| | | | |  | | By Matt Friedman | | Presented by |  | | | Good Wednesday morning! When the state Senate on Monday gave final passage to the “ Freedom to Read Act” — a Democratic bill written in response to the conservative outcry against certain books in school libraries — almost every Republican voted against it. But one voted for it. And he’s running for governor in 2025. State Sen. Jon Bramnick, arguably the most moderate Republican lawmaker in New Jersey, was that yes vote. In fact, that same day he became a cosponsor of the bill. “There is no support for pornography. Zero support,” Bramnick said, responding to Republican allegations from conservative activists that some books that include a couple sexually explicit images are “pornographic” or “obscene.” “This bill will actually do what we need to do and keep the pornography out of the schools,” Bramnick said, noting the bill sets up a system for challenging books with spelled-out standards. One Senate Democrat, James Beach, voted against the bill, and Shirley Turner abstained. Looking back, Bramnick’s vote isn’t much of a surprise. His Assembly running mates, who like him are in a swing district, voted yes when it passed that house in June. But it’s always been perplexing to me how in this political environment Bramnick sees a lane in the Republican gubernatorial primary, after Jack Ciattarelli — running in his third straight gubernatorial election — has moved right. Radio host Bill Spadea occupies the far-right lane. And even though this issue flopped in the 2023 state legislative elections, it hasn’t lost steam as a source of outrage in conservative circles. But at the same time, Bramnick has been appearing around Bergen County with Assemblymember Bob Auth, one of the more conservative members of the Assembly, who’s been talking Bramnick up. “I’m not sure you can use the word ‘endorsement, ’ but he took me to two events and introduced me as the candidate who can win a general election,” Bramnick told me. “He served with me, and he knows I’m conservative on basic, traditional Republican issues.” TIPS? FEEDBACK? Email me at mfriedman@politico.com. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “In your time as First Lady, you have been a tireless champion for maternal health, including through your Nurture NJ Strategic Plan. That’s why we want to ensure you are aware of the situation we face in Atlantic City, where indoor smoking is still permitted at our workplaces. Pregnant women are among the thousands of employees like us who are forced to breathe secondhand smoke on the job.” — Nicole Vitola of Casino Employees Against Smoking Effects in a letter to First Lady Tammy Murphy WHERE’S MURPHY? In Kearny at 11 a.m. to tour a NJ Transit maintenance complex, then at Rutgers-New Brunswick at 3 p.m. to announce federal funding for the Rutgers Institute for Translational Medicine and Science
| | | | A message from Amazon: Kathy started at an Amazon fulfillment center where she turned her love of tinkering into a career in robotics. “After completing the Mechatronics and Robotics Apprenticeship, I doubled my income,” she said. More than 200,000 employees, like Kathy, have used Amazon Career Choice to unlock career growth opportunities. Learn more. | | | |  | WHAT TRENTON MADE | |
CLERKS — Monmouth Clerk Christine Hanlon, the first defendant in both county line lawsuits, settles, by POLITICO’s Matt Friedman: New Jersey progressives scored a symbolic victory this week as the first defendant on both of the federal lawsuits challenging the county line reached settlements with them. Judge Zahid Quraishi on Friday and Monday approved the settlements between the plaintiffs and Monmouth County Clerk Christine Hanlon. Hanlon said that after Attorney General Matt Platkin declined to continue defending the county line, it didn't make sense for a county clerk to continue the fight. "It was the job of the Attorney General’s Office to defend New Jersey’s statutes, not the county clerk. We have to implement the law, whether it’s a judicial opinion or a statute," said Hanlon. "It’s not, in my opinion, a good expense or a good use of taxpayer dollars to take on the role of defendant a statute when it’s really the job of the Attorney Genearl's Office to do that."
