By   Rubashov
 
Is this a case of a bad decision by the RNC made worse by the NJGOP? And will it ultimately benefit Chris Christie – and hurt Donald Trump?
 
Here’s the deal. According to the NJGOP, the Republican National Committee (RNC) has decided they want the delegation     process wrapped up by May 31, 2024. In other words, “no later than 45 days     prior” to the Republican National Convention, which is scheduled for July     15-18, 2024.
 
This is a change from the Rules     of the Republican Party as adopted by the Republican National Convention on     August 24, 2020 (and amended by the Republican National Committee on April     14, 2022). Rule 20     (Certification of Election or Selection of Delegates) states: “(b) No later     than thirty-five (35) days before the date on which the national convention     is scheduled to begin, as set in the call for the national convention, the     credentials of each delegate and alternate delegate shall be filed with the     secretary of the Republican National Committee for use by the secretary in     making up the temporary roll of the national convention, except in     the case of delegates or alternate delegates elected at a time or times in     accordance with the laws of the state in which the election occurs     rendering impossible the filing of credentials within the time above     specified.”
 
You can read the Rules for yourself, here: https://prod-static.gop.com/media/Rules_Of_The_Republican_Party.pdf
 
If this is the case – and if the RNC insists on     this deadline – it places the delegation selection process in four states     into question: Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, and South Dakota all hold   their primaries on June 4, 2024.
 
We don’t know what the Republican Parties in     those other three states are doing, but in New Jersey, the NJGOP is proposing a solution that cuts average     Republican voters completely out of the process. Mind you that presidential elections generally record     the highest voter turnout and are the elections that voters are the most     interested in. And this is a highly contested Republican presidential     primary, with candidates ranging from the charismatic former President,     Donald Trump, to the favorite son, former Governor Chris Christie. Plus,     there is a bevy of newer candidates who are interesting large segments of     the Republican base, including Vivek Ramaswamy, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley,     and Tim Scott.
 
New Jersey Republicans will send 49 delegates to     the Republican National Convention. In past elections, every Republican     voter had the opportunity to vote for his or her choice for President and     for a slate of delegates committed to voting for that choice at the     Republican National Convention. What the NJGOP is now proposing is the selection of     those 49 delegates at a NJGOP State Convention, to be held in Atlantic City     in March or April.
 
This State Convention will     not be open to any registered     Republican voter, the way it is in states that use the caucus method to     choose their delegates. The NJGOP states in writing that they have “eliminated the option of opening the convention to all     registered Republicans in the State of New Jersey due to the challenges that would present from an     execution perspective.”
 
Instead, the NJGOP is proposing that 640     insiders be appointed as delegates to the State Convention and     that these delegates     would select the 49 delegates to the Republican National     Convention. Here’s how those 640 insiders would be chosen:
 
The NJGOP Chairman, the National Committeeman,     and National Committeewoman would be State Convention delegates and would     appoint 20 others. The 42 members of the Republican State Committee would     be State Convention delegates and appoint 126 others. The 21 GOP County     Chairs would be State Convention delegates and appoint 63 others. The 3     Republican Congressmen would be State Convention delegates and appoint 15     others. The five former Republican Governors (including the two former     acting governors and Christie Whitman, who is no longer a Republican) would     be State Convention delegates and appoint 10 others. The 62 Republicans in     the Legislature would be State Convention delegates and appoint 124 others.     The Republican leaders of the Senate and Assembly would be State Convention     delegates and appoint 10 others. The leaders of the three NJGOP “coalition”     groups (GOP lawyers, etc.) would be State Convention delegates and appoint     6 others. The 25 New Jersey Federation Group leaders would be State     Convention delegates and appoint 50 others. Finally, 50 State Convention     delegate spots would be left open for “at-large delegates” and selected     “grassroots activists”. These 640 State Convention delegates would select the 49     delegates to attend the Republican National Convention.
 
