New Jerseyans aren’t always civil, but it’s still possible for a liberal Democrat and a conservative Republican to have a rational and pleasant conversation about politics in the state. Dan Bryan is a former senior advisor to Gov. Phil Murphy and is now the owner of his own public affairs firm, and Alex Wilkes is an attorney and former executive director of America Rising PAC who advises Republican candidates in New Jersey and across the nation, including the New Jersey GOP. She is currently the campaign manager for Curtis Bashaw’s U.S. Senate race. Dan and Alex are both experienced strategists who are currently in the room where high-level decisions are made. They will get together weekly with New Jersey Globe editor David Wildstein to discuss politics and issues.
Citing the likelihood that lines are about to be dead forever, the Third Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals upheld a preliminary injunction mandating office block ballots and ending the county organization line system for the 2024 Democratic primary. Should political parties continue to fight to protect lines, or is it time to move on?
Dan Bryan: We are clearly moving into a post-line world in New Jersey. And there will be two choices for political organizations: evolve or die.
The good news is, many Democrats know what they need to do, and it’s more of what they already should have been doing: organizing and running well resourced, engaging campaigns with highly qualified candidates ON ISSUES THAT MATTER.
I advise Middlesex County Democrats, and I believe they can be a model of how party organizations can succeed moving forward. They are ready to adapt to the future, because they’ve spent years building toward it. They have invested in relationship mapping their electorate, and keeping their voter data fresh, aggressive vote by mail. They regularly poll and message test with the electorate. In Trenton, the delegation has advanced key progressive reforms on healthcare, gun safety, and affordable housing. And they keep their mayors and chairs regularly informed and engaged. That is exactly the type of granular engagement political organizations will need to embrace.
New Jersey Democrats have been enjoying historic victories over Republicans these past few years, and that hasn’t been by mistake. In 2023, Democrats in the legislature had a massively successful midterm cycle. They won by running popular candidates that were well resourced and laser-focused on the issues voters cared about, and refusing to engage in the nonsense Republicans obsessed over.
There is no doubt we are in for some uncertain times in New Jersey politics. But quality party organizations know the road map they should use to maintain their success against Republicans and in delivering for working families.
Alex Wilkes: As a legal matter, county organizations should continue to fight for the line in general because the courts have improperly intervened to restrict the political parties’ protected First Amendment activities, and they should stand up – as a matter of principle – for the interests of their members. This is particularly true for the upcoming June primary. Candidates, party members, and parties reasonably relied on a system in which they invested significant time and money. And again, I ask: where was the Democrats’ chance of irreversible injury? Andy Kim had so much early momentum under the current system that he forced Tammy Murphy out of the race. If anything, rewriting this process belongs to the legislature – not the courts – and certainly not weeks before an election.
That being said, as a matter of public image, I think few want to come out and defend a mostly quaint system that the Democrats managed to turn into Tammany Hall in a matter of weeks. Except Josh Gottheimer, apparently.
Bob Menendez says he might take the stand at his federal bribery trial and blame his wife for getting him involved in a criminal conspiracy and then not telling him the truth about it. Could that defense get him an acquittal?
Alex: I think it should, in the very least, get him a divorce.
I don’t claim to be an expert here, but this strategy certainly strikes at his state of mind and whether or not he had the requisite intent to have committed the criminal offenses alleged in the indictment. But did he really think the cash sewn in the lining of his jacket was just better insulation?
Dan: I can’t wait to see him try to convince a judge and jury of it!
Alex has a new job as campaign manager for Curtis Bashaw’s U.S. Senate bid. Dan, you just came off a Senate race. Any words of wisdom for your friend Alex?
Dan: Other than to switch parties?
Listen, it’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of both Alex and Curtis personally. And it’s clear that Curtis is surrounding himself with a team of smart professionals, all of whom I have a great deal of respect and admiration for.
But…if they win the Republican nomination, which I believe they will, they will be running with the most corrupt, malignant figure in American political history. Donald Trump will lose New Jersey by double digits, and the Republican Senate nominee will suffer the same fate. Donald Trump will drag them down the way he’s sunk everyone and everything else in his life.
But I do know that any campaign with Alex at the helm will fight like hell hoping that isn’t the case.
Alex: Thanks for the kind words, Dan. I am proud to be working hard for an outsider and businessman, who wakes up every morning and thinks about how he’s going to meet payroll for over 1,000 hard-working New Jerseyans. I’ll bring that fight to the backbencher congressman thinking about his next hit on MSNBC any day of the week!
It was sad to learn that Congressman Payne’s health issues are more significant than originally disclosed. Over the last couple of years, we’ve seen illnesses of Dianne Feinstein, Sheila Oliver, and Sandy Cunningham not receive much transparency. What should be the best practices of an elected official’s staff when there is an illness that affects their ability to do their job?
Alex: I think it’s probably a real dilemma for the people who work for them. We’d hope that they’d put the interests of the constituents over the vanity or pride of their boss, but life doesn’t always work like that, right? You’re obviously going to be protective and loyal to someone you’ve likely served for years.
Truthfully, I don’t know what the answer is as our halls of power become some of the most exclusive retirement communities (“not a nursing home!”) for an aging generation that is hanging on to those seats for dear life (literally). I worry that something like term limits arbitrarily limit voter choices and further erode the type of camaraderie and relationships you need to actually get things done. So, I would say it’s the responsibility of political parties to make way for new blood because they’re first up at bat in choosing candidates. I don’t pretend that they’re easy conversations to have, but without a line in the future, they might not even happen at all.
Dan: It’s an incredibly difficult circumstance, and I’m not sure there’s any playbook for it. The best any office can offer is transparency and continuation of services to their constituents.
There is no excuse for lack of clarity over a significant elected official’s well-being, but I do hope the public and the press understand how difficult these situations are on the staff. They’re trying to balance a lot, while protecting the privacy of their boss. I’m not sure there’s ever a way to get it exactly right.