State Senator Jen Beck (R-Monmouth) rallies LD11 residents against the gas tax hike.
Fair criticism?
You be the judge, Save Jerseyans, but following the Republican Party’s stunning loss in the 11th Legislative District on Tuesday, prominent Monmouth County news commentator and Republican consultant Art Gallagher of MoreMonmouthMusings appeared to place the blame squarely on outgoing state Senator Jennifer Beckherself.
Gallagher published a long-form post on Thursday attributing Democrat Vin Gopal’s almost 7-point win to Beck’s alleged decision to run “as a lone ranger” in LD11:
Gallagher
In the end, Guadagno outperformed Beck in the district. Guadagno got 28,557 votes in the district to Beck’s 27,027. Murphy only won 50.5% of the vote in the 11th with 30,414 votes Guadagno got 47.5% and 2% voted for someone else. Gopal won with 53.43% with 31,047 votes to Beck’s 46.51%.
Beck outperformed the Monmouth County Freeholder candidates, Freeholder Director Lillian Burry and Freeholder-elect Patrick Impreveduto in the 11th. The GOP freeholder candidates averaged 45% of the vote in the 11th compared to the Dems 54%. On a percentage basis, the Dem freeholder candidates outperformed Gopal and Murphy in the district. But Monmouth is a big county. Burry and Impreveduto won countywide 52.1% to 47.8%.
We’ll never know how an LD 11 campaign coordinated with the Monmouth GOP and the Guadagno campaign would have worked out. We do know that Beck ran as a lone ranger and that didn’t work out.
Meanwhile, Beck, who has been a member of the legislator since 2006, took to Twitter on Thursday to thank her supporters and strike a gracious tone.
“My heartfelt thanks for the outpouring of kind words. It has been privilege to serve you; a great honor in an exceptional community. Thank u,” the veteran legislator tweeted.
