Gov. Phi Murphy (D) gave a stump speech at the Dante Alighieri Society of Jersey City, telling everyone in attendance that “it feels like we have it” but “don’t relent” on getting voters out.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“I don’t know how it’s gonna shake out tonight, I’ve been all over the state: Mercer, Essex, Bergen, back to Essex, here in Hudson, heading to Monmouth after this,” Murphy explained.
“It feels, based on those visits and a lot of conversations, we’re gonna have some close races but I feel like the enthusiasm, which we desperately need in a low turnout election – shouldn’t be the case but it is unfortunately – we need all the enthusiasm we can get and it feels like we have it, it feels like we have it.”
Murphy, who was joined by Democratic nominee for Hudson Executive Craig Guy, along 32nd Legislative District Democratic nominees for state Senate Raj Mukherji and his two running mates, John Allen and Jessica Ramirez, and urged everyone on hand to work hard to get the votes out for them – as well as Democratic 31st Legislative District Senate nominee Angela McKnight.
Reiterating that some legislative races will be tough, he said Democrats support positions such as affordability, citing tax cuts for the middle class and senior citizens, and women’s reproductive freedom, which would change drastically under Republican control.
Guy, the longtime chief of staff to outgoing Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise, spoke highly of the room of about 75 Election Day volunteers, with Murphy giving a shoutout to the organized labor union members present.
In Hudson County, all 10 Democratic county candidates and nine Democratic legislative candidates are expected to cruise to victory tonight, with many running unopposed, though that isn’t the case elsewhere in the state.
The 3rd, 4th, 11th, and 16th Legislative Districts are all expected to be very close, with Republicans aiming to take control of the the Assembly (currently Democrats enjoy a 46-34 majority) and tighten up the 10-seat advantage in the Senate (25-15 in Democrats favor).
Mukherji said he believes that Democrats will not only retain their majorities, but have a great chance to pick up additional seat, though he didn’t specific where.
State Senator Ed Durr (R-3), who received national attention for unseating longtime state Senate President Steve Sweeney in 2021, is in a dogfight with former Democratic Assemblyman John Burzichelli, with Republicans hoping that Steve Dnistrian can unseat state Senator Vin Gopal (D-11) in two of today’s key legislative matchups.
Ravi Bhalla was behind the racist fliers in 2017 that helped get him elected. His best friend and mutual best man at each other’s wedding, Gurbir Grewal, did not prosecute and now we have a mess in Hoboken.
Gurbir is being investigated by both the FBI and Testa for the same blind eye for Menendez wife. Once he goes, I pray that the needful happens and so does my fst Ravi.
Unless there’s a RICO investigation, there will be no accountability. They were exposed running the same dirty game in Edison, NJ that year but got away with it in Hoboken.
Maybe run some real progressives instead of unopposed party hacks?
Just a thought.
Still, citizens who don’t vote deserve the unresponsive government they get. The rest of us deserve better.