It’s 100% understandable that the Republican primaries in LD3 and LD4 are going to occupy most of the attention between now and… whenever the carnage ceases, Save Jerseyans. Primaries are dramatic; observers are always enraptured by a Cain and Abel story perhaps because it’s a dynamic that’s central to the taboo darker side of human nature, and it’s been that way since the very beginning of our existence on this planet.
All the same, it’s worth pointing out that there’s another big story in South Jersey politics this spring. Arguably it’s the bigger story:
South Jersey Democrats no longer have a bench, or at least not an impressive one.
In LD1, LD2, and LD8, Democrat recruitment has struggled this year. One is red and eight got a tad redder but LD8 is an open seat in the burbs (so it should be competitive), and two went for Joe Biden by double digits just 2 1/2 short years ago. The once mighty Democrat machine based in Camden County has nevertheless struggled to field a top-tier contender in any of the three districts; in LD2, for example, they’ve settled on a senior citizen councilman from a deep blue community (Pleasantville) in an uphill challenge to State Senator Vince Polistina (D-2). Over in LD8, they settled on an obscured councilwoman after a bizarre campaign to recruit ex-Eagle Ron Jaworski (who’s a Republican). And does Mike Testa Jr. even have a Democrat challenger in LD1? No one had filed as this morning, and today’s the filing deadline. Stay tuned. Just four years ago, Testa’s upset victory in LD1 was the political story of the cycle.
LD3 and LD4 are supposed to be the marquee contests, but even there, the top Democrat talent is stale.
Stale might also be an understatement, particularly in the latter battleground.
In LD3, Democrats are falling back to John Burzichelli and Heather Simmons to recapture Ed the Trucker’s lean red deep South Jersey district. John Burzichelli is a literal loser; he lost his Assembly seat in 2021 to no-name penniless challengers after occupying his chair in the lower chamber for no less than TWO DECADES. Simmons, for her part, has held her commissioner’s post for over a decade. In an environment when South Jersey swing voters are clearly predisposed to favoring change, South Jersey Democrats are apparently stuck recycling the same tired faces as rural communtiies, exurban neighborhoods, and working class enclaves continue to shift rightward in the post-Trump era. LD4 is a somewhat similar story. Assemblyman Paul Moriarty (who’s been in the Assembly since 2006, two years before this website came into being) is the choice for State Senate after long-time incumbent Democrat Fred Madden decided the political winds favored retirement. Moriarty’s only accomplishment in all of that time in Trenton? Beating a DWI charge on constitutional grounds.
All of these Democrat retreads have voting records, too. Long, ugly histories of “YEA” votes cast in favor of tax increases, reckless spending, and far-far-Left Phil Murphy-esque agenda items. They were also silent – or worse – during the worst stages of Phil Murphy’s pandemic power grab. South Jersey suffered while they toed the party line.
Moreover, the rival Republican slates in both districts feature political newcomers AND relatively new elected officials. The GOP in South Jersey represents the new flavor choice after decades out of power, and if recent trends are any indication, the contrast between career politicians and outsiders seeking to upturn the table isn’t a promising one for machine Democrats. Sure, they may successfully exploit their financial advantages, GOP infighting and mastery of ballot harvesting to carry the day. Republicans very well might beat the crap out of each other this spring and give South Jersey Democrats a lifeline, but does any of this remotely resemble a position Democrats ever believed they’d find themselves occupying a mere four years ago?
It’s this simple: for the first time in my adult life, Election 2023 is probably the South Jersey Republicans’ fight to lose. That’s a huge political story if there ever was one.