TRENTON MAKES NOBODY LISTENS — “Partisanship roils state supreme courts. Not in New Jersey ,” by Bloomberg’s Alex Ebert: “New Jersey’s Supreme Court is back in session, with Democrats again clinging to a one-seat majority. Thanks to one of the most unusual fairness provisions for appointments in any state, a 4-3 partisan split among the justices is the norm. You’d never know it looking at their opinions. In the last two years, the seven-member court has issued 88 decisions; all but 12 were unanimous, without a concurrence or dissent. Only twice did those divided opinions fall along political lines. The previous two years were much of the same. Millions of Americans will cast ballots this fall for state Supreme Court justices, a once-staid and unnoticed down-ballot exercise that has become turbocharged amid culture wars and partisan vitriol. Not in New Jersey.” MLKING THE STORY — “State police’s second-in-command used racist term to refer to MLK Jr. Day, allege colleagues,” by New Jersey Globe’s Zach Blackburn: “Several state troopers, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told the New Jersey Globe that they’d witnessed [Deputy Superintendent Sean] Kilcomons use a racial slur to refer to Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Murphy, speaking with reporters Monday, said he wasn’t aware of those allegations. ‘I would just say that there’s an investigation ongoing, which I’m not going to comment on.’ Murphy said. “But as a general matter, any racist, any antisemitic, any amount of words in those lanes are completely and utterly unacceptable.” CORRECTIONS — “Two correctional officers accused of sexually assaulting teen in their custody,” by New Jersey Monitor’s Dana DiFilippo : “Two senior correctional officers were criminally charged Tuesday for sexual assault after an 18-year-old woman incarcerated in a juvenile facility told authorities the men repeatedly sexually assaulted her in a bathroom, her room, and other spaces. Gary Nieves, 53, of Burlington, and William Young, 35, of Marlton, were charged with sexual assault, criminal sexual contact, and official misconduct for alleged offenses that occurred at the Female Secure Care and Intake Facility in Bordentown, Attorney General Matt Platkin announced at an afternoon news conference at his Trenton office. The men face up to 10 years in prison on each sexual assault and official misconduct count. ‘The conduct that we allege today has no place anywhere in New Jersey. Young people confined to juvenile facilities are extremely vulnerable. They deserve safety, care and respect,’ Platkin said.” —“Barlas opens historic Ballot Design Committee meeting” —“Sussex GOP blasts Bramnick on library bill; gubernatorial candidate says he won’t be a ‘sound bite warrior’” —“ Op-Ed: This legislation won’t fix imbalances in NJ state contracting”
| | | | A message from Amazon:   | | | | | BIDEN TIME | |
SHOCK SENATE POLLS — Just kidding. A FDU poll released this morning shows that New Jersey’s U.S. Senate race looks like what you would expect in a presidential year: Democrat Andy Kim leads Curtis Bashaw by 18 points, 57 percent to 39 percent. Find the FDU poll here . But a Rutgers-Eagleton poll released this morning could more accurately be described as shocking in that Kim leads Bashaw 47 percent to 19 percent. (That question was asked in two ways, one including the candidates’ party affiliation and the other not including it. When the party affiliation is mentioned, Kim’s lead is 49 percent to 26 percent.) Find the Rutgers poll here. History: Democrats have won the last three New Jersey Senate races during presidential years by margins of 16 points (2020), 20 points (2012) and 14 points (2008).
THE PHIL-BUSTER ON THE FILIBUSTER — “Senate filibuster needs overhaul, Kim and Bashaw agree,” by Elise Young for NJ Spotlight News: “Amid calls by legal experts, government activists and even politicians to scrap the filibuster, New Jersey’s major-party U.S. Senate candidates — poles apart on other issues — say the legislative stall tactic needs retooling. … They agree that it should have one form: verbal, in person, rather than a mere threat. Making it verbal so you have to put your words behind your sentiment is a reform that I would be open to,’ Bashaw said in an interview. ‘You’d really have to work to pay the price for the filibuster.’ Kim said the talking filibuster allows minority voices to be heard, though with room for senators to vote and move on. ‘The filibuster has brought the Senate to a standstill,’ Kim said by telephone. ‘People can talk as long as they want and engage in that kind of approach. But they cannot hold up the legislative agenda of America.’” —“Late ad buys, media blitz in Kean-Altman race” —“Voter turnout In N.J. over 15% as early voting explodes” —“ Sherrill Super PAC looks to help Altman with new digital ad”
| | | | A message from Amazon: Amazon raises wages for hourly employees to an average of over $22 an hour.
This includes employees like Kathy who started out in one of Amazon’s fulfillment centers before using on-the-job skills training to build a career in robotics.
