Republican legislative primaries are cropping up all over the map this cycle, and not everyone is thrilled about it. On Friday, every current member of the New Jersey GOP caucus co-signed an unusual letter condemning (albeit carefully) the outbreak of competitive contests this upcoming June.
“Our goal is simple: winning five more seats to secure a Senate Republican majority,” the senators explained. “The first step towards this goal is returning each member of our caucus to Trenton.”
Respectfully? I’m not sure that’s true, fellas!
Look at it this way: there hasn’t been a GOP Senate majority since January 1998. Not 2018 or even 2008. It’s been 25 years – a quarter of a century – since Republicans enjoyed a numerical majority in the upper chamber of the state legislature. That’s not sad… it’s inarguably pathetic. Can’t blame Trump for that one either! The chronology doesn’t support it.
Moreover, recruitment this cycle towards helping build a GOP majority beginning in January 2024 hasn’t gone well. Some of the selections (not going to name names here) have proven underwhelming. Over in Bergen County’s redrawn LD38 – where Jack Ciattarelli fetched better than 47% of the vote last time time around – the GOP doesn’t have a candidate as of this writing. Guy Talarico might come back? That’s where it stands today. Imagine the national GOP not having a Senate candidate for Pennsylvania or Nevada…
So all is not well in the Red Kingdom (DUH), Save Jerseyans, and since MOST of our legislators occupy seats that aren’t competitive in November, spring primaries are the only chance that we the people have to directly impact the party’s strategic, personnel, and policy directions. Senators should need to answer for a host of issues including (1) how effectively they challenged Murphy’s lockdowns, (2) what they’ve done inside their district to party build, and of course (3) if their individual voting records reflect commitment to a freer and more prosperous Garden State.
Now, before anyone throws a Level 5 shit fit, this isn’t a general call for a crusade against all incumbents. We have some solid senators who do a solid job advocating for us. A few others have been taking up space for awhile and probably need a metaphorical kick in the ass. As ever, I respect our readers enough to make their own decisions.
The fact remains that our party is growing in South Jersey and atrophying in the I-95 corridor. Republicans in all 21 counties face uncertainty heading into three back-to-back hugely consequential cycles, and thanks to the new map, winning one chamber of the legislature isn’t impossible this November. Hard, yes, but mathematically doable.
Our present circumstances call for honest, open, and sometimes messy dialogues concerning what ‘Republican’ candidates should look and sound like in 2023 and beyond. The party shouldn’t fear it; party leaders genuinely dedicated to the party’s future should embrace primaries.
Broadly condemning primaries sends the WRONG message to the GOP base. If you don’t welcome their input and participation, then why do you think you deserve their support?
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MATT ROONEY is SaveJersey.com’s founder and editor-in-chief, a practicing New Jersey attorney, and the host of ‘The Matt Rooney Show’ on 1210 WPHT every Sunday evening from 7-10PM EST.
