Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Why are NJ republicans not nominating someone of the likes of Chris Christie or Glenn Youngkin (Virginia) or Michael Bloomberg or Christie Todd Whitman to STATE WIDE races? Moderate, inspiring, low baggage. Even the NYC mayor candidate (against Eric Adams) did not appear like a winning candidate!
What can be done?
I am fairly new to NJ. Just trying to learn more about state politics. Not trying to create trouble! And please don't move this thread to some other forum, it would be good to hear from people familiar with NJ.
Why are NJ republicans not nominating someone of the likes of Chris Christie or Glenn Youngkin (Virginia) or Michael Bloomberg or Christie Todd Whitman to STATE WIDE races? Moderate, inspiring, low baggage. Even the NYC mayor candidate (against Eric Adams) did not appear like a winning candidate!
What can be done?
I am fairly new to NJ. Just trying to learn more about state politics. Not trying to create trouble! And please don't move this thread to some other forum, it would be good to hear from people familiar with NJ.
Christie Todd Whitman was already our governor, remember? She quit for the EPA job.
Also cut down a few trees every year and sold firewood off her estate to qualify for the lower farm tax. Caused a bit of eyerolling at the time.
I think Chris Christie p.o.'d enough people with his cancellation of ARC, then keeping the $3 billion of PA money to use for non-related purposes, which was basically illegal. However, too many lawyers ok'd his action at the time, so it was swept under the rug.
The issue isn't so much about moderate candidate, its about getting someone to energize the Republican base. Chris Christie was able to do that and won in a landslide. However, I believe just got fed up with the BS and media slandering machine, that he just lost interest in his last 2 years of office. I think he is just running for President as a vendetta against Trump, because he supported him in 2016 and 2020 and Trump didn't give him a job.
Murphy wasn't popular when he won the 2017 election (historically low-turnout election and he spent millions of his own money effectively buying the Governorship), and came very close to losing the 2021 election. The Republican who ran against Murphy was Kim Guadagno (Lt. Governor), was so moderate that she couldn't raise money and left the Republican Party. You're not going to energize the Republican base with these middle candidates.
NJ has some great rising stars such as Jack Ciattarelli (likely for Governor in 2025), Jeff Van Drew (Congressman - a convert from Democrat to Republican) who is becoming a political rockstar (i'd nominate him for Senate if I could), and there some other rising politicians in at the state level like Steve Dnistrian. I met Gregg Mele 3 weeks ago who is running for US Senate (R) against Bob Menendez and he seemed like a great guy.
Last edited by DannyHobkins; 09-28-2023 at 12:57 PM..
... and there was also "the bridge thing", but the "bridge thing" didn't produce the photo op that was enabled by our esteemed governor lounging with his family on the beach that he had closed to the mere peons of the state.
Last edited by Retriever; 09-28-2023 at 01:43 PM..
If he couldn't beat Murphy when he was most vulnerable, JC won't be able to beat an energetic Dem nominee.
Republicans have to overcome the ballot harvesting in the cities. New Jersey is usually a pendulum, we have a Democrat and then a Republican as Governor. People in the state are really angry about the wind turbine situation.
If Jack Ciattarelli participated in any Trump rally after the election loss (Stop the Steal rally? though I think he says he did not know what it was), I would think that is a kind of disqualifier with the NJ electorate. Further, I think the nuanced stance Chris Christie took on abortions is probably the right balance for the NJ electorate, perhaps Ciattarelli has a bit more of a rigid stance talking about a specific number of weeks, etc. I am doubtful if he is a republican in the mould of my earlier list (Chris Christie or Glenn Youngkin (Virginia) or Michael Bloomberg or Christie Todd Whitman )
If Jack Ciattarelli participated in any Trump rally after the election loss (Stop the Steal rally? though I think he says he did not know what it was), I would think that is a kind of disqualifier with the NJ electorate.
It's not a question of "if".
Ciattarelli did attend at least one of those gatherings, and his claim that he didn't know the nature of that rally could only be true if he is unable to read large signs, and if deafness didn't allow him to hear the white supremacist chanting that was going on at that event.
If Jack Ciattarelli participated in any Trump rally after the election loss (Stop the Steal rally? though I think he says he did not know what it was), I would think that is a kind of disqualifier with the NJ electorate. Further, I think the nuanced stance Chris Christie took on abortions is probably the right balance for the NJ electorate, perhaps Ciattarelli has a bit more of a rigid stance talking about a specific number of weeks, etc. I am doubtful if he is a republican in the mould of my earlier list (Chris Christie or Glenn Youngkin (Virginia) or Michael Bloomberg or Christie Todd Whitman )
A large swath of the population believe it was stolen, and there is plenty of credible and circumstantial evidence that supports these claims. Thinking that people cannot use their first amendment right, is actually not American. There were stop the steal rallies all through NJ the weeks after. However, this is completely off-topic, and the Republican base can careless.
Of your list above, outside of maybe Glenn Youngkin, none of those politicians would have a snowballs chance in winning in 2023. Christie has TDS, Whitman started her own political party and became a Clinton democrat, Bloomberg is a globalist. Democrats will never vote for a moderate Republican, and Republican base wont be energized to vote for a moderate Republican.
Jack Ciattarelli has name recognition now, he's very popular, high-approval ratings and well liked through NJ. A lot can happen in 2 years, but he is the clear front-runner.
NJ does have a strong energetic Republican base. NJ elected Ed Durr to Senate who was basically an unknown truck driver (he's been excellent since coming into office too), overthrowing Steve Sweeney who was the most powerful person in NJ Government and politics.
The next month is going to be very interesting in NJ politics. Just about every state seat is up for election, and its going to be a very low turn out election.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
