| | | | |  | | By Matt Friedman | | Presented by |  | | | Good Tuesday morning! Should I even write here that it’s Election Day? Who doesn’t know that? And there’s a good chance you already voted. As of Sunday, more than 1.9 million New Jerseyans had already voted, thanks to voters’ long-awaited embrace of in-person early voting and the state’s already-robust mail-in ballot program. That’s about 29 percent turnout of all eligible voters (Turnout in 2020 was 72 percent). Of those voters, 863,574 are registered Democrats, 556,442 registered Republicans and 504,600 unaffiliated, according to The AP’s Ryan Dubicki . In the 7th District — the House race we’re all watching between Republican incumbent Tom Kean and Democratic challenger Sue Altman — about 4,000 more registered Democrats have voted early than Republicans. Republicans lead in-person early voting there and Democrats have the advantage in mail-in ballots. In-person early voting ended Sunday, so if those trends continue, the Democratic early vote there will probably be slightly larger this morning. But does that really mean anything? I think it means something. We just need to see the election results to figure it out. Yes, Republicans have embraced early voting. But that doesn’t mean they’re not just cannibalizing their Election Day vote. When Donald Trump says something, the Republican base embraces it, and his campaign has been promoting early voting. And since 2020 was a unique election year in the middle of the pandemic, it’s not a baseline you can compare this year. All we can really tell from this data is that New Jerseyans are engaged — and that’s no surprise in a presidential year. Are you nervous about the election? So am I. And we’re not alone. If you feel sick because this election doesn’t go the way you want it to, just remember there are tens of millions of people who are going through similar emotional turmoil. I know that’s a very obvious thought, but I still find some comfort in it. TIPS? FEEDBACK? Email me at mfriedman@politico.com. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Satanic Ritual? Mutilated goat found in Middle Township, NJ” — A NJ 101.5 headline HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Wayne DeAngelo, Brendan Gill, Mark Goldsack, David Brogan, Michael Mecca WHERE’S MURPHY? In Summit for a Sue Altman GOTV event at 2 p.m., then in Paramus at 3:15 p.m. to visit a Bergen County Democratic phone bank. (Murphy already voted) | | | | A message from Uber: Uber Expands Safety Features For Drivers. Uber’s CEO met with drivers and couriers to unveil new updates to make their experience safer and fairer. Among them, Record My Ride lets drivers use their phones as a dashcam on trips. Uber also revamped its deactivation processes, enabling drivers to appeal decisions directly in the app. Learn more. | | | |  | WHAT TRENTON MADE | |
IN THE YEAR 2025 — What 2024 can tell us about New Jersey’s 2025 governor’s race, by POLITICO’s Daniel Han: The presidency sets the table for the governor’s race. Traditionally, the outcome of the presidential election has been conversely correlated to the New Jersey governor’s race. When Republican George W. Bush won the presidency in 2000 and 2004, Democrats won the New Jersey governor’s mansion the following years. When Democrat Barack Obama won in 2008 and 2012, Republican Chris Christie went on to win New Jersey. And in 2017, a year after Republican Donald Trump won the White House, Democrat Phil Murphy won his first term as governor by a wide margin. The 2021 governor’s race was the exception to that trend — but it was close. Murphy beat his GOP challenger Jack Ciattarelli — who is running again in 2025 — by three points in a nail-biter. If Vice President Kamala Harris wins, Republicans think a Democratic White House and two straight terms of Murphy could propel the GOP back to Drumthwacket. Despite New Jersey’s blue tilt, Democrats have not won three consecutive terms in the governor's office since 1961. Privately, New Jersey Republicans say that a victory by Trump would make their path to the governor’s mansion much more difficult.
VIRTUAL INSANITY — “ Two versions of reality are playing out in N.J. We are a world apart, election polling shows,” by NJ Advance Media’s Riley Yates: “They’re divided. They’re distrustful. They’re wondering what they will do if the other side wins. And none of that is good for democracy, political analysts worry. As New Jersey voters cast ballots for president in this superheated election, they are worlds apart, according to new polling by Rutgers-Eagleton in partnership with NJ Advance Media. Just 30% of Republicans in the state believe Democratic President Joe Biden was rightfully elected the last time around, the polling found, compared to 96% of Democrats. In the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, 90% of Democrats blame former President Donald Trump for instigating the violence, versus 12% of Republicans who do. And those divides have leached into concerns about the integrity of the election process as the nation chooses between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, according to the polling, which examined extremism in New Jersey, a deep blue state that has seen a growing partisan divide and a rise in far-right politics.” — Krakora: “ New Jersey’s sentencing laws are broken” — “NJ Commute Relief May Hinge on US Election With Funds in Limbo” | | BIDEN TIME | |
FIRST LADY: LADIES FIRST — Tammy Murphy closes Senate campaign account with donations to women, by POLITICO’s Matt Friedman: First lady Tammy Murphy will not become New Jersey’s first woman senator next year. But in closing out the account for her unsuccessful Democratic Senate campaign, Murphy donated the small remainder of her money to all women candidates. And a super PAC closely associated with Murphy announced Sunday it had maxed out to all five of this year’s Democratic women congressional candidates in New Jersey. “Everything that I care about, and everything that I think is important for women is on the ballot this year,” Murphy said in a phone interview. “That’s reproductive rights, child care, senior care, affordability. It’s a lot of other things that are important to me, but those are probably the ones to emphasize.”
