News: POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: A stay-at-home election night

Thursday, October 29, 2020

POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: A stay-at-home election night

Oct 29, 2020

Presented by Noom

Good Thursday morning!

I was hoping next Tuesday could have been the night a feeling of normalcy came back to New Jersey politics. Then the second wave came.

Katherine Landergan and I asked 10 congressional campaigns in at least nominally competitive districts what they plan to do on election night. Of the seven that responded, just one — Andy Kim — plans to hold an in-person event. Another, Amy Kennedy, was undecided as of Tuesday.

There are two main reasons for this. Democrats mainly cite the increasing Covid-19 case count. Republicans aren't sure enough votes will be counted by the end of the night to know the results.

It's not that they believe officials will be too slow to count mail-in ballots. It's that provisional ballots won't be counted for at least a week, and with President Donald Trump sowing mistrust of the mail-in ballot process, they believe Republicans will disproportionately turn out to vote in-person on Tuesday. And unless you're a person with a disability, in New Jersey, this year that means voting by provisional ballot.

But the general sense among candidates and elections officials I talked to was that 75 percent to 80 percent of the votes will be counted by the end of the night. And if that's the case and the candidates know which towns' results are lagging, it should at least give a decent indication of results in all but the tightest races.

CORONAVIRUS TRACKER — 1,682 newly diagnosed cases for a total of 232,997. Forteen more deaths for a total of 14,531 (and 1,793 presumed deaths)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — State Sen. Robert Singer, Paterson Council Member Al Abdel-Aziz. Missed yesterday: State Sen. Jim Beach

QUOTE OF THE DAY : "I think the words didn't explain as well what I exactly felt … It's not undying support that, whatever you say I'm going to do, or undying support, I agree with whatever you say. It was undying support for the presidency, for the idea of the greatness of America, for a friendship, but not necessarily that I'm going to agree with everything." — Rep. Jeff Van Drew, walking back his statement in support of Trump with about a week to go before the election

CAMEO OF THE DAY: Former Gov. Chris Christie has been busy since leaving office. He's lobbying, working as an ABC on-air commentator and representing a Malaysian fugitive. Now you can now hire Christie yourself. That's right, Christie's on Cameo , where you can buy a personalized message from him for $200, which is a fairly hefty price on that site. Two weeks ago, I purchased a Cameo from Emily Koruda (Mrs. Kim on the Gilmore Girls) as an anniversary gift for my wife and she only charged $75. But unlike Christie's other gigs, this money would go to charity: His cameo says all proceeds go to the Center for Great Expectations.

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WHAT TRENTON MADE

MURPHY'S BEEN DOING A LOT WITH DONALD NORCROSS LATELY — Murphy signs executive order imposing Covid-related workplace safety standards, by POLITICO's Katherine Landergan : New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed an executive order Wednesday to help protect employees against the spread of Covid-19 in the workplace. "Like so much else where Washington has failed to lead, New Jersey will step up to fill the void," Murphy said during a virtual press conference alongside U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross (D-N.J.), who has championed the issue of worker protection. Murphy said the order creates workplace health and safety standards that will cover all New Jersey workers in the private and public sectors. For example, workers will be screened for Covid-19 symptoms prior to every shift and will be notified if there's a known exposure of coronavirus in the workplace. Companies must also provide gloves and sanitizing materials

TIME FOR SOME DEMOGRAPHIC BLIND SPOTS IN FORT LEE — "Asians in U.S. are a fast-growing electorate group, yet campaigns are slow to reach voters," by The Record's Mary Chao: "In New Jersey, Asian Americans account for 10% of the state's 8.9 million population. In towns such as Fort Lee and Leonia in Bergen County, Asians account for more than 40% of the residents there. If demographics are destiny, then Asian Americans are a powerful electoral force here in the Garden State. But a recent study shows that neither of the two major political parties is doing a good job of Asian outreach. The 2020 Asian American Voter Survey data, released last month, found that even as the Asian American electorate continues to grow, its voters are still reporting little to no outreach from either political party."

PUNCTUALITY IS AN OUTLIER FOR NJ TRANSIT — NJ Transit is outlier in not fining maskless riders, by POLITICO's Samantha Maldonado: NJ Transit is refraining from fining maskless passengers, even as other regional transit agencies have taken more aggressive tactics to enforce mask mandates to help stop the spread of Covid-19. Instead of fines, NJ Transit is opting to "educate and communicate the requirement to wear a face covering while on our system through extensive signage, announcements and social media," Jim Smith, spokesperson for NJ Transit, said in an email. "We have seen the overwhelming majority of customers complying."

THE HENNES WILL DO YOUR CAMEO FOR $201 — " A house divided: Married political analysts are from opposing political parties," by News 12 NJ: "A New Jersey couple who work on opposite sides of the political spectrum has been able to set aside those differences when they are together at home.''Did you hear what Donald Trump said?' If I had a dollar for every time Joshua said that I could probably fund a good portion of the stimulus,' jokes Jeanette Hoffman. Hoffman is a Republican public affairs consultant. Her husband, Joshua Henne, is a Democratic strategist. They are New Jersey's version of George and Kellyanne Conway or in an earlier era, Mary Matlin and James Carville. They each have campaign signs on their front lawn showing support for their respective candidates ... They met when a reporter asked Henne if he could recommend any moderate New Jersey Republican to comment for a story."

