| | | | |  | | By Matt Friedman | | Presented by |  | | | Good Friday morning! Trump is like a trap for the New Jersey GOP. During the Republican Senate one-candidate “debate,” candidate Christine Serrano-Glassner said she would not have voted to certify the 2020 election. She also repeatedly praised former President Donald Trump and used him to bludgeon her main rival, Curtis Bashaw, who dropped out of the debate to avoid being pressed on his previous lack of support for Trump. “That was a tough election, and right now, looking back, had I been there, I don't think I would have voted to certify. There were too many questions,” Serrano-Glassner said, adding the false claim that governors “brought in ballot boxes, which we know there was a lot of stuffing going on.” In a follow-up statement, Glassner said she would have “insisted that the votes be returned to the states where there were severe irregularities in the election for further and conclusive investigation.” This is consistent with the Trump administration strategy at the time that may get a former official in his DOJ disbarred. Despite a recent poll that showed a closer-than-expected presidential race in New Jersey and many that have shown President Joe Biden's approval upside down, Trump has never proved to be anything but a statewide albatross for Republicans. The 2020 election wasn’t stolen and there were no widespread irregularities that would have changed its outcome, and certainly no widespread voter fraud. Even Trump’s attorney general said as much. Ironically, here in New Jersey, the most high-profile recent voter fraud case involved notorious operative Craig Callaway when he worked for the 2022 campaign of GOP U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, Trump's closest New Jersey ally and the only member of New Jersey's delegation to vote to overturn the 2020 election. But the statewide general electorate isn’t the same as the primary electorate, which is why you saw 2021 GOP gubernatorial nominee Jack Ciattarelli attending a “Stop the Steal” rally in 2021. The problem is that once you fully embrace the stolen election rhetoric like Serrano-Glassner has, you can’t really reverse yourself or finesse your position for the general election. Since he wasn’t at the debate, I reached out to Bashaw and asked him just two questions: Would you have voted to certify the 2020 election, and do you think President Biden was legitimately elected? Here’s what Bashaw said: “I would have voted to certify like Tom Cotton and other Republicans, and I think that Joe Biden is the legitimate president… My own opinion is he’s legitimately doing a bad job, which is why we need to beat him in 2024, but we certainly shouldn’t be focusing on the past.” TIPS? FEEDBACK? Email me at mfriedman@politico.com QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Food is good, but they just give it to them to eat and they continue living the same way.” — Paterson councilmember Luis Velez, who’s backing a proposed ordinance to require permits to feed homeless people HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Renee Burgess, Ray Szpond, Hal Wirths. Saturday for Scott Marioni, Guillermo Artiles, Cristina Pinzon. Sunday for Storm Wyche, Rob Vivian, Bill Killion. WHERE’S MURPHY? — Out of state for DGA PROGRAMMING NOTE — I’ll be off next week, so starting Monday New Jersey Playbook will be written by a rotating cast of my colleagues who will test their talents at writing really dumb jokes.
| | | | A message from Amazon: Maydeen turned a temporary job at one of Amazon’s Edison, New Jersey fulfillment centers into a full-time career because “Amazon provides so much training, mentoring, and coaching support,” she said. As the largest job creator in the U.S. Amazon is committed to helping their employees thrive with benefits starting on day one and free, on-the-job skills training programs. See how Amazon supports employees. | | | |  | WHAT TRENTON MADE | | AT THIS POINT, YOU DO KNOW JACK — Ciattarelli files to run for governor in 2025, by POLITICO’s Matt Friedman: Republican Jack Ciattarelli is officially running for governor in 2025. Ciattarelli formally launched his long-expected third Republican gubernatorial campaign on Wednesday afternoon, when he filed a certificate of organization with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission to establish a candidate committee. He also has a campaign kickoff event scheduled for Freehold on Tuesday evening, according to an invitation from the campaign. The Raritan native was the Republican nominee for governor in 2021 and nearly pulled off an upset against Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, losing by a closer-than-expected three points in what turned out to be a Republican wave. IN THE YEAR 2025 — GOP Senate candidate's stolen election rhetoric complicates Bramnick support, by POLITICO’s Matt Friedman: State Sen. Jon Bramnick, a 2025 Republican candidate for governor, is running a campaign highly critical of former President Donald Trump. But on Tuesday, Bramnick is scheduled to headline a fundraiser for GOP U.S. Senate candidate Christine Serrano-Glassner, who in an interview Monday repeatedly talked up her loyalty to Trump and said she would not have voted to certify the 2020 election that Joe Biden won and Trump lost … In a phone interview Thursday, Bramnick said “I disagree with everything [Serrano-Glassner] said" and called her remarks “very disturbing.” “I haven’t spoken to her since the debate. But I'm surely going to have a discussion with her, that’s for sure,” Bramnick said. “I vehemently disagree with what she was saying and think it’s troublesome." Bramnick’s support for Serrano-Glassner shows how difficult it is to form alliances with like-minded Republicans who don’t proclaim fealty to Trump, even in deep-blue New Jersey, where that is likely to be a liability in the general election ... It’s not clear at this point whether the fundraiser, scheduled for Tuesday night at Piattino in Summit, is still a go.
