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; 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. 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. (Editor’s note: David Wildstein is on vacation, and this week’s questions come from New Jersey Globe Washington reporter Joey Fox.)
New Jersey Globe: 87-year-old Rep. Bill Pascrell is, unfortunately, back in the hospital, and we still don’t have a clear picture from his office of what’s ailing him or what the prognosis is. For most people, medical issues are private business, but is the standard different for officeholders? What does the public deserve to know in cases like this?
Alex Wilkes: I think with respect to our elected officials voters should ultimately decide who stays and who goes and when that should happen. The public deserves to know about hospital stays and major accidents, but I feel leery of politicizing private medical information beyond that.
I do think with so many officeholders determined to hang on regardless of mental or physical deterioration, the burden rests with party leaders to keep the pipeline open for turnover. With the end of “the line” in New Jersey, I think you will start to see this happen more.
Personally, I don’t believe that any legislative office should be a lifelong career, but above all, I respect the voters to make that decision.
Dan Bryan: First, let me start by stating that we are talking about the life and health of a human being, which sometimes gets lost in these discussions. Congressman Pascrell is a beloved husband, father, and grandfather, and I am thinking about his family and wishing them the best throughout this very difficult time.
It’s a tricky balance. The public does deserve transparency, but the Congressman does deserve some semblance of medical privacy. Personally, I would draw the line here: inform the public as soon as an elected official is hospitalized, and communicate how they’re faring while hospitalized and provide a rough recovery timeline. Once the hospitalization is over, they should disclose if there is a serious underlying health issue that would affect the elected official’s job duties.
But past all of that, I think Congressman Pascrell and his family do deserve the space to go through an incredibly difficult and emotional episode with the space and understanding necessary. I hope Congressman Pascrell recovers quickly, and that he is back down in DC raising hell as soon as possible.
NJ Globe: Gov. Phil Murphy is set to announce today that he’s appointing his former chief of staff, George Helmy, to fill Bob Menendez’s Senate seat – what do you think of his pick?
Dan: I cannot think of anyone better suited to fill this position than George Helmy.
First, let’s state that many New Jerseyans could have capably and honorably fulfilled the remainder of Senator Menendez’s term. There has been no shortage of suggestions floating around in the media, many of whom would have been excellent.
But I think this choice came down to two issues for Governor Murphy: integrity and capability.
Not only is George a person of the highest integrity and honesty, he knows both the US Senate and State government like the back of his hand. In a world in which anything can be accomplished in the next three to four months, George is the person to do it. I could not be more thrilled for him and his family and he embarks on the next few months.
Alex: I have long since abandoned hope that politicians will make decisions that are in the best interest of the American people, so from a purely political perspective? A+ troll work by Murphy. In throwing a temper tantrum so Lego boy could get his own generational seat, the Democrats cravenly threw his wife under the bus in the name of democracy after years of Murphy bucks and government patronage fueling the machine. I don’t always respect Phil Murphy, but I applaud him standing up for his wife and telling the faux populists in his party to go scratch.
NJ Globe: Do you think the governor made the right call by appointing a caretaker to the seat, rather than choosing one of the candidates currently running and allowing New Jersey to accrue some extra seniority?
Alex: I generally think the caretaker is the right move. These seats belong to the people – not political parties or families – and voters deserve a clean choice in November.
DB: The Governor was careful not to interfere with the democratic process and put his thumb on the scale of the ongoing election, and he was right not to do so. If we care about openness, election integrity, democracy, and process, we have to care about those things all of the time, not just when it benefits us.
Both candidates will now have the ability to continue to earn the position on their own, which I’m sure is the way they’d prefer it.
NJ Globe: Steve Fulop has begun to steadily unveil his slate of legislative running mates, with six South Jersey Assembly challengers announced so far and more from around the state surely still to come. Is his strategy – to seemingly contest everything, everywhere – a good one? And is it a harbinger of what New Jersey’s potential line-free future will look like?
Dan: I think we’ll soon find out what a post-line world looks like in New Jersey. There are those that think it means legislative incumbents will be primaried incessantly, throwing state government into turmoil. Count me among the cynical.
Broadly, Democratic voters in New Jersey *aren’t* upset with their representation in Trenton – we saw that last year, when voters actually increased the number of Democrats serving in both the Assembly and the State Senate.
There will certainly be credible challenges in some districts, and it will likely mean incumbents working harder and communicating more with their voters to ensure reelection. But I wish we’d focus more on holding the line against Republican extremism, which can rear its ugly head in Trenton faster than we may think.
Alex: I think it’s an interesting idea for a candidate that will be shut out by conventional sources of power – even without the line.
For the locals, however, I think that they should be mindful that endorsements really only have practical value for the money and volunteers they can bring to the table. That means that a candidate who becomes a “Fulop” candidate based on a relationship, ideological support, or even some seed money, might regret it down the line if more powerful, better-funded candidates come in later down the line. It’s a good strategy for Fulop, but a potentially risky one for the beneficiaries.