Now a word about these delegates. Your average     Republican voters do not work in government or in politics. They do not     derive an income from their participation in the political process. That’s     not going to be true with those 640 State Convention delegates. They’re     going to be elected officials or lobbyists or vendors or patronage     appointees or political operatives. Those 640 State Convention delegates     are not going to provide the same cross section of perspectives and     concerns as did the 404,284 Republicans who voted in the     GOP Presidential Primary in 2020.
 
The 2024 Presidential election is an important     election for so many Republican voters. Many look on it as the last chance     to turn America around and get it back on track. They have looked forward     to participating in doing so. For four years they have waited. Now, does     the NJGOP plan to take that away from them? To take their vote away from     them?
 
The gas tax increase Governor Christie signed     into law in 2016 took away the old American idea of “no taxation without     representation” – the idea that only the elected representatives of the     people could impose or raise a tax on the people. That law took it away and     handed it over to unelected bureaucrats in Trenton, who decide on whether a     tax goes up – not on how it affects those taxed – but on the needs and     appetite of the bureaucratic leviathan.
 
Now, the NJGOP proposes to take away the right     of the people to choose the course of their future. To choose who will set     that course, who will be President of the United States of America.
 
Oh, they still have a choice. They can move to a     state that still preserves the right of suffrage when it comes to electing     those who will choose the next nominee of their party. Or they can go their     own way. Whoever this move benefits in the short term, in the long term it     will be ruinous for the GOP in New Jersey.              

• Published: Nov. 09, 2022, 2:48 p.m.
• By Ted Sherman | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Mercer County officials signed a $2.8 million contract this past March with Dominion Voting Systems to make certain that the county would be able count all the votes on Tuesday.

On Election Day, the entire system inexplicably crashed.

Exactly what happened in Mercer County remains uncertain. And although all votes, which were recorded on paper ballots, were later tabulated, the failure attributed to an unexplained coding error on the ballots slowed counting throughout the night and left sone voters frustrated.

Dmitry Demidovich/Shutterstock.com 

(The Center Square) — New Jersey has the worst fiscal health in the nation, with billions of dollars in debt and not enough money to cover bills, according to a watchdog report.

The latest Financial State of the States 2022 report from Truth in Accounting, placed the Garden State dead last among the top five "sinkhole states" for fiscal health, with an individual taxpayer burden estimated at nearly $59,000, the highest total for any state in the nation. 

It's the 13th straight year New Jersey has been ranked last in the nation.

The report's authors gave New Jersey’s financial condition an “F” grade due to excessive spending and the pension and healthcare debt. The group said the money needed by the state to pay its outstanding bills has increased by more than $12.5 billion in the previous fiscal year. Overall, the state's outstanding bills add up to more than $241 million, the group said. 

New Jersey’s financial position appeared to decrease in 2021, according to the report. The decline will likely continue as federal pandemic aid dries up, and the market value of the state's retirement system assets declines.

"New Jersey had only set aside 47 cents for every dollar of promised pension benefits and one cent for every dollar of promised retiree health care benefits," the report's authors wrote. "Given these facts, the state’s overall debt situation will likely further deteriorate over the coming year."

Republicans say the report highlights "reckless spending" by Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy's administration which they say has added billions of local pork into the state budget. 

"What we’re doing now is only digging a deeper hole," Testa said. "All this does is make an already unaffordable state even more unaffordable. We must chart a new fiscal course because New Jersey residents deserve better."

Testa and other Republicans have filed legislation to curtail the amount of earmarks going into the budget to require some funding to be distributed through competitive grants. 

“Some of these payouts may be for worthy causes," Testa said. "However, these awards should be transparent, competitive and merit based, but what we’ve seen out of Trenton is secretive, arbitrary and unfair."

Ned Ryun

November 21, 2022

It’s time to hit ballot harvesting hard or die trying.