See the impact. | | | | | LOCAL | |
DON’T AC — “Lack of airshow, beach concerts drives down traffic into Atlantic City,” by The Press of Atlantic City’s: “For years, the Atlantic City tourism season had been buoyed by several big events, including the Atlantic City Airshow, but the lack of events this year helped lead to fewer people coming into the city during summer’s final month. Traffic was down 3.3% in August from the same time last year at the Pleasantville Toll Plaza on the Atlantic City Expressway, a traditional indicator of the number of people heading into the resort. … The summer of 2024 got a so-so review Thursday, with local businesses and tourism watchers saying it wasn’t exactly bad, but wasn’t fantastic either. The annual conference also saw a plea for a cleaner and safer Atlantic City. Despite the reduction in traffic on the expressway, brick-and-mortar casino revenue was up in August, said Tony Marino, a former expressway executive."
HE’S A JOEY BUT THIS IS NO KANGAROO COURT — “Will indictment against former Paterson mayor Joey Torres be dismissed? ” by The Paterson Press’ Joe Malinconico: “Jose ‘Joey’ Torres’ lawyer asserted in a court hearing on Tuesday that the convicted former mayor had no intention of breaking the terms of his 2017 official guilty plea when he tried to run again for the city’s top job in 2022. But the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office asserted that Torres “knew full well” that he was violating the plea agreement by running for mayor when the courts had banned him from holding public office and applying for public employment. At stake is whether state authorities can proceed in their attempt to put Torres in prison for a second time. Superior Court Judge Marilyn Clark heard the opposing lawyers’ oral arguments on Tuesday regarding Torres’ motion to have the contempt of court indictment pending against him dismissed. Clark said she would render her decision on Dec. 4.” IT’S LIKE ERASING HISTORY WITH LIGHTNING — “Neptune City voters asked whether to strip Woodrow Wilson's name off its only school ,” by The Asbury Park Press’ Charles Daye: “Voters are being asked to decide if the school district should remove the name of Woodrow Wilson from the borough's only school and replace it with a new name to be decided at a later date. … Wilson's racist attitudes have been scrutinized in recent years, particularly after the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis policeman, which led several institutions to strip away his name. In 2020, the Monmouth University board of trustees unanimously voted to remove Wilson's name from one of its marquee buildings and vowed to make greater efforts to support diversity efforts at the private university. That same year, Princeton removed Wilson's name from its School of Public and International Affairs.” —“Morristown Medical Center plans a $1B expansion. Why the mayor is saying 'not so fast'” —“ Man in PINK sweats stole Glock from desk at The Brownstone banquet hall, police say” —“ Family demands NJ DOT fix issue on Route 80 that they say led to fatal crash” —“N.J. police sergeant charged in fatal Riverdale crash” | | EVERYTHING ELSE | |
BANKING — “ Attorney general finds that NJ bank engaged in unlawful, discriminatory mortgage practices,” by The Record’s Maddie McGay: “New Jersey officials are seeking remediation on behalf of residents affected by discriminatory mortgage practices uncovered by a multi-year investigation into Republic First Bank, according to a report issued Tuesday by Attorney General Matthew Platkin. Republic First Bank's residential mortgage business violated the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination, according to an investigation launched in 2022 by the Office of the Attorney General, in collaboration with the state Division of Civil Rights and the Division of Law. The law prohibits lenders from making or setting the terms of home loans on the basis of race of national origin.”
GETTING IT BACK WAS A HUNDRED YEARS WAR — “A century later, ‘Henry V’ finds its way back to the Paterson library,” by The Paterson Press’ Joe Malinconico: “At her home in Denver, Cynthia Delhaie was packing up books to donate to charity in September when she came across a copy of Shakespeare’s ‘Henry V’ its cover faded and frayed. … ‘Inside the cover, Delhaie found a list of the people who had borrowed the book from the Paterson Public Library, with the last checkout entry being for Feb. 1, 1923. She made sure the library still existed and then dashed off an email. ‘The book has been out for over 100 yrs!” Delhaie wrote to the Paterson library. “I was wondering what I should do? Do you want it back? It was published in 1910. I'm kind of in awe of it!’ Soon afterward, Delhaie put the book in the mail and almost 1,800 miles later it arrived at its destination in New Jersey.” —“Tinton Falls doctor sent to federal prison for harboring undocumented workers” —“Nearly half of N.J. renters are paying more than they should. See latest data” —Listen: “ In a secret location in New Jersey, a turtle whisperer cares for trafficked animals”
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