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.
Vote-by-mail ballots go out in a week, meaning the first votes of the 2024 general election will be cast. Are voters ready to make informed decisions about down-ballot races, especially in campaigns that don’t have enough money to sustain a two-month campaign?
Dan Bryan: Voters don’t have to be ready to make an informed decision when they receive their ballots. They have the option of putting their ballot aside until they’re ready to vote, which is what the majority of voters do. The ones that do feel informed enough to vote as soon as they get their ballot (sickos like us) have the option to vote the day they receive it. I think trusting voters to make their own decision on when, where, and how to vote is a good thing.
As someone who loved in-person voting on election day, I’m a somewhat reluctant convert to mail-in balloting. But there’s no beating the ease and convenience of mail-in. I do miss the ritual of voting at a polling place, but not enough to give up mail-in voting.
Alex Wilkes: Probably not. When you look at other states – ones with much smaller populations – it is unbelievable how many outlets on television, online, print, and radio are dedicated to covering each and every contest, council meeting, etc. New Jersey has the worst of all worlds: it is sandwiched in between two gargantuan media markets and it is affected by the same local media crisis that affects the rest of the country. But for the New Jersey Globe and some other notable exceptions, in-depth coverage is hard to find. Voters deserve to be better informed — even in presidential years where the top of the ticket will dominate.
Tom Kean, Jr. launched his first TV ad this week for his bid for a second term in Congress. What do you think of the ad?
Alex: In a presidential year, it’s tough for down-ballot candidates to break through with a message that will sway those few voters that might be on the fence and can decide a close race.
Sue Altman has unwisely – and very dishonestly – decided to run a single-issue campaign on IVF. I think even Kamala Harris has moved on to other talking points.
What Congressman Kean is doing is much more impactful, which is not running a cookie-cutter issue ad, but rather a personal appeal based on his character.
It’s smart in a state and district where the Kean name holds a lot of value and for a Congressman who has truly been a moderate, representative voice for his district.
Dan: I think the content of the ad makes sense – Congressman Kean is looking to inoculate himself on ethical issues, given his many ethical lapses that I’m sure will be debated in the months ahead. And I’m happy to name just a few!
In 2022, Tom Kean promised to set up a blind trust. Instead, he has spent every day of his first term breaking that pledge, with no end in sight.
End Citizens United has named Congressman Kean to their “Most Corrupt Politicians” list.
Congressman Kean failed to disclose stock trades, the same error for which he pilloried Congressman Malinowski.
So if I were him, I’d try to inoculate myself on ethics as well. I bet he’s going to have a lot of work to do on that front in the next two months.
This week, I watched a Superior Court Judge tell lawyers that election deadlines are merely advisory. I don’t even know what to say about that, so I’m hoping one of you do? And at what point will the governor and legislature acknowledge that the state’s election laws are incredibly flawed and fix it?
Dan: It seems Judges always tend to rule in the favor of inclusivity, allowing for leniency toward allowing candidates onto the ballot. I think that’s generally a good thing, even if it does come more from a place of CYA than anything else.
If there’s a legislative fix that makes decisions like this less necessary, I hope the Governor and Legislature take it up.
Alex: Democrats control both the executive and the legislature, so for the present, my answer is that the Democrats will fix things when it’s most convenient for them. When Democratic campaign committees were facing huge fines and were worried about an upcoming election, they blew up ELEC over the pleas of good government advocates to wipe away old debts and increase contribution limits. My advice if you want something else? Find out what Nick Scutari and Craig Coughlin need next!
Facing tax charges, Hunter Biden entered an Alford Plea, which acknowledges there is enough evidence to convict him without admitting his guilt; he was previously convicted on gun charges. If you were advising President Joe Biden, would you tell him to pardon his son on his way out of office — or would you tell a father that his legacy is more important?
Alex: I would’ve told Joe Biden to seek proper medical care months before his horrendous, undignified display at the debate in June that put our country in danger, so I’m the wrong person to ask.
Instead, here’s what I think is going to happen. Biden’s anger towards the Democratic Party is palpable. Almost immediately after stepping aside, he stuck the party with Kamala Harris, something that despite the joy and vibes you hear spoken of now, was not the favored solution of elites. In return, they have kicked him off the campaign trail and pushed his DNC primetime goodbye almost into midnight.
Part of Joe Biden’s own “underdog” mythology is loyalty to a fault. He is an old man, who will want to spend the rest of his days with his family – not with his son behind bars. Joe has suffered the indignity of the “backstabbing” that precipitated his exit from the race and his son will have pled guilty to protect both the family and the Democratic Party from a scandal just as voters will head to the polls. In his estimation, he’s earned it, and everyone knows a pardon is coming after the election. Republicans will balk, but there will be no real rebuke from his fellow Democrats because in our deeply-divided country, anything goes if it’s in service to your own ideology. It will simply be the coup de grâce of one of the most corrupt families to ever serve in public life.
Dan: Hopefully, Hunter Biden has the honor and dignity to refuse his father’s pardon. He made some serious mistakes, and now he’s going to pay his debt to society. How he could possibly ask his father, whom history will treat far more favorably than the present, to stain his legacy by pardoning a family member is beyond me.
Should President Biden pardon his son for something he pleaded to? No, he shouldn’t. But I think he probably will. And to be honest, I’m not sure I’d do it any differently if it were my child (anyone that knows my kids knows there’s a decent chance they may one day need a Presidential pardon). I hope Hunter Biden has the honor and decency to refuse his father’s pardon.