After sifting through the rubble from election night, and having done some soul searching on my basic knowledge of politics, I’ve come to a few conclusions: American politics has entered a new age. All that has gone before—polls, historical trends, message, issues, candidate quality, traditional get-out-the-vote efforts, candidate debates, voter persuasion—means almost nothing and is extremely insignificant. 

The thing—the only thing—that truly matters now is a “ballots out, ballots in” machine.

With that perfected, you could elect a random name in a phone book, or a dead man, or a vegetable. Or both a dead man and a vegetable, as Pennsylvania recently demonstrated.

This epiphany is at once startling and obvious, particularly since we saw a prelude to this moment in the 2020 election cycle. So how was it missed by so many of us until after the midterms? Recent success leading to overconfidence is the answer. The Virginia results, in a blue state that went for Biden by 10 points in 2020, blunted my skepticism and made me over confident. Republicans won everything in Virginia in 2021: governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and the House of Delegates. 

Coming out of Virginia, the conclusions—the wrong conclusions—were that we could beat whatever Democrats did in 2020 with a great focus on mid- to low-propensity voters, drive them to the polls, and overcome the rigging and manipulation. Not only did the Virginia success lead to the wrong conclusions for 2022, I’m convinced that Virginia, and even New Jersey for that matter, rang the Left’s alarm bells in a manner sufficient enough to stir them to amp up their efforts. They realized after 2021 it was time to dial in the 2020 mail-in, ballot-harvesting machine and so they did; and in all the right places.

That’s what the 2022 elections were all about. I don’t want to hear anyone crying, “Well maybe it was the abortion issue.” Nope. “Maybe it was candidate quality.” Nope (please see my previous comments on a dead man and a vegetable). “Do people really want lawlessness and inflation?” Nope. “Maybe it was extreme America First candidates turning off moderate Republican and Independent voters.” Wrong again.

It had everything to do with numbers, but not polling numbers or inflation numbers. It was about who got the most ballots sent out and who collected the most. That’s it. That’s the 2022 midterms in a nutshell.

Crass? Crude, impersonal, rife with potential fraud and corruption? 100 percent. And, in many states, perfectly legal. If conservatives and Republicans want to win again, we had better adopt the only-ballots-matter approach at least in the short term or die. I have zero ethical problems with it, none whatsoever. This is now the modern-day political battlefield in America, the rules of the game. One can either howl at the moon about it or beat the Left at it. 

So I’m going to figure out how to beat the Left at its own game in 2023 and 2024. It’s either that or we find ourselves on trains to reeducation camps in the near future. While that might sound like hyperbole, is it really when you can envision America as a one-party state? We barely squeaked out the House of Representatives in a highly advantageous midterm. Unless we figure out our ballot-out, ballot-in machine, I don’t see us winning the White House or much of anything else in 2024. And if that happens, expect the Left to come very hard for many of us.

The good news is we already have something of a model in Florida, sansthe ballot harvesting and ballot drop boxes. Ask yourself how Republicans kept on winning for decades in a state that had a Democratic voter registration advantage until very recently. The answer is that Florida Republicans perfected the art of early voting, mail-in voting, and absentee ballot chasing before Election Day. While Republicans would never win the early voting and mail-in fight, they largely mitigated the damage and then crushed Democrats on Election Day. It’s what Brian Kemp did in Georgia this year, also, in beating Stacey Abrams.

So it’s time to hit this breach hard, folks. Time to get churches and gun shows to ballot harvest wherever it is legal. Time to send harvesters into rest homes where it is legal. Time to get Republican county clerks to send out mass absentee ballots, whether requested or not and then track them all. Time to create a dialed-in absentee ballot chase program where we are sending people door-to-door to collect them. We can talk about reforms after we gain political power, but we’d better invest significant sums into this now or the GOP will lose in 2024. We have seen our future. Embrace it. It can either be the republic’s death or its success.

