Who won?
That’s always the question after one of these things. The unbiased attendee whose judgment I trust most texted this to me earlier today, Save Jerseyans, the morning after Tuesday night’s first 2025 GOP gubernatorial debate at Rider University (click here for the replay):
“I don’t like any of them. We are in trouble.”
I can’t say that’s my assessment exactly, though I do understand the sentiment having had a front row seat at Rider University for what was objectively a raucous and, at times, over-the-top performance by the four main contenders for the Republican nomination. Aggressive is fine. This is New Jersey… we’re a direct people who prefer authenticity to faux civility. Republicans haven’t flipped the governorship since 2009. In that year, Chris Christie (who didn’t run a campaign that was overly-concerned with people’s feelings) converted the debate to higher plane by arguing – directly and compellingly – that he could lead a movement to SAVE JERSEY. From corruption, from mismangement, and from entrenched special interests like the bosses and the NJEA. It worked, and he successfully built a winning coalition and, for a time, a governing coalition.
So raucous isn’t necessarily a problem provided the fighting is waged on substative ground over issues which voters care about. My job as a panelist was to ask direct questions of the four candidates; in formulating those questions, my goal was to ask what YOU at home likely wanted to know in order to decide who on the stage best deserves your vote and seems capable of building a 2009-esque movement. I really wanted to know where the candidates stood on illegal immigration, DEI, and corruption, three hugely important issues for New Jersey Republicans in the current environment.
Was I wowed by the answers? In a word: no. Not for the most part.
For example: my question concerning the Deep State went largely unanswered except by Jon Bramnick who, incredibly but not surprisingly, mocked the notion that the Deep State even exists. Maybe my question hit a little too close to home for some of the participants? You can judge for yourselves, but having collectively experienced the lies, manipulations and lawfare of the past several years, it’s impossible to argue that Republican voters (and many other Trump voters who aren’t Republicans, and we need to crossover this year in New Jersey) are unconcerned with a permanent collections of bosses, beaurocrats and special interests who seem to “win” no matter who prevails on the first Tuesday of November. They deserved a direct answer.
My follow up question concerning corruption generally devolved into a shouting match over… business tax returns? Or something? I couldn’t tell you… I defensively zoned out and started counting ceiling tiles.
Yes, points were scored. Ed Durr probably exceeded expectation. Jack Ciattarelli and Bill Spadea eliminated any doubt as to how they feel about one another and proceeded to spend nearly two hours trying to take chunks out of each other. Does anyone truly “win” debates on points in the digital age? In a hypothetical future debate, what we really need is a candidate who speaks not just with strength, substance, and relatability but also a heaping, healthy dose of aspiration. Someone who rallies us and convinces us – as Donald Trump did in 2016 and Chris Christie in 2009 – that this state can, in fact, be saved and renewed if it changes course, adopts America First principles which proved popular here in 2024, and moves in a courageous new direction.
Personally? I wanted to leave Rider feeling inspired, not like I developed a nagging case of tinnitus.
Here’s hoping the 2025 primary improves from here. I do believe there is a potential future governor on that stage – maybe more than one – but it’s up to them to start talking and acting like it.
New Jersey Republican Gubernatorial Primary Debate https://t.co/B4qm948Rvw
— Save Jersey (@SaveJersey) February 4, 2025
