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. 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.
The Burlington County Democratic Chairman is proposing something new: caretakers to fill legislative and county commissioner vacancies so that voters, so incumbents picked behind closed doors aren’t forced upon primary voters. Is this the new world order?
Dan Bryan: The foundational question is this: who is the best person for the job? That, in my opinion, is who should be appointed. If that person wants to run again, I don’t have much of a problem with that. If they don’t, that’s fine too.
I think one of the benefits of our new ballot design is less perception of power of incumbency – more than any other time, the best candidate should, in theory, be the one to win. So why are we limiting ourselves to those uninterested in making the position their own?
Clearly, I am far less obsessed with process than I am with results. In theory, we should not have to sacrifice one or the other. I’ll come down on the side of picking the best person for the job every time, even if that means they’re planning to run again.
Alex Wilkes: The proposal is definitely in line with the more open, transparent direction New Jersey elections are headed in these days, so it makes sense. If you’re hoping to move up the ranks in elected office by waiting for someone to die, retire, or get promoted, you probably should consider a different career.
Mikie Sherrill and Josh Gottheimer each acknowledge that they’ll miss a bunch of votes in the U.S. House of Representatives as they seek to become the next governor of New Jersey but say they’ll make sure they’re in Washington when needed. What are the political risks of missed votes as they begin a new term while seeking a new job?
Alex: Running for a different office on the taxpayer dime definitely comes with some risks. For one, Hakeem Jeffries might want to consider having a jet on standby at Teterboro to save himself the stress that comes with having two of your most loyal lapdogs missing from your caucus during important votes. Second, should one of them succeed, it gives primary opponents and the Republican nominee two bites at the apple in attacking missed votes from the left and right. Everybody hates Congress, so even bills renaming a post office can be spun into a pearl-clutching offense in the right ad or mail piece. Cost of doing business, I suppose. Too bad it’s We the People footing the bill!
Dan: Clearly, it’s going to be a juggling act for both campaigns. But these candidates are running for the most demanding job of their careers (indeed, one of the most demanding jobs in American politics). The difficulties of striking this balance will pale in comparison with the difficulties of actually running the state.
My sense is though it will be annoying and lead to some difficult decisions in terms of time management, both campaigns will do what they need to do to ensure this isn’t a larger campaign issue.
Andy Kim will be sworn in as a U.S. Senator from New Jersey today. What advice do you have for him as he begins his Senate career?
Dan Bryan: A politician I knew in Hudson County had a way of categorizing US Senators – some “national Senators,” who liked the Sunday shows and speaking at think tank events, and some were “pothole Senators,” who focused on fixing real issues in New Jersey.
Be a pothole Senator.
Become obsessed with delivering results for New Jersey. Get granular with every town, every county, and every legislative district in our state. Ask local leaders and members of the community what you can do to help them, and then work obsessively in Washington to deliver it.
Do the hard work on behalf of New Jersey, and ignore the bullshit cocktail party circuit in DC. Less foreign policy, more local policy.
If he does that, he’ll be successful. And I have no doubt he will be.
Alex: If he is the post-partisan, pro-transparency politician he has portrayed himself to be, follow the lead of one of his early endorsers, Senator John Fetterman, in giving serious consideration to President Trump’s nominees and plans to increase the efficiency of government. If nothing else, there’s a huge opportunity to generate earned media and not just be another Democratic Senator from a “blue state” stringing along on MSNBC hits.
George Helmy’s three-month stint in the U.S. Senate ended on Sunday. How did he do?
Alex: After an insane year that saw state secrets sold for Barcaloungers and gold bars, along with the detonation of the New Jersey County Line, only some words from Green Day come to mind for Senator Helmy:
It’s something unpredictable
But in the end, it’s right
I hope you had the time of your life
Dan: Given the situation, I’m not sure anyone could have possibly done a better job in the last three months than George has.
As our Interim Senator, he was professional, ethical, and hardworking. He brought honor and dignity back to an office that desperately needed it. He took his opportunity seriously, and made New Jersey proud.
George’s tenure in DC was short, but I believe it’ll be long remembered.
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