Ned Ryun is a former presidential writer for George W. Bush and the founder and CEO of American Majority. You can find him on Twitter @nedryun 

Bob Healey, republican candidate, running in the 3rd Congressional DistrictPhoto Credit: Bob Healey for Congress

By BOB HEALEY FOR CONGRESS

Published September 26, 2022 at 4:45 PM

MOORESTOWN, NJ – Congressional candidate Bob Healey today issued the following statement:

“Rep. Andy Kim’s grandstanding as a ‘moderate’ is nothing more than an attempt to pull the wool over voters’ eyes before election day. While Andy Kim tries to present himself as a centrist Democrat, his underlying activist ideology is on full display based on his founding of - and active membership in - multiple far-left groups that espouses radical ideology and extreme ideas.

Along with his membership in the far-left Congressional Progressive Caucus, Rep. Kim also has ties to radical groups such as ‘The Indivisible NJ 3rd District’, ‘Bold Progressives Organization’, and as a founder of ‘Rise Stronger’.

Among other startling items on its organizational agenda, Rise Stronger has signaled support for the ‘Defund the Police’ movement through its promotion of 'The Indivisible NJ 3rd District' group. In another show of contempt for law enforcement, the Rise Stronger organization listed a book by a convicted cop killer in their “Library of Resistance”.

There is a reason why Rep. Kim works so hard to maintain a moderate public image. Revealing his true support for groups that promote anti-Semitic literature and disastrous ‘Defund the Police’ policies would result in an unprecedented backlash from his constituents, who simply want moderate, common-sense representation in Congress. Instead of being honest with voters about his beliefs, Kim masks his extreme ideology with centrist promises and platitudes. 

Make no mistake about it, Andy Kim is a fringe-progressive in moderate clothing. His active ties to these radical groups prove that he’s ideologically out-of-touch with the rational, hardworking folks of this district. NJ-03 voters deserve honest leadership and common-sense solutions, not deception and failed activist policies. 

I’m sure when voters learn more about Rep. Kim’s true views, they will decide to retire their representative this November.”

Should the Mercer County Board of Commissioners switch to a district-based system? 

Hispanic, Asian, Republican candidates could fare better in non-countywide races  

By Joey Fox, March 18 2022 4:41 pm  

Had Elvin Montero won the Mercer County Democratic Party’s endorsement two nights ago for one of two seats on the Mercer County Board of Commissioners, he would have been the first Latino ever elected countywide. Had Yan Mei Wang won, she would have been the first Asian American elected countywide.

https://newjerseyglobe.com/local/mercer/should-the-mercer-county-board-of-commissioners-switch-to-a-district-based-system/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 22, 2021
CONTACT: Alex Wilkes, Communications Director
Alex@NJGOP.org 

TRENTON – Today, Bob Hugin, Chairman of the New Jersey Republican Party (“NJGOP”) released the following statement in response to the Redistricting Commission’s decision to disenfranchise millions of New Jersey voters with the release of its congressional map:
 

“On the heels of an election in which Republicans saw historic gains in the State House and a margin that was too-close-for-comfort in the gubernatorial race, the Democrats on the Redistricting Commission decided to circle the wagons in protecting their own. Tie-Breaker Chairman Wallace ignored basic facts and voted strictly on partisan lines. Instead of choosing a map with multiple, fairly drawn competitive districts, the Commission through this nakedly partisan gerrymander has undermined the basic tenets of our representative democracy,” said Hugin. 
 

"Over the last ten years, Republicans in New Jersey normally win nearly 45% of the congressional vote in federal election years, and yet this partisan map was engineered by Democrat operatives to attempt to ensure Republicans only hold 25% of the seats in Congress in 2023 and beyond. Make no mistake though, through their horrific policies, inflationary spending and failed leadership, Congressional Democrats have ensured they are all vulnerable this November, and the New Jersey Republican Party will fight for every vote and every seat in Congress."

