Dem denies NJ House campaign recruited tea-partier

CHERRY HILL, N.J. (AP) — A candidate who was not on the stage was a big part of a tense moment in a debate Monday between Democratic U.S. Rep. John Adler and his Republican challenger, Jon Runyan.

Adler was asked whether his campaign helped put a phony tea-party candidate on the ballot in southern New Jersey's 3rd Congressional District to siphon votes away from Runyan.

He didn't exactly deny that Democrats were involved.

"I wanted to have nothing to do with it," he said. "I told my people to have nothing to do with it. As far as I know, we have nothing to do with it."

The tea-party candidate on the ballot, Peter DeStefano, has denied getting a boost from …