In a stinging letter addressed to state and national Democrat Party leaders, the Reverend Dr. David Jefferson, Sr., Esq. of Newark’s Metropolitan Baptist Church is demanding that they “hold Governor Murphy to account” for failing to serve “the Black community that elected him.”
“For nearly 60 years, Blacks have been the most reliable Democratic voting block at the national, state, and local levels. Without this deep loyalty Democratic successes at all these levels would be virtually non-existent,” explained Jefferson. “Nowhere is this more evident than in my own state of New Jersey. In 2017, 94% of the Black vote supported Governor Phil Murphy and delivered him a victory he would not have otherwise enjoyed. But sadly, we also know that far too often, after the Black community has delivered victory for Democrats, Democrats have not delivered for the Black community.”
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Jefferson also wrote that, in 2017 during Murphy’s first campaign, the ex-ambassador and Goldman Sachs executive “trumpeted loudly his deep devotion to the Black community, to other minorities, and to women” but ultimately “forgot about them and immediately focused instead on his next political move and advancing his own personal prospects.”
“I am asking you to protect our party and hold Gov. Murphy to account,” Jefferson added.
You can read the full March 15th letter – addressed to the DNC, NJSDC, and Essex Democrat Party here.
Jefferson cited a litany of specific Murphy transgressions in his nine-page letter including a fraud investigation in which his soccer team was named, the Edna Mahan “culture of rape” scandal, sexual misconduct allegations lodged against former Murphy associates, and inadequately assisting “vulnerable” communities during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Murphy has faced increased criticism for a vaccine strategy which doesn’t jive with his Leftist “stronger and fairer” campaign rhetoric.
In a particularly heated section of the letter, the Reverend wrote extensively about an explosive ongoing federal lawsuit in which a black-owned investment company (Blueprint) is suing the state over alleged discrimination and retaliation. This isn’t the first time Jefferson has challenged Murphy publicly on the topic.
“He has a message for the governor, and for all Democrats who take the Black vote for granted: “We have two Democratic parties, a Black party and a white party. I think the gap is wide, and it’s going to get wider. People are coming to the notion that we are not important to them,” Jefferson told NJ.com last July. “I will not let the Democratic Party get away with this. I will make this a campaign issue,” he says. “I told the governor, ‘I supported you, but you can’t treat Black people like this.’”
It should be pointed out that Sharpton is no conservative, Save Jerseyans. One of his many roles is president of the NJ Chapter of The National Action Network (yes, that’s right, Al Sharpton’s group).
He might not be alone in his discontent with Murphy.
“There’s general frustration building over a Democratic Party that controls everything in this state and rarely walks the talk when its comes to African Americans,” confided one source who is intimately familiar with the state’s politically active black community.
Phil Murphy is up for reelection in 2021. His likely challenger is Republican Jack Ciattarelli, a former Somerset Assemblyman.
Chris Christie won 21% of the black vote in 2013, a modern high water mark for a New Jersey Republican. Christie’s success was fueled by the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, deals cut with Democrat machines and a very weak general election opponent. Whether the frustrations voiced by Jefferson result in a similarly impactful performance for Ciattarelli with Garden State black voters remains to be seen.
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