PAID FOR BY THE NEW JERSEY REPUBLICAN STATE COMMITTEE
150 WEST STATE STREET, SUITE 230 • TRENTON, NEW JERSEY 08608
SHAUN VAN DOREN, TREASURER
NOT AUTHORIZED BY ANY CANDIDATE OR CANDIDATE COMMITTEE 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 3, 2021
CONTACT: Alex Wilkes, Communications Director
Alex@NJGOP.org
 

NJGOP Celebrates Historic Republican Wins Statewide,
Urges Patience and Confidence As our Election Integrity Team Ensures Every Legal Vote is Counted
 

On behalf of Chairman Bob Hugin and the entire New Jersey Republican Party, I             would like to start off by congratulating all of our Republican candidates across the Garden State. Our Republicans ran bold, issue-based campaigns and provided a stark contrast to the failed policies of Phil Murphy and the radical Democratic Party. And boy,  did it pay off. The victories were plentiful and historical.
 

           Jack Ciattarelli, in a complete defiance of nearly every public pollster and "mainstream" media prognosticators, is now in a complete dead heat with Governor Phil Murphy. New Jerseyans spoke loudly and clearly last night: they are sick and tired of the             Governor's arbitrary mandates, high-tax agenda and socialist policies and callous indifference to the struggles of everyday New Jerseyans. Votes are still being counted and the process is very much ongoing. More on that below.
 

           I’d like to particularly offer my congratulations to our new Republican legislators, who together represent the biggest pickup of legislative seats for Republicans in 30 years. I am especially proud to highlight that we have added 6 new women to our caucus!
 

In LD2: Senator-Elect Vince Polistina, Assemblyman-Elect Don Guardian, and             Assemblywoman-Elect Claire Swift
 

In LD3: Senator-Elect Edward Durr (a stunning underdog victory over Senate President             Steve Sweeney), Assemblywoman-Elect Bethanne McCarthy Patrick, Assemblywoman-Elect Beth Sawyer
 

In LD8: Senator-Elect Jean Stanfield  (a victory over party-switcher Dawn Addiego),             Assemblyman-Elect Brandon Umba and Assemblyman-Elect Michael Torrissi
 

In LD11: Assemblywomen-Elect Marilyn Piperno and Kimberly Eulner. Also, Senate candidate Lori Annetta currently holds a 500+ vote lead over incumbent and embattled Democratic Senator Vin Gopal in a race that is too close to call.
 

*And keep your eye on LD16, where the race is too close to call and GOP candidate             Vinny Panico is in a dead heat!
 

           I would also like to indicate that while some numbers are still being tabulated, we are well-poised for countywide victories in Gloucester, Cumberland and Somerset Counties where our candidates showed the door to Democratic incumbents.
 

           This is all in addition to the INCREDIBLE amount of local seats we flipped, where we won huge races in many swing and Democratic towns, and turned many Democratic majorities over to GOP-control.
 

           I would be remiss if I did not thank our incredibly hard-working and talented team at the NJGOP. Together, we worked to persuade and turnout voters, as well as provide confidence in the security of every New Jerseyan’s ballot. Our efforts resulted in nearly 3 million voter contacts statewide - the largest field/voter contact effort in New Jersey GOP politics, EVER.
 

           Additionally, the NJGOP formed an Election Improvement Committee to work with Boards of Election to ensure best practices were implemented and filled nearly 1,000 poll worker shifts and nearly 1,000 challenger shifts.
 

           On that front, please be advised that the New Jersey Republican Party is working hand in glove with the Ciattarelli for Governor campaign and Republican National Committee to guarantee a robust legal presence to scrutinize the process and ensure every legal vote is being counted. This process will take some time to play out.
 

           Your support throughout that process is appreciated! As is all your effort to get us to this point and deliver a ROCK SOLID night for the New Jersey Republican Party last night.
 

           So on behalf of Chairman Hugin and the entire NJGOP- let me say from the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU!
 