IF I COULD TURNER BACK TIME — "Set your clocks back Sunday as NJ mulls making Daylight Saving permanent," by NJ 101.5's Dan Alexander: "Democratic state Sen. Shirley Turner is the sponsor of legislation that would make Daylight Saving Time permanent in New Jersey. Turner says with darkness coming around 5 p.m., people tend to just want to go home. 'They're not going to be out shopping or doing recreational kinds of activities. And when it gets dark it brings on depression and this is the last thing we need now with this pandemic. We want to try and lift people's spirits if that's possible,' Turner said. Turner said that changing the clocks twice a year is inconvenient and more daylight hours would lead to less crime and saves energy.."

BOOCO — "Bucco v. Mehta: The LD25 war — for Halloween," by InsiderNJ's Fred Snowflack: "For years, the late Anthony R. Bucco and now his son, Anthony M. Bucco, have used campaign signs that spell out the name, BUCCO, in orange lettering on a black background with one creative twist. The 'o' in Bucco's name is a Jack-o-lantern. The signs certainly tell those who for some reason may be unaware that it is both Halloween and election time. Bucco is again using the Halloween-themed signs in his Senate reelection campaign in LD-25, but Democratic candidate Rupande Mehta has Halloween on her mind as well. 'This Halloween season, the most terrifying thing you could do is vote Anthony Bucco Junior' a Mehta campaign mailer says. Bucco is not a junior, but the Dems are ignoring that detail. The mailer adds that Bucco is 'scary' because, above all, he is a 'Trump ally' and that people should not be 'tricked' into voting for him."

— "Proposal would force MVC to set up online appointments"

— " We've been called idiots' — The stress of working the 2020 election in NJ"

— "A push for New Jersey to follow California's lead on recycling plastic"

— " NJ schools have survived COVID-19 so far: Will Thanksgiving travel spoil Everything?"

— BPU agrees to take a closer look at pandemic's impact on utilities, customers

— "University Hospital CEO says uptick in COVID-19 hospitalizations 'cause for alarm'"

— "More NJ cities order bars, restaurants to close earlier as COVID-19 cases spike"

— Golden: "NJ voters seem certain to approve legalizing marijuana. Get ready for a battle over how to regulate it"

— Senate pulls bill to ease restrictions on teens working at polling sites

HAPPENING TODAY - CONFRONTING INEQUALITY IN AMERICA: POLITICO Live is convening physicians, advocates, and policymakers for its second town hall in the Confronting Inequality in America series. Join the group to discuss the policy and public health solutions needed to solve the inequalities in the U.S. health care system that have a disproportionate impact on Black and other patients of color. REGISTER HERE TO JOIN THE CONVERSATION.

TRUMP ERA

BULLISH ON DEMS — House race prognosticator Nathan Gonzales just moved his ratings on the three most competitive House races in New Jersey, all in favor of Democrats. He moved District 2 (Van Drew) from "toss-up" to "Tilt Democratic," District 3 (Kim) from "likely Democratic to solid Democratic" and District 7 from "lean Democratic" to "likely Democratic." While I think it's fair to give the Democrats the edge in all three districts through a combination of their fundraising and Trump's unpopularity, I'm guessing Gonzales is seeing data that I'm not, at least in the 3rd District. Read more here.

230 STEEL HORSES RODE IN TO SEE BON JOVI — "Donald Trump takes shot at Jon Bon Jovi crowd size in campaign rally," by The Asbury Park Press' Chrs Jordan: "Trump took a shot at the Jersey rocker during a campaign rally in Omaha, Nebraska on Tuesday, Oct. 27. The president joked about the number of people Bon Jovi attracted to a Biden campaign rally he attended with former President Barack Obama '(Obama) brought Bon Jovi along, you know what happened to Bon Jovi, they increased the crowd by 22 people, can you believe that?' Trump said. Yet, Bon Jovi has not joined Obama at a rally this campaign. Bon Jovi did perform with Biden at an Oct. 25 rally in Dallas, Pennsylvania. There were about 230 cars there, according to Reuters."

— "Yes, N.J., you have a U.S. Senate race and Cory Booker is campaigning — in other states"

— "Rice not worried about Essex underperforming"

— " Bruce Springsteen: Trump a con man from Queens who's brainwashed a good portion of country"

LOCAL

LEADING — "Lead levels drop in North Jersey's largest drinking water system, meet federal standard," by The Record's Scott Fallon: "The amount of lead in the drinking water that pours from the taps of thousands of North Jersey homes and businesses has dropped over the past year and now meets a key federal standard for drinking water, executives for Suez, the water utility, said Wednesday. A $65 million plan that removed 5,000 sections of lead pipes over two years — coupled with treatment changes that made the water less corrosive — helped reduce the toxic metal in a system that serves 870,000 residents in Bergen and Hudson counties. Despite the progress, scientists say there is no safe level of lead in drinking water. The metal builds up in the body, causing a litany of ailments, and can severely hamper the development of young children."

