In 1980 , Sullivan began to plan a campaign for governor of New Jersey . In order to increase his national exposure , Sullivan threw a large party at the 1980 Republican National Convention . A newcomer at the time , he joked that he once had been elected , but it was to be captain of the football team at Newark Academy . Campaigning in 1981 , Sullivan eschewed public financing and spent more than $ 2 million of his own money to win the Republican nomination for governor , but was unsuccessful . He finished third in an eight-candidate field , behind former Assembly Speaker Thomas Kean and former Paterson Mayor Pat Kramer . His campaign was managed by Karl Ottesen , who had run the stealth U.S. Senate race of Alphonse D'Amato in New York the previous year . The race got a little nasty when the second-generation Irish American Sullivan sort of criticized Kean for his patrician background . In trying to portray Kean as out of touch with common folk , Sullivan ran a TV ad that said " This is n't the kind of guy who would buy you a beer in Bayonne . " Toward the end of the campaign , he received support from key Right to Life groups
1980 Republican National Convention
1980 Republican National Convention
Bo Sullivan