By The Staff
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N.J. Senate Democrats got a little help from Republican Senator Kip Bateman (R-16) on Thursday, passing legislation designed to make New Jersey’s 2020 presidential election a one-party contest.
Save Jersey Founder Matt Rooney joined NJ 101.5’s Bill Spadea on Friday morning to explain why the legislation — requiring the release of tax returns for presidential and vice presidential candidates to make the Garden State ballot — is not just unconstitutional but also extremely bad politics for Bateman.
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“A state can restrict time, place – certain procedural aspects of how we elect these federal candidates, but you can’t supersede the Constitution — ’cause they have qualification clauses for the federal office in the First and Second article[s] — you can’t go in and supersede the Constitution and add your own qualifications. New Jersey is essential trying to rewrite the federal Constitution,” said Rooney.
“Kip Bateman needs to look at recent elections. Ask Leonard Lance. Ask Bob Hugin. Running away from Donald Trump and leading with an apology is not going to win back these people in New Jersey or anywhere else who are voting against the Republican Party,” Rooney added. “You need to begin to explain to people what we stand for, create a real contrast with the status quo — these nuts that we’ve got leading us like Cory Booker and Phil Murphy — and then at that point people will begin to take you seriously. [Bateman]’s not going to get any good will that way.”
Listen below:
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Option #1
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Option #2
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Why is the bill unconstitutional?
In case you missed it, here’s more from Matt Rooney on the subject (click).
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