| | | | A message from Amazon:   | | | | | BIDEN TIME | | UNAPPEALING — All NJ clerks drop county line appeal, by POLITICO’s Daniel Han: All county clerks in New Jersey that initially appealed an order that would eliminate the state’s controversial primary ballot design in this year’s Democratic primary are now backing down. The decision to drop their appeals comes a day after the Third Circuit Court of Appeals denied a request from the clerks to stay the preliminary injunction ordered by U.S. District Judge Zahid Quraishi, which would eliminate the so-called county line for this year's Democratic primary, including the race to replace Sen. Bob Menendez. The Camden County Democratic Committee is the only group left appealing the preliminary injunction in court … The Camden County Democratic Committee, which intervened in the lawsuit, is the only remaining appellant. "The CCDC intends to go forward with the appeal," Bill Tambussi, an attorney for the group, said in a statement. "The right to associate or not associate should apply equally to candidates and political parties. The right of political parties to make the candidate associations clear and have those associations organized in a clear manner cannot be ignored."
THE END OF THE LINE — “Abolishing the “ballot line” will reshape progressive politics,” by The Nation’s Arvin Alaigh: “By trying to strong-arm New Jersey Democrats to support his wife, Governor Murphy may have gifted New Jersey progressives with their most major victory yet. His nepotistic power grab ironically did what activists have tried to do for years: It has nationalized the issue of the ballot line, and illuminated the brazenly corrupt practices structuring state politics. Within a day of last week’s ruling, party leaders had already begun dragging their feet on ballot redesigns. Regardless of whether this lawsuit permanently kills the ballot line, progressive activists remain confident. ‘The political winds are behind us to keep propelling this movement forward,’ says Antoinette Miles, state director of the New Jersey Working Families Party. ‘The movement to abolish the line has already won in so many senses.’”
WHAT ABOUT ROB? — “Can New Jersey’s dying political machine save one Menendez?” by New York Magazine’s Ben Jacobs: “The area has a warren of tiny, dense municipalities with a large number of political patronage jobs. As one plugged-in Hudson County Democrat noted, ‘it is the last bastion of real political-boss-driven politics there. There are incredibly popular, well-liked mayors who really can deliver thousands and thousands of votes and have large volunteer organizations and put hundreds of people on the streets’ This is in contrast to the district’s southern portion, where white-collar workers who commute at least part time into Manhattan fill the apartment towers that line the Hudson River in places like Jersey City and Hoboken. These voters may not be uniformly pro-[Ravi] Bhalla, but they don’t have the same connections to the county’s traditional power brokers. [Rob] Menendez needs a last hurrah from the machine politicians who were long loyal to his father. In a low-turnout election such as the primary, the machine’s ability to bring voters to the polls can be decisive. In an increasingly nationalized political landscape, he has to hope that at least some politics are still local.” —Moran: “Gold Bar Bob could help Trump ruin America”
GAZA — “Hawkish Democrat quietly seeking to extend U.S. ban on U.N. aid to Palestinians,” by The Huffington Post’s Akbar Shahid Ahmed: “One of the most aggressively pro-Israel Democrats in Congress is quietly trying to extend a yearlong ban on U.S. funding for the United Nations agency helping Palestinians ― circulating a message telling fellow members of Congress that they 'have a shared responsibility to ensure that U.S. humanitarian assistance is used to foster an open and safe society and not propagate terrorism and further division.' The previously unreported gambit that hawkish Rep. Josh Gottheimer (N.J.) launched on Tuesday underscores how determined some hard-line Israel advocates remain to force a permanent shift in U.S. policy."
IT STANDS TO REASON —“Are New Jersey voters too dumb for normal ballots?” by Reason’s Matthew Petti: “Somerset County Democratic Committee Chair Peg Schaffer complained to Politico that it will ‘cost us more money’ to tell voters what to do. ‘Instead of saying to people 'vote column 1' we're going to have to send them a color-coded card saying where everybody is on the ballot," said Schaffer, who is also the statewide Democratic vice chair. Hudson County Democratic Organization Chairman Anthony Vainieri Jr., meanwhile, argued that new voting machines were already straining voters' brains, so a non-rigged ballot would just be too confusing … ‘Residents in Hudson County are still trying to get used to the new voting machines installed last year, especially our seniors, and this is absolutely the wrong time to force such a drastic change on our voters.’ Bear in mind that every other state in America already uses the ballots that Schaffer and Vaineiri are complaining about.”
