The decision of the Lakewood Vaad to take sides in next week’s GOP congressional primary puts some pressure on the hugely influential coalition of religious leaders from the township’s Orthodox Jewish community to turn out voters or risk a debate over the relevance of their endorsement.
The Vaad made a rare primary endorsement on Wednesday, announcing its support for Rep. Christopher Smith (R-Manchester) in New Jersey’s 4th district.
“Our longtime friend and Congressman, Chris Smith is being seriously challenged by a young newcomer,” the group said in its endorsement. “It is therefore critical that we show our unwaveringly support.”
But the last major endorsement the group made – supporting Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy’s re-election last year – turned into an epic failure for a religious-based group that plays a major role in local elections.
Despite the Vaad’s backing, Republican Jack Ciattarelli carried Lakewood by 23 percentage points and a 4,685-vote margin over Murphy. He did so after methodically cultivating support from a growing base of community and religious leaders who have distanced themselves from The Vaad leadership.
To be clear, Smith also has the backing of the other Lakewood faction that delivered for Ciattarelli. Their support of the 21-term congressman might have spurred The Vaad into a primary endorsement, perhaps out of fear of being left out and allowing others to claim credit.
With the support of both factions of the Lakewood Orthodox community, Smith won 91% of the vote in the Republican primary against Alter Eliezer Richter, a local rabbi, in the 2020 Republican primary.
But primary election turnout in Lakewood has been sluggish. In the 2021 GOP primary, turnout was at just 6%, substantially less than the 14% that turned out in Ocean County. The last federal mid-term election, 2018, produced a 10.5% turnout in Lakewood, one point less than the countywide percentage.
Support from The Vaad has not always been fruitful.
Gov. Jon Corzine won the coveted endorsement in 2009, but Republican Chris Christie won Lakewood by 4,618 votes, 54%-31%. With The Vaad’s help, Christie took 82% of the vote in his 2013 re-election campaign.
With The Vaad’s endorsement, Murphy won Lakewood by a narrow 114 votes over Republican Kim Guadagno in 2017.
Still, whether through local popularity or support from The Vaad and other local Orthodox leaders – more likely a combination of the two – Democrat Raymond Coles has been able to overcome Lakewood’s Republican proclivities to carve out a 20-year career on the township committee. Despite a 3-2 Republican majority, Coles has been mayor since 2017 and has held the post for a total of ten years.
Shlomo Schoor, a political reporter for the Lakewood Shopper, the dominant local newspaper in town, wasn’t surprised by The Vaad’s decision to get involved in Smith’s primary against podcaster Mike Crispi and retired FBI agent Steve Gray.
“This is an easy one for them though,” said Schoor. “Smith is extremely popular in Lakewood.”
Schoor cited Smith’s strong record of constituent service, something The Vaad also acknowledged.
“Smith’s staff has provided unparalleled constituent services to assist many Yechidim with wide variety of issues,” the endorsement stated.
The Vaad endorsement of Smith was first reported by the Lakewood Scoop.
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