Stomping Grounds: Primary Election takeaways, Party Unity, VBMs, and Election Conspiracies

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.  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.

New Jersey Globe: The primary election is over, and it’s on to November.  What were your key takeaways?

Alex: What I mainly took away from the primary was that it served as further evidence of the waning influence of Norcross’ operation and that Republican primary voters have become more sensitive to Democrats’ dirty tricks. South Jersey Democrats spent six figures to “pick” their candidate and came up woefully short. Last year, this was something that we saw Democrats openly bragging about in the midterm elections, but as these tactics became better known in the aftermath, it’s clear that primary voters (who would be more aware of the inside baseball) took notice.

Dan Bryan: There weren’t many surprises on the Democratic side this Tuesday, but it was telling to see Republican voters renominate Senator Ed Durr in LD3. Given the choice between Senator Durr, whose views are far outside the mainstream, and a more respectable candidate, they decisively chose Durr. That decision will put the seat in jeopardy against former Assemblyman John Burzichelli this November.

Some of these primaries got a lot nasty and very personal.  You’ve both been through tough intra-party battles.  What’s the best way for parties to unify after a tough spring?

Dan: It’s fairly straightforward: after a candidate is chosen, everyone needs to move forward and act in the best interest of the party. Period.

It’s easy to get lost in a tight election, especially a primary. Friendships and long-time relationships can be strained. But the most important thing for both sides is to come together, settle any unresolved issues, and work toward victory in the general. Barring extreme circumstances, the success of party policies and ideals should outweigh any personal animus.

Alex: It’s been nothing short of amazing (and dismaying) to watch how openly low candidates on both sides of the aisle are willing to go in even just the past few years in pursuit of victory. In some ways the coarsening of our political discourse has been a positive in terms of dismantling certain ideological sacred cows and making way for new voices, but it has certainly been at a cost. The attacks have become intensely personal and cruel – more so than they have ever been in our lifetime (though perhaps not in the history of the Republic).

Regardless of the heated rhetoric (most of it from behind keyboards), nothing still beats personal outreach in terms of mending broken ties and hurt feelings. Most people at the end of a losing primary campaign still want to feel included for the broader effort but may feel unsure or reluctant about reaching out themselves. It’s on winning candidates and campaigns to bring the coalition together before November – even in circumstances where their opponents may not be as gracious.

NJ Globe: Almost 258,000 New Jerseyans have voted in advance of Election Day, and it seems that New Jerseyans are becoming comfortable with vote-by-mail – but early voting was a little sluggish in a low-turnout off-off year.  Do any adjustments need to be made, or is advance voting on the right path?

Alex: Republicans are investing a lot in making sure our voters know the rules of the game so as to not be at a comparative disadvantage to Democrats when all the votes are counted. For that reason, I’m not going to come down on the practice of early voting as it stands now in the Garden State. We need to encourage our voters to cast their ballots whenever and wherever gets them in the door.

That being said, I think that the results speak to a rush on the part of Governor Murphy to implement the practice so he would look like the most progressive kid on the block back when his presidential dreams were still a thing. Meanwhile, on Election Day last year, we saw a massive machine meltdown in Mercer County that Attorney General Platkin still refuses to investigate. My point is that before we move onto the “extras” in the future, maybe let’s make sure we get the basics right first?

Dan: I’m not surprised to see the slow uptake in early voting. When Governor Murphy and the Legislature enacted early voting a few years back, the assumption was that it would take at least until the first Presidential election to see significant uptake. Many New Jerseyans still don’t even know that early in-person voting exists.

I think it’s important to take a step back and look at the massive difference Governor Murphy has made in expanding democracy. In just five short years, he’s made it far easier to vote by mail, expanded voting rights to 80,000 residents on probation and parole, and implemented automatic voter registration and online voter registration. I know small-d democracy is out of vogue with the modern-day GOP, but there’s no doubt Governor Murphy has strengthened our democracy by making it more inclusive and participatory.

NJ Globe: Some progressives running off-the-line in Hudson County finished closer than expected, and I couldn’t help but notice that some of their supporters took to social media to suggest that maybe the election was a little rigged.  Whether it’s the left or the right or the middle, what causes people to jump to conclusions without evidence and not just admit that their side came up a little short?

Dan: I will say that I am slightly biased here, having been on the receiving end of voting improprieties for years in Hoboken. But that’s clearly not what’s going on here.

It’s far too easy for the fringes on both sides to scream about rigged elections when they lose. And I understand that losing a close election, one that you care deeply about, is extremely difficult. Again, I’ve been there. But now more than ever, we need to respect the democratic process and either accept defeat gracefully or, if there really has been voting improprieties, immediately show hard evidence to a judge. There is zero room for baseless accusations after the damage Donald Trump and his lackeys have done to our democracy in the 2020 election.

Alex: I mean, in fairness to the conspiracy theorists in this case, it is Hudson County.  There’s a decent chance my 4-day-old son is on the voter rolls already!

In all seriousness, it’s much easier for internet sleuths to invest their energy in constructing an elaborate plot than it is for them and their followers to put on a pair of shoes and knock on a few doors. If you spend your time in an online echo chamber, you’re more likely to believe what you want to hear. If you spend your time talking to real voters, you’re more likely to see evidence of a closer race than you may want to believe is true.

Editor’s note: Congratulations to Alex and Charlie Wilkes on the birth of their son.  It’s not at all surprising that she would go into labor during the primary week and not take any time off.   The New Jersey Globe wishes her growing family the very best.