News: What the 2025 field thinks about casino smoking

Thursday, December 5, 2024

What the 2025 field thinks about casino smoking

Dec 05, 2024

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Good Thursday morning!

Groups seeking to ban smoking in casinos have become increasingly frustrated with Gov. Phil Murphy. While the governor has repeatedly pledged to sign a casino smoking ban into law if it reached his desk, supporters of such a bill claim that he has wavered on the issue.

But he may be their best shot at smoke-free casinos — at least compared to what could come with a new administration in 2026.

Your interim Playbooker contacted all 10 major Democratic and Republican candidates for governor — hearing back in statements, press gaggles and impromptu interviews — asking for their position on the issue. Only three — Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and GOP state Sen. Jon Bramnick — have explicitly expressed support for a flat-out ban. Other candidates either opposed a ban or said they support a consensus agreement, with few details.

We’re still in the early phase of the governor’s race, so it’s unclear who will come out on top in the primaries — and especially the general election. But it appears that most candidates for governor don’t have an appetite for the full-on smoking ban, which has been opposed by the casino industry and Atlantic City’s largest labor union which say a smoking ban would financially hurt casinos and Atlantic City. Public health groups and a coalition of casino workers cite the deadly impact of secondhand smoke on workers’ health.

Of course, what the governor thinks is something of a moot point if a bill can’t pass the state Legislature — and state lawmakers have been hesitant to advance a full-on smoking ban. Despite dozens of state lawmakers signed on to the bill as co-sponsors, it has only cleared a Senate committee and has not advanced in the Assembly at all.

Here’s what the 10 candidates had to say on smoking in casinos:

DEMOCRATS

Fulop: "We … need to reimagine the revenue from Atlantic City wholesale and if the viability of Atlantic City is based on smoking, we're doing something wrong. …I would say that banning it is the appropriate thing, that there shouldn't be smoking on the casino floors."

Baraka: “Smoking should be banned in Casinos just as it is banned in restaurants, bars and boardrooms, and if that legislation came to my desk as Governor I would sign it. If the casinos want to build indoor, closed-off smoking rooms however, where no workers are required, that's an OK compromise, even though an outdoor space makes more sense and would require a lot less maintenance.”

Rep. Mikie Sherrill: “I know there is ongoing work being done on compromise legislation, and I want to see a proposal that prioritizes employees’ health and also keeps good-paying jobs here in Atlantic City. We need to make sure Atlantic City’s tourism industry remains competitive — and their economy more vibrant — so I am committed to finding common ground to support these workers at a time when we know everyone is struggling to get by.”

Rep. Josh Gottheimer: “I obviously understand the concerns and I’m eager to sit down with folks to discuss the issue. I’m confident that this is a problem we can solve.”

Former Senate President Steve Sweeney: “Right now we got a casino … right over the bridge right in Philadelphia and they don't ban smoking. We got to come up with a compromise.”

New Jersey Education Association President Sean Spiller: “I want to bring everybody to the table and listen to what they have to say. But certainly my leaning … I wouldn't want to be and I certainly wouldn't want my family members or others to have be subjected to an environment where they have secondhand smoke or otherwise. I don't think it’s healthy. So we got to ge to that place. What that looks like, it’s a broader conversation.”

REPUBLICANS

Bramnick: “I was on that bill.”

Jack Ciattarelli: "I believe it should be left up to the employers and the unions. At the end of the day, if there's people who don't want to work in the smoking sections, it's at that point in time the casinos will have to address it."

Conservative radio host Bill Spadea: “We're already losing a ton of business to the River Casino in Pennsylvania. We’re losing it to the casinos in Connecticut. We need to stop bleeding business out of this state. So if keeping a balance of smoking and non smoking keeps business in New Jersey, them I'm all for it.”

Former state Sen. Ed Durr: “I don't believe in bans. Just like I didn't believe the governor should have had a smoking ban on the beaches. I think you're out in public — what's next, you're going to have a smoking ban in my backyard because my neighbor complains my smoke drifts over?”

A message from Johnson & Johnson:

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QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I would love to have children from birth going to school. From birth. … 85% of the human brain develops from birth to five years old. So going and getting kids soon makes a huge difference in their lives.” — former Senate President Steve Sweeney at a forum for gubernatorial candidates hosted by the New Jersey Business & Industry Association.

