New Jersey political report.

0:00 Speaker 1 Sunday morning. But us from New Jersey is Eric Shuffler and Democratic strategists. What the heck is going on in the election? What the heck is going on New Jersey? And he’s our partner and the Faerie Hawks, and we’ll talk about that later, Eric. Sixteen days to the election, the American people have going to decide which way the

0:23 world is going in sixteen days New Jersey. What’s the key races in New Jersey. You’re looking at.

0:32 Speaker 2 John good Morning, Good Morning, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, the far reaches of WABC. It’s a fascinating election. I think when we talk about every election, we say is the most important in our lifetime, this really is. And we can talk a little bit national politics, but New Jersey eyes are focused on one race, the seventh District.

0:51 It is the most competitive race in New Jersey featuring Tom Kaine Junior. You know royalty in New Jersey politics. His dad was the governor of one of the most popular politicians in New Jersey history, Tom kin Junior, this is going for his second reelection in this competitive, suburban but Republican leading district against Sue Altman. Sualtman is hard

1:13 charging has a career based on corruption. She took on George Norcross in the South Jersey political machine. She comes out of the progressive left wing of the Democratic Party, which is where Tom Kaine has really tried to hang that around her head as a real detriment in New Jersey.

1:32 But this is a competitive race. They’ve each raised over five million dollars. Altman has outraised Kane Junior two to one in the last cycle, but it’s competitive. The most recent polling has this in a dead heat. It’s a real microcosm of what we’re seeing in the country. A suburban district where Trump doesn’t play well, trying to be

1:52 held by a a well known Republican incumbent with a fierce, well funded Democratic challenger who’s hammering him. I’m on the abortion issue, so I think that’s what we’re seeing a lot. But that’s where all eyes in New Jersey are on that race.

2:06 Speaker 1 Else is New Jersey going to go further left or more center or what are your pulse? You know?

2:17 Speaker 2 My polst is New Jersey is trying to pull back to the center. The candidates in New Jersey that have always done well have been more center based. There are Democratic parts of New Jersey that are you know, the urban areas that are very left leaning, but we’re seeing more suburbs shifting Democratic, and I think that’s a reaction

2:34 to Trump. But the Democratic Party is still made up of working class communities like in Woodbridge, Middlesex County, you know so called Reagan Democrats, McComb County Democrats, who those are where the base of the party is still held.

2:47 And I think Democratic leadership still respects that and is keeping the party trying to keep the party there, which John, you know, if you want to segue, really takes us to the race that everyone in New Jersey is focused on.

2:59 Out side of this race, which is a governor’s race in twenty twenty five, and there you really see four to five Democratic candidates and that’s a real fight for the soul of the party.

3:12 Speaker 1 So that’s going to show us what’s really going on, but it won’t be till after the election of November fifth.

3:21 Speaker 2 Yeah, it starts that. I mean, the other election in New Jersey that’s of note is the Senate race with Bob Menendez and his legal troubles and having stepped down, the race is fairly sleepy. It features you know, a well, a real quality Republican candidate, a moderate, you know, pro business, Republican, hotel casino developer, Curtis bay shawf from South Jersey going

3:43 up against Andy Kim, you know, congressman from South Jersey. Andy has taken on really the Democratic establishment and run really as an outsider. He will win fairly easily. You know, New Jersey hasn’t elected a Republican senator since I think nineteen seventy two. Wow. But what’s interesting about that is, you know, Andy Kim is really trying to create a

4:05 political party unto himself as an independent, but more progressive for sure than maybe New Jersey is used to, at least at the Senate race. But yeah, John, you know, in terms of politics and power, all eyes focused on the gubernatorial race. In twenty twenty five. Governor Murphy served two terms, so he is term limited out and that

4:28 we are only New Jersey and Virginia are the only states that have a big off yr election. So all eyes of the country ship to New Jersey. But that’s a big, you know, a big hift because.

4:40 Speaker 1 Eric, give me your pulse on the national election sixteen days to go.

4:46 Speaker 2 You know, my Democratic leanings, you know, and I know Kamala Harris is you know who I support. I’ve never seen an election with this much unpredictability, this much uncertainty about who will show up. You know, I think you know, Harris had a lot of momentum after that initial announcement.

5:02 It clearly seems the last few weeks, you know, she has lost some of that and Trump has consolidated his vote. And then you have all these world events going on, John that are that are unpredictable. How that will impact you know, what’s going on in the Middle East, what’s going on with Israel, what’s going on with Ukraine. You know,

5:19 anything could change that could cause people to show up not shopping vote. You know, I still think Harris will pull this out at the end, but you know, we could be here for a week or two. And as you and I have discussed, my biggest fear is, you know, I want this country to be in one place after

5:36 the election. I think we all genuinely fear we are American.

5:39 Speaker 1 So you have confidence that a Comala Harris can run the country.

5:44 Speaker 2 I do. Listen, She’s been a prosecutor, she has been held senior executives, and she as vice president. I do have confidence that she’s there and that she represents I think where the country wants to go, which is forward looking, then kind of returning to some of our issues in the past, understood tough like this is a tough one, John,

6:04 This is a tough one for the American public. But I think we always say every election is the most important.

6:11 Speaker 1 You know, I’m leaning I’m leaning center right, and I’m going to support President Trump because if you gave me a choice, who would I If I have a big division that does a billion dollars and the country does one hundred triggon of five trade and six, et cetera.

6:28 If I had a division it does a billion dollars, who would I pick to run it? Would it be Donald Trump or Kamala Harris? It will not be Kamala Harris.

6:37 Speaker 2 John. I love that perspective because it speaks to an executive skill set, right, that we are putting someone in charge. The most important thing When I was in the governor’s office, if you’re in these senior spots, it’s can you make the decisions? Can you make them decisively? And then can you get them executed? And that is a skill set

6:54 separate and apart from where you are on policy or how you can move public opinion. And I, you know, I think that’s one that you know, listen, does Trump have that from his days of running? And he clearly can make decisions, you know, I just believe where Harris is philosophically, you know, her policies, her temperament, they take

7:12 to where the country needs to go. But it’s an interesting analysis of executive skill set versus you know, where someone is on policies and their ability to manage the legislature and and house.

7:22 Speaker 1 Eric, we’ll talk another day which way the fairy Hawks are going and what else is going on at the stadium, But we’re out of time and we’ll talk real soon.

7:32 Speaker 2 All good, God bless God, bless