Making a campaign stop in Weehawken, U.S. Rep. Rob Menendez (D-8) and New Jersey Democratic State Committee Chair LeRoy Jones gave their final thoughts on the chances of Vice President Kamala Harris and Democratic congressional nominee Sue Altman (D-7).
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“We’re here to make sure that democracy, which is on the ballot, is going to be preserved and it’s going to be preserved in the name of Kamala Harris, Tim Walz, and right here in Hudson County, Rob Menendez, Jr.,” Jones said in an interview outside of the polling location at 525 Gregory Ave.
“It’s gonna make our House of Representatives solid, it’s gonna make our country solid, it’s gonna make our democracy strong again.”
While the 8th District is solidly Democratic and Menendez is expected to handily defeat Republican nominee Anthony Valdes, the neighboring 7th District where Altman is looking to unseat U.S. Rep. Tom Kean (R) has been touted as a nail-biter by pundits across the country.
Although he isn’t expecting a call tonight, Jones said he thinks Altman will ultimately pull off the upset.
“She’s been a tenacious campaigner, I’m looking for a victory there: We may not see it tonight, but I’m sure we’re poised for a victory in CD-7,” Jones asserted.
On the topic of calling races tonight, pollsters and analysts across the country have been clear that they believe Trump vs. Harris will be too close to call on Election Day. However, Jones isn’t ruling out that possibility.
“Miracles can be upon us and we can hopefully see something tonight that might surprise America and that surprise will be Kamala Harris with a victory. We’re looking at seven states, the significant seven, one of those is Pennsylvania and one of those is North Carolina,” he began.
“If we see some substantial margins in those two states, it’s game over and Kamala Harris is the President of the United States.”
Menendez expressed his enthusiasm about voter turnout
“Listen, you see great numbers across the district, people are turning out, and I think there’s a real genuine sense of excitement, it’s palpable, and I think there’s just a lot of joy today that people finally have the opportunity to vote, especially for Vice President Harris,” he told HCV.
“I am confident she wins, the momentum’s breaking her way the last couple of days. I think what you’re seeing in Pennsylvania, especially Philadelphia this morning, a huge turnout, lines around the block, in addition to the early voting numbers. If the trends continue, I think she wins.”
He added that he couldn’t venture a guess on when the presidential race is called, but said he remains hopeful, as well as being hopeful that the Democrats maintain the House and can get back to work.
Like Jones, he agreed that Altman has run a great race, to the point where “you couldn’t have asked her to run a better campaign” and is keeping his fingers crossed he has another colleague joining the Democratic ranks.
And of course Menendez has endorsed U.S. Rep. Andy Kim (D-3) for Senate as he seeks the seat that was held by U.S. Senator Bob Menendez – Rob’s father – for roughly 18 years before getting convicted on federal corruption charges.
The younger Menendez sounded enthusiastic about the prospect of Kim getting elected to the Senate and indicated he was proud to support him.
“Listen, he’s run a great race: We’ve had the opportunity to do a lot of things together on the official side and the political side and he’s gonna be a great senator. I think it’s really important for the part of the state that he’s represented in the House and to have representation in the Senate and he’s run a near flawless campaign.”
Before he was off to the next campaign stop, Menendez reiterated his confidence in Harris.
” … The choice is clear between Vice President Harris and former President Trump and I think we’re gonna see people overwhelmingly come out to support Vice President Harris because it’s just a different future for our country and that’s what people are excited about.”
Additionally, Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner encouraged residents to vote before the polls close at 8 p.m., noting that approximately 3,500 people already voted early or by mail, with about another 3,500 expected by the end of the day, which would be about the same as their voter turnout in 2020.
 and NJ Dem Chair LeRoy Jones gave their final thoughts on the chances of Kamala Harris and Sue Altman (D-7).){kind=link}