BELDONE — “Brother of slain U.S. Capitol police officer slams N.J. congressional candidate,” by New Jersey Globe’s David Wildstein: “The brother of U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who was killed following the events of January 6, 2021, is asking voters in New Jersey’s 11th district to reject a GOP congressional candidate who was part of a group of Donald Trump supporters at the Capitol that day. The candidate, Joseph Belnome, faces Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair) in tomorrow’s election. ‘He stood with the same mob that attacked my brother, and we cannot allow him to serve in Congress,’ said New Jerseyan Craig Sicknick. ‘Joseph Belnome should be ashamed of himself. He cannot be allowed to get anywhere close to power.’ Belnome has played down his presence in Washington that day, saying he attended a Stop the Steal rally and marched to the Capitol but never went near the building. But the Sherrill campaign disputes that.” — “This election means change for NJ’s congressional delegation” — “N.J. residents to elect first new senator since 2013, but few House seats in play” — “ [Northern State] prison failed to prevent man’s death by suicide despite warnings, lawsuit says” — “ N.J.‘s interim U.S. Senator visits Jordan, supports U.N. agency under fire from Israel” — Snowflack: “CD-7 Flashpoint: Heading Down to the Wire with Kean v. Altman” — “New poll has Harris, Kim with wide leads in N.J.” | | | | A message from Uber:   | | | | | LOCAL | |
SMALL WORLD — “Atlantic City mayor accused of witness tampering in alleged child abuse case,” by The Press of Atlantic City’s John O’Connor: “Atlantic City’s mayor is facing a new criminal charge after he allegedly told his teenage daughter to lie about a previous head injury she sustained just days before he and his wife were indicted in their alleged child abuse case, according to court documents. Marty Small Sr., 50, was charged with witness tampering. He is due in court at 10 a.m. Dec. 3 for a first appearance. ‘It is not a crime for any parent to urge their child to say what is right,’ said Ed Jacobs, Small’s attorney, when reached by phone Monday evening. ‘This is another example of intrusion into the Smalls’ private family matters.’ Small allegedly asked his daughter Sept. 15 to 'do him a favor and twist up' the story she previously told law enforcement about the abuse allegations, according to the affidavit of probable cause.”
CARELESS TO GET TO THIS POINT — CarePoint files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, by POLITICO’s Daniel Han : CarePoint Health, the financially beleaguered health system in Hudson County, filed for bankruptcy on Sunday. The Chapter 11 filing was made in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware. The hospital cited increased costs for operating hospitals after Covid-19, reimbursement “challenges” and “insufficient state funding.” The announcement comes shortly after it announced that Hudson Regional Hospital — which operates one hospital in Secaucus — will take control of CarePoint’s three hospitals in Bayonne, Jersey City and Hoboken. CarePoint said that it obtained $67 million in financing to ensure the hospitals stay open and there would be “no interruptions” to service. "We chose this path after we thoroughly evaluated all available options that would ensure the continued delivery of uninterrupted care while enabling this necessary financial restructuring," CarePoint CEO Achintya Moulick said in a statement. ARTHUR TREACHEROUS — Camden City Councilman Arthur Barclay appears in court for hitting pedestrian while driving with suspended license in 2023, by WHYY’s P. Kenneth Burns: "Camden City Councilman Arthur Barclay was arraigned Monday in the Camden County Hall of Justice for seriously injuring a pedestrian while driving with a suspended license. The incident, first reported by TAPInto Camden, happened July 1, 2023, on Chambers Avenue near Benson Street. Barclay is accused of hitting a 37-year-old woman who suffered a shattered right femur, fourth-degree burns and injuries to her right hip, according to the probable cause statement … Barclay, who is also a Camden County employee, pleaded not guilty and was released on his own recognizance. He will be back in court on Dec. 9. He was elected last fall to represent Ward 1, which includes much of the city’s waterfront. He was previously an assemblyman from 2016 until he resigned in 2018 after being accused of punching a woman in the face during a dispute at his home. The domestic assault charge was later dismissed when the complainant did not show up to court." TURNING OUT DEBASE — “Brandishing garbage bag, Casha goes all in with Trump ,” by InsiderNJ’s Fred Snowflack: “Veteran Republican activist Larry Casha, a renowned high school pitcher in his day, was talking Sunday morning about the thrill of making a sports team and getting your jersey for the first time. Well, Team Trump needs a jersey too, Casha told about 150 people at Morris County Clerk Ann Grossi’s annual Get Out The Vote breakfast. With that, he produced a small box and pulled out a black plastic garbage bag. He held it aloft like a man waving a football over his head after scoring a TD. Garbage has become a big part of this year’s election campaign.” R.I.P. — “Former