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Assemblyman Chris Brown denies using government resources to campaign

New Jersey Assemblyman Chris Brown says he made a "human error" when he posted a campaign event on the Internet using government letterhead and providing the phone numbers of staff at the taxpayer-funded Assembly Republican Office.

New Jersey Assemblyman Chris Brown says he made a "human error" when he posted a campaign event on the Internet using government letterhead and providing the phone numbers of staff at the taxpayer-funded Assembly Republican Office.

Election laws prohibit the use of official staff and stationery for campaigning. The letterhead included the state seal and official websites.

The posting appeared Tuesday on Brown's LinkedIn page. In an interview late Wednesday, he said he deleted it "about 45 minutes later" when someone contacted him about the mistake.

"Join me, Assemblyman Chris Brown, for a 'Get out the VOTE walk' in advance of this year's primary election," the posting read. Volunteers were needed to distribute campaign literature, it said.

The posting named Josh Foote, who works for the Eighth District Legislative Office, as the contact person for the event.

In his bid for reelection, Brown (R., Burlington), along with his running mates, faces a primary challenge Tuesday from a slate of candidates endorsed by the West Jersey Tea Party.

The posting "was nothing malicious or deceptive. I don't use government resources for campaigning," Brown said. He said he hastily used the "wrong template" when he posted the information on LinkedIn.