| | | | Access New York bill updates and Congressional activity in areas that matter to you, and use our exclusive insights to see what’s on the Albany agenda. Learn more. | | | | | | | LOCAL | | GOPBLOCKED — “Burlington clerk takes away GOP line, will use office block ballots for both parties,” by New Jersey Globe’s David Wildstein: "Burlington County Clerk Joanne Schwartz is expected to use office block voting for both the Democratic and Republican primaries, setting up a fight with the county GOP organization, which wants to preserve their organization line, the New Jersey Globe has learned. The move follows a decision by U.S. District Court Judge Zahid Quraishi mandating that clerks eliminate lines for Democrats. One day later, Quaraishi specifically stated that his ruling didn’t apply to Republicans but suggested that county clerks have the discretion to do their own thing." NO’HANLON — “Candidate tossed from Dem primary ballot after questions about residency, town says,” by NJ Advance Media’s Karin Price Mueller: “A mayoral candidate facing federal fraud charges has been removed from a local Democratic primary ballot after the town agreed with a challenge filed by a local official, according to a letter from the town about the accusations. William O’Hanlon’s candidacy for mayor of Washington Township in Gloucester County was tossed out after the deputy clerk said she couldn’t verify his residency. She noted he is not the owner of the property address he used on his petition to run and the home is not registered as a rental property in Washington Township." ARE YOU SYRIOUS? — “Bergen school district falsely claims student was danger to self and others, lawsuit says,” by The Record’s Kaitlyn Kanzler: “The family of a junior at Pascack Hills High School is accusing the school district and some staff of creating ‘an unfathomable nightmare’ for the student, all of which stemmed from the student vaping in the bathroom … According to the suit, the student was subjected to "’a regimen of institutionalization and medication,’ comparing it to the film ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.’ …. The suit accuses Pascack Hills High School principal, Timothy Wieland, and potentially other defendants of being prejudiced against the student's South Korean origin combined with his interest in the Syrian civil war. The suit stated his interests caused the student's life to be catapulted "into chaos.’ … According to the lawsuit, [principal Timothy] Wieland questioned the student about his travels with his grandparents in 2019 through India, Pakistan, Western China, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan and why he traveled through ‘suspicious countries.’” —“Man accused of intentionally setting fire to [Verona] Catholic church”
—“Hoboken City Council votes down prelim $144.3M budget with 5.9% tax increase”
—“Hunterdon County's tax rate is going down. Here's how much”
—“Jersey City delivery ordinance could put people like me out of work | Opinion” —“Feds are ready to tackle remediation of Superfund site in Kearny, a former oil refinery”
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AC — “Atlantic City casino union president says visitor trends are 'troubling',” by The Press of Atlantic City’s : “The president of the city's largest casino workers union said ‘alarm bells should be ringing in Atlantic City and in Trenton’ over recent revenue reports that show a drop in in-person visits to the resort's gaming halls. Donna DeCaprio, president of Unite Here Local 54, said the February 2024 gaming revenue results released by the state Division of Gaming Enforcement last month "confirms what those of us have been warning about over the past year — that attendance in our brick-and-mortar buildings is going in the wrong direction." "It is incredibly troubling to see that six of the nine gaming properties have posted declines of casino-win compared to February 2023 and year-to-date compared to 2023," DeCaprio said Wednesday … The March 15 report showed internet gaming win reported by casinos and their partners was $182.3 million, nearly 28% higher than February 2023. Meanwhile, Atlantic City’s nine casinos won $211.6 million from in-person gamblers, down 1.6% from February 2023.”
$1.5 MILLION TO GO TO NJ PLAYBOOK FOR DEVELOPMENT OF SPERM AND HUMPBACK WHALE JOKES — “New Jersey to fund research on offshore wind impacts on whales,” by WHYY’s Zoe Read: “Offshore wind development has been a top priority of the administration in an effort to address climate change and reach 100% clean energy by 2035. However, the initiative has received pushback from some political and community leaders who believe survey activities related to offshore wind projects may harm whales and other species. ‘It’s imperative that we not only protect the interests of our ratepayers but safeguard the vitality of our marine ecosystems as well,’ said Christine Guhl-Sadovy, president of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, in a statement. The new funding will support the state’s ongoing Research and Monitoring Initiative, which to date has received $13 million from the BPU’s second offshore wind energy solicitation.” ALSO FOUND: THE WRECKAGE OF THE COUNTY LINE — “Whoopie cushion, voodoo doll and much more littered the Jersey Shore last year. Here’s the list” by NJ Advance Media’s Jackie Roman: “Cleaners walking along the Jersey Shore last year found tens of thousands of bottle caps, cigarette butts and candy wrappers, along with more unusual items — including a jockstrap, a Christmas wreath with a large bow and an 8-by-10-foot area rug. The items were found by volunteers along the sand and surf on New Jersey’s beaches during cleanups, according to the 2023 Beach Sweeps Report released Thursday by the environmental nonprofit Clean Ocean Action.” —“NYC congestion pricing fight threatens MTA’s progress on debt costs” —“Flooding, road closures, fallen trees: North Jersey left with cleanup of storm aftermath” —“Hotel hosted disability conference but didn’t have wheelchair-accessible bathrooms, AG says”
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