Paterson mayor and councilman Thomas Rooney Jr., fiscal watchdog and gentleman, dies,” by The Paterson Press’ Joe Malinconico: “Thomas C. Rooney Jr., who served as a city councilman for 28 years and was Paterson’s mayor in the early 1970s, died on Oct. 31 at the age of 97. A frugal fiscal watchdog, a gentleman who believed city business should be conducted with decorum, and a passionate champion of Paterson and its people — that’s how colleagues and community leaders remembered Rooney. Rooney, who represented Paterson’s 6th Ward on the council from 1980 until 2008, was known for voting against municipal pay raises, even for people he considered his friends. He examined every expenditure with a microscope, colleagues said. He thought there were better ways to spend taxpayers’ money than sending elected officials to conventions.” — “40-year veteran of Paterson police department to become its new officer in charge” AC — “Atlantic City to remain under state supervision for at least the next year,” by The Press of Atlantic City’s Nicholas Huba: “State supervision of Atlantic City will continue for at least the next year, as both state and local officials say there is still more work to be done to get the city’s finances in order. During a meeting Sept. 11, the state Local Finance Board approved the continuation of supervision of the city under the state Supervision Act. The Supervision Act lays out particular financial controls that are not available under the Municipal Stabilization and Recovery Act, the 2016 law that initiated the state takeover of Atlantic City, which is set to lapse in 2025. The resort was placed under state supervision after casino tax appeals brought the city to the brink of bankruptcy.” MAPP QUEST —“Wyatt to challenge Mapp in Plainfield mayoral race rematch,” by New Jersey Globe’s Zach Blackburn: “Plainfield Councilman Richard Wyatt is expected to announce a run for the mayoralty soon, setting up a rematch of the nail-biter 2021 primary with Plainfield Mayor Adrian Mapp. Sources close to Wyatt said the announcement is expected Tuesday night. Wyatt lost to Mapp in the 2021 primary by 269 votes, or about 5 percentage points. Mapp, who first assumed office in 2014, prevailed in 2021 with the support of the Union County Democratic Party, which picked him for their slate. But without the county line to provide ballot advantages to organization-backed candidates, Mapp could be more vulnerable to a primary challenge.” — “Expensive battle for [Newark] Maple Street building heats up again” R.I.P. — “ Atlantic City police sergeant dies of cancer at 45” — “ Violent attack puts new focus on safety measures at Hoboken park and its reputation as homeless hangout” — “Top Jersey City BOE officials talk hiring a new BA, test scores, the payroll tax, & more ” — “Monmouth tops state in early voter totals, Ocean County third in high turnout” | | | | A message from Uber: Uber’s Latest Updates Put Drivers First
At an in-person event with drivers, Uber’s CEO announced updates to give them more peace of mind. Uber has started flagging inappropriate rider behavior when drivers report it. The Record My Ride feature allows drivers to capture video and audio during trips, improving accountability and safety. Plus the app also got more hands-free with Siri voice commands, letting drivers focus on the road while staying connected. Learn more. | | | | | EVERYTHING ELSE | |
STUDENTS WOULD PREFER A BRUTAL DIS COURSE — “‘Rutgers president teaches ‘civil discourse’ class after toxic politics drives him from office ,” by NJ Advance Media’s Tina Kelley: “When Jonathan Holloway announced in September that he was stepping down as president of Rutgers University, he said he had one big thing left on his to-do list: work related to ‘civic preparedness and civil discourse.’ It is a personal topic for Holloway. He said he based his decision to leave the top job at Rutgers after only five years partly on the lack of civility he experienced during his time as head of New Jersey’s state university. This semester Holloway — Rutgers’ first Black president — is leading an eight-week freshman seminar called 'Citizenship, Institutions, and the Public.' As the country closes in on the end of one of the most contentious presidential elections in living memory, Holloway is hosting conversations with experts from the media, nonprofit groups, politics and business. In front of a class of students in their first semester at Rutgers, he focuses the conversations on ways to wrestle with opposing views as a participant in democracy.”
NUDE BEACH, NUDE BOMB DISPOSAL TEAM? — “ Explosive from WWI found on Sandy Hook beach, officials say,” by Nicolas Fernandes: “An explosive ordnance was located and removed from a beach in Sandy Hook Sunday morning, the National Park Service said. A visitor located the device, believed to be from the World War I era, at about 5 p.m. Saturday at South Gunnison Beach, a National Parks spokesperson said. A ordnance removal team from the Naval Weapons Station at Earle, in Colts Neck removed the unexploded device.” — “Coach USA sale finalized with no effect on commuter bus service, officials say” — “N.J. man pleads guilty for his role in smuggling military equipment to Russia”
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