           Tom Szymanski
           Executive Director 

Happy Election Eve, New Jerseyans! 

For months, I have included the following statistics in this email as a reminder of what the Garden State has lost under Phil Murphy, but it's easy to gloss over them.

For the the families 8,006 residents in long-term care facilities who have died of COVID-19 because of Murphy's disastrous directive - one he was warned would be deadly - it means they will have an empty chair at the upcoming holidays. 

In the 255 days since the Murphy Administration has failed to respond to gubernatorial nominee Jack Ciattarelli's Open Public Records Act ("OPRA") request investigating COVID-19 nursing home deaths and communications with former Governor Andrew Cuomo, the public has been left in the dark about what transpired. We are entitled by law to this information, but the Administration's arrogance and media's apathy - even with respect to their own requests - have ensured that we will never see it. 

In considering the one out of three New Jersey businesses have closed their doors forever, thanks to Phil Murphy's unscientific and arbitrary lockdown measures, remember that families and communities have lost immeasurably important institutions, and they will never be the same. 

Tomorrow is our only opportunity to end this madness.

And in other Phil Murphy news...

There’s been a jail break at Edna Mahan just two days before Election Day 2021
Save Jersey
As New Jersey kids were trick-or-treating around the state, law enforcement was looking for a 40-year-old female inmate who apparently escaped from the notorious Edna Mahan Correctional Facility located in Clinton. Jessica Graham was reportedly captured around 7 p.m. by Clinton police.

Camden Candidate: ‘We Want Dem Party out of Our Educational System’
Insider NJ
Among those at the forefront of fighting the machine in Camden stands Vida Neil Rosiji, who had hopes of the Gov. Phil Murphy administration derailing the organization here only to see him endorse their candidate for mayor and fold onto the top of the party ticket. “He really let the City of Camden down,” Neil Rosiji told InsiderNJ, referring to Murphy, who formed a task force examining the alleged misuse of $11.5 billion in tax incentives for a corporate network with ties to the Camden County Democratic Party power structure only to gradually ease away from pursuing the story.

Outside groups shatter spending records in this year’s N.J. gov’s race
NJ.com
Murphy overwhelmingly benefited from outside spending. More than $34.7 million went to support him compared to nearly $4.5 million for Ciattarelli in the pre-primary, primary and general elections. 

Chris Christie: NJ Governor Phil Murphy Is Running For President & If Anybody Tells You Anything Differently Is Not Telling You The Truth.
Fox News Radio
When asked about why New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy had Senator Bernie Sanders stump for him, Christie says Murphy is running for president and he needs the support of the acolytes of Bernie Sanders, AOC and Elizabeth Warren to help make New Jersey the California of the East. Christie added, “Anybody tells you anything differently is not telling you the truth.” that Murphy is not running for president.

N.J. Latino voters are important and unpredictable. Where will they land in N.J. governor’s race?
NJ.com
Castaneda, a sales manager for a plastics company, feels Murphy “went too far” regarding pandemic-related mandates, including shutting down businesses. “My parents started a small business, a restaurant, in the middle of the pandemic,” Castaneda said. “He closed everything down, and I understand it was with good intentions, but we haven’t recovered.”

NJ governor’s race: Who’s funding Gov. Phil Murphy’s campaign?
NJ 101.5
The out-of-state donors hail from 28 states, plus Washington, D.C...Second was California, where donors gave $178,150[.]

Why a New Jersey Democrat Is Calling for Gov. Murphy's Emergency Power to Be Revoked
Town Hall
To Holley, this is unacceptable and reveals the mandate is not about health or science, but politics. “It has come to my attention that Governor Murphy will impose #Covid_19 vaccine mandates statewide if he is re-elected,” the Democrat tweeted. “Public health is not a political issue. Medical decisions are a choice and should be treated as such for every individual. Not election timing.”

Alex Wilkes | Communications Director
New Jersey Republican State Committee