal, as some members in the party attempted to settle some personal score, Arango said that a movement generated by a core of young Republicans in Hoboken was an attempt to force the party to take a strong ideological stand that does not represent the Republican majority in Hudson County or for that matter, the state. Steve Lonegan, former mayor of Bogota and the current state director of Americans for Prosperity, is the ideological godfather of the Hobokenites’ movement, which would move the party more to the right.

Arango said Lonegan’s politics simply don’t work in Hudson County or the state of New Jersey, where most people are not so extreme.

Arango, who has been Republican chairman for more than a decade, suddenly found himself challenged in the Republican meeting last month by a ticket led by former Jersey City political candidate Sean Connolly and various Hoboken Republicans.

“I didn’t expect opposition,” Arango said, saying that the core of the movement came out of the Republican organization in Hoboken.

Arango, who has significant support among Republicans in Jersey City and in North Hudson, was able to fight off the takeover bid.

“I think people realized how close I am to [Gov.] Christopher Christie,” he said. “Why should they fight something that is already working? I know they think they can do better, but they can’t convert Hudson County into Lonegan country. This is a man who criticizes Gov. Christie for working in a bipartisan matter.”

Christie’s approach, Arango said, has managed to get several Hudson County legislators such as state Sen.s Sandra Cunningham and Brian Stack to support the state budget.”

A tough road ahead for Republicans

With the political feuding behind him, Arango said he will concentrate on the three Republican candidates for House of Representatives who will be facing tough Democrats in November. They are:

John Aslania, who beat out Sergey Shevchk and Michael Agosta in the June primary. He will face incumbent Democrat Steve Rothman in the 9th District in November.

Michael Alonso, who ran unopposed in the primary, will face incumbent Democratic Rep. Donald Payne in the 10th District.

Henrietta Dwyer will go against incumbent Democrat Rep. Albio Sires in the 13th District.

“I know it is an uphill battle,” Arango said.

But Republicans have a legitimate candidate for sheriff this year after Juan Perez switched to their side after being rejected by the Democratic machine as their candidate.

Arango said a number of prominent Democrats in Hudson County share philosophies with the Republicans, but because they have to run in a largely Democratic county, they have chosen to run as Democrats.

Strangely, Arango lists his counterpart in the Hudson County Democratic Organization – Chairman and Bayonne Mayor Mark Smith – as one of these.

“Mayor Smith is a good guy, but he has to understand his city has a very conservative population,” Arango said. “He should be a Republican. He has more common with us than he has with liberal Democrats.”

Arango also believes that state Sen. and Union City Mayor Brian Stack should be a Republican.

“I know Mayor Stack. He was my chief of staff when I was in the state Assembly,” Arango said. “He could easily be a Republican.”

Arango said the Republican Party has to get ready today for the 2011 elections, which will see three state Senate seats, and six state Assembly seats up for reelection as well as all nine freeholders, the county executive, and other seats.

“If we’re successful in getting Gov. Christie’s help,” Arango said, “we have a shot.”

Who will be mayor of Jersey City?

Even though the mayoral election in Jersey City isn’t until 2013, Councilman Steve Fulop appears to be the frontrunner – much to the chagrin of some of his supporters, who see him as an easy target for rivals.

“It’s not a good thing to be so far out front so soon,” said one close Fulop ally. “Everybody is trying to knock him out of the race.”

While most people seem to accept the fact that incumbent Mayor Jerramiah Healy will not run for reelection, Healy apparently doesn’t want that fact said outright, once having criticized former Hoboken Mayor Dave Roberts for making the announcement too soon. Once you tell someone you’re not running, funders and others treat you like a lame duck and start searching for someone who is running.

Former Jersey City Corporation Counsel Bill Matsikoudis reportedly wants to run for mayor, but is frustrated that Healy won’t definitively drop out of the race, freeing up the host of funders and political workers Matsikoudis needs.

One of the other potential contenders is state Assemblyman Charles Mainor, who appears to have to be putting together a coalition of Healy people and some supporters of former Mayor Glenn Cunningham.

Councilman Peter Brennan appears to have the support of the county and could be considered one of the people on the short list. Others include Dan Levin and Sean Connors.