This site has been in existence for nearly 13 years (!), Save Jerseyans, and I can count on one hand the amount of formal “endorsements” we’ve made. That’s for a couple of reasons. First, I much prefer giving people information, my opinion, and then letting them arrive at their own conclusions. You have your own mind! I respect that. Secondly, I don’t see it as Save Jersey‘s mission to promote a specific candidate or party. If our mission became boosting Republicans or candidate X simply for the sake of doing so, we’d quickly lose our edge and our rightful claim on your loyalty over these many years.
Tomorrow’s Atlantic County convention offers a rare exception: I wholeheartedly endorse my friend of many years Jesse Kurtz in his bid for one of two LD2 Assembly nominations.
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Why?
A common topic here at Save Jersey – in the articles and in the comments section – is the lack of genuine conservative Republican choices on the ballot every election day. Time and again, we’re disappointed by options who seem more concerned with “going along” than disrupting the status quo. What’s more, finding candidates who are (1) genuinely limited government conservatives, (2) not scumbags in their personal/professional lives, AND (3) talented enough to reach non-traditionally Republican voters feels like an increasingly impossible task.
Enter Jesse Kurtz.
Jesse is a husband and working father of seven (yes, SEVEN) children who is an open book when it comes to his Christian faith and his conservative values. He’s also a political unicorn: a millennial Republican councilman in deep blue Atlantic City (yes, A.C.). He won reelection in Atlantic City’s diverse 6th Ward in 2019 by a landslide margin, and he did it the old fashion way: pounding the pavement, knocking doors, and forging ties with community groups.
What’s even more remarkable than Jesse’s profile and time management ability is the fact that he’s emerged as a key power broker on the otherwise all-Democrat city council without compromising his values.
Jesse is Jesse. He doesn’t pretend to be someone different when he’s shaking voters’ hands and then somone else altogether in the council chamber. He’s repeatedly spoken out against and sponsored resolutions opposing Phil Murphy’s draconian COVID-19 restrictions, and they’ve been supported by his Democrat colleagues. In 2016, he led a push to buck the NJEA by passing a citywide question support school choice. The NJEA outspent Jesse and won the battle which sadly wasn’t a surprise, but Jesse proved he’s a true general in the larger, ongoing war to defend taxpayers and taxpayers’ children.
“I was surprised they spent so much,” Kurtz told the Press of AC at the time, commenting on the union’s nearly $60,000 investment in the election. “I knew they were putting out materials, and at one point it became clear we were being drastically outspent. But despite that, we did manage to win districts in five of the six wards.”
In his “spare” time, Jesse is also a rising star in statewide Republican circles. He took it upon himself to start an annual conservative leadership breakfast in A.C. every November; the first event was attended by maybe a dozen, but this year’s breakfast ended up at capacity and was attended by Jack Ciattarelli, Jeff Van Drew, and other statewide GOP leaders who recognize what Jesse is building. People are looking to him for leadership. Important people and everyday people alike.
I won’t beat around the bush, Save Jerseyans. Jesse – a dear friend of this site and yours truly – is EXACTLY the kind of candidate you (and I) have complained we need over the years.
He’s a true believer. He’s a good person. He’s proven that he can talk the talk AND walk the walk.
If you’re genuinely interested in saving this state? Turning things around? And building the sort of opposition party in New Jersey which we all claim to want?
You need to support candidates like Jesse who are in the fight for the right reasons. It sure doesn’t hurt that he also knows how to win, and unlike some other infamous N.J. Republicans in recent history, you won’t have to hold your nose when giving him your full support.
Do the right thing, LD2 committee members. Help your district, your county, and your state by helping send Jesse Kurtz to Trenton. We 119 more like him.
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Save Jersey’s Founder and Blogger-in-Chief, MATT ROONEY is a nationally-noted and respected New Jersey political commentator. When he’s not on-line, radio or television advocating for conservative reform and challenging N.J. power-brokers, Matt is a practicing attorney at the law firm of DeMichele & DeMichele in Haddon Heights (Camden County).
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