SICK CITY — "N.J's largest city shuts down again as virus cases surge," by The New York Times' Tracey Tulley and Kevin Armstrong: "The Ironbound neighborhood, sitting to the east of Newark's main commuter transit hub, is well known throughout New Jersey for its vibrant restaurant scene and after-hours nightlife. Large Portuguese, Brazilian and Spanish restaurants anchor corner lots along the main commercial drag, and smaller tapas cafes are tucked on side streets, adjacent to neat rows of three-story buildings where an estimated 60,000 residents from around the world have made their homes. It is here where the coronavirus is surging anew, with one in every four people testing positive over several days last week. It has been barely seven months since Newark, New Jersey's largest city and a short ride from New York by train or car, began suffering disproportionate losses when the pandemic first gripped the region in the spring. And it is here that the state is getting a glimpse of what could lie ahead this fall and winter as New Jersey struggles to control an alarming uptick in new virus cases statewide."

THE TIPPLES OF BELLEVILLE — "Belleville school board member told officers to call councilman during DWI arrest," by New Jersey Globe's Nikita Biryukov: "A Belleville School Board member who is up for re-election this year repeatedly told officers to call Councilman Vincent Cozzarelli during a DWI arrest last week, according to dashboard camera footage of the incident. 'Call Vinnie. Call Vinnie. Vinnie Cozzarelli, call him,' Erika Jacho said, continuing after officers said they wouldn't … Jacho was arrested after she was found asleep in her car in front of a bar early last Tuesday morning. She was non-compliant through much of her encounter with police, refusing to enter a police cruiser at the scene and refusing to exit the same vehicle for more than more than 50 minutes. 'I am so sad, sad, sad, sad. Sad, absolutely sad, sad, sad, sad. Oh my god, I'm so sad for this and everything that has been done to me. Sad," she said in a minutes-long diatribe from the back of the police vehicle.'"

BEND IT (THE TRUTH) LIKE MENDHAM — "Misleading messages to Mendham voters follow nationwide trend of election misinformation," by NJ Spotlight's Genesis Obando: "Voters in Mendham have received messages saying Gov. Murphy decided there will be no in-person voting on Nov. 3 and that only voters registered as "visually impaired" will be allowed to vote in person. The messages came by letter, text and email and appear to have been sent by the Mendham Borough Republican Committee. The information in the messages is not true. People in New Jersey can still vote in person, but at limited polling locations and with a provisional ballot … Messages like these, in emails, texts, social media posts and in a barrage of last-minute ads are worrying voters in this election season. Reports that campaigns like President Donald Trump's are calling for an "army" of poll watchers are also raising concerns. Traditionally, designated party poll watchers observe on behalf of their candidates and look for any issues. But in this election, there has been so much misleading information about mail-in voting, there also are concerns that some party poll watchers may try to confuse voters and intimidate them."

TOTALLY NORMAL THAT SUPER PACS ARE ENGAGED IN HYPER LOCAL ELECTIONS — " Superpac tied to Atlantic City machine rips [Cape May's] Chris Bezaire in anonymous mailer," by The Cape May Sentinel's Bob and Barbara Dreyfuss: "An expensive-looking flyer, published by a previously unknown political action committee, flooded mailboxes in Cape May this week, slamming Chris Bezaire, a candidate for Cape May city council on the ballot in Tuesday's election. An investigation by the Cape May Sentinel has revealed that the flyer, which says it was "Ordered and Paid for by the Populist Empowered SuperPAC," was issued by a PAC managed by Michael Best and Stephanie Ruiz, whose address, listed on the flyer, is 907 Magellan Avenue in Atlantic City. Best and Ruiz, it appears, have ties to a corrupt political machine in Atlantic County, run by the Callaway family."

— "Elections for two Paterson council seats to proceed under the cloud of vote fraud"

— "Teacher objections delay return to classrooms until 2021 in another N.J. school district (Bloomfield)"

— "Trenton City Hall closes after 6 workers test positive for COVID-19"

— "Hamilton Mayor Martin blames former administration for $850K payroll debacle"

— "Brick weekend parties spur move to ban short-term rentals"

— "After three years of consecutive losses, Burlington Republicans hope for a win"

— " [New Milford] town official who volunteers as firefighter had child porn, chatted with underage girls, cops say"

— "Fulop needs to engage the community on police reform | Opinion"

— " Englewood PBA says cops at Black Lives Matter rally used necessary force"

DONT MISS - NEW EPISODES OF POLITICO'S GLOBAL TRANSLATIONS PODCAST: The world has long been beset by big problems that defy political boundaries, but many of those issues exploded over the past year. Are world leaders and political actors up to the task of solving them? Is the private sector? Our Global Translations podcast, presented by Citi, unpacks the roadblocks to smart policy decisions and examines the long-term costs of the short-term thinking that drives many political and business decisions. Subscribe for Season Two, available now.

EVERYTHING ELSE

— "After casino founder's murder and $47M pact with the feds, widow seeks to license offshore sports-betting giant in N.J."

— " Reviled by Catholic leaders, this NJ activist has helped many victims of clergy sex abuse"

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