TIPS? FEEDBACK Email me at DHan@politico.com

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Jessica Calefati, Jeff Booker, Rocco Riccio

WHERE’S MURPHY?: Headed to the “New Jersey of the West Coast” to meet with film and TV industry leaders and for a meeting of the Democratic Governors Association. He will return Saturday. Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way will be acting governor for the time.

REGISTER NOW: As the 118th Congress ends, major decisions loom, including healthcare appropriations. Key focus: site neutrality. Can aligning hospital and clinic costs cut federal spending, reflect physician costs, and lower patient expenses? Join policymakers and providers to discuss.

WHAT TRENTON MADE

JUST DON’T CALL IT PROJECT 2025 — A new left-leaning coalition plans major 2025 outreach drive, by POLITICO’s Daniel Han: A coalition of left-leaning groups is launching a voter outreach effort that may spend $3 million to canvas communities of color in the run up to the 2025 election cycle, according to a key organizer. The new coalition, dubbed the Million Voters Project, seeks to make contact with as many voters as in its name. The effort is nonpartisan and will not focus on a specific candidate, but will target "low-propensity" voters of color, said Nedia Morsy, deputy director of Make the Road New Jersey, which is helping lead the new effort. … “We're trying to take full advantage of the abolition of the line by pushing a fundamental shift where politicians will have to directly engage with communities are seeking to represent,” Morsy said in an interview. “We know that the key to changing Jersey politics is about engaging low-propensity voters who are disengaged because they feel like the electoral process doesn't mean anything to them.”

EDUCATION — “N.J. standardized test scores improve, but postpandemic recovery continues,” by the New Jersey Monitor’s Nikita Biryukov: “New Jersey students’ English and math test scores saw modest improvement this spring, though performance remained below prepandemic levels and broad achievement gaps between demographic groups were mostly unchanged, state officials told the State Board of Education Wednesday. The results show New Jersey’s students continuing to improve, albeit slowly, after staggering learning loss incurred during the pandemic when instruction was conducted virtually for months amid lockdown orders.”

— OP-ED: “Other states protect workers from heat stroke. Why doesn’t New Jersey?”

— NJ Globe: “No gubernatorial endorsement by Union GOP leader until after the convention”

A message from Johnson & Johnson:

BIDEN TIME

— “The cracks are beginning to show in New Jersey’s carefully engineered congressional map,” by the New Jersey Globe’s Joey Fox: “When mapmakers set out to draw new district lines, they have access to the demographics and partisan data that exist up to that point – but their map will be in place for 10 full years, and they have to make educated guesses about how the districts they create will react to the political environments of a decade in the future. Given how fast political trends sometimes move, their guesses aren’t always accurate. That’s a conundrum that New Jersey Democrats are dealing with right now. In the 2021 redistricting process, the map that Democrats drew was carefully engineered to elect nine Democratic House members under virtually any circumstances, with a 10th district designed to be highly competitive. But just three years later, Donald Trump’s surge in New Jersey – he lost the normally deep-blue state by only six points, 52% to 46% – is already struggling to account for the rapid changes occurring in the state’s electorate.”

— News12: “Billionaire, New Jersey native Jared Isaacman is President-elect Trump's pick to lead NASA”

— ABC 6: “Senator-elect from New Jersey keeping close eye on South Korea turmoil”

— NJ Spotlight: “NJ lawmakers’ next moves in Congress”

A message from Johnson & Johnson:

At Johnson & Johnson, we believe health is everything. Our strength in healthcare innovation empowers us to build a world where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured; treatments are smarter and less invasive; and solutions are personal. We are uniquely positioned to innovate across the full spectrum of healthcare solutions today to deliver the breakthroughs of tomorrow. We combine our science and technology with our determination to create a powerful force for care… and profoundly impact health for humanity. Learn more.

LOCAL

EDISON — “1 Dead and Over 70 Displaced After Senior Center Fire,” by The New York Times’ Lola Fadulu and Mark Bomano: “A fire Tuesday night at a senior center in Edison, N.J., left a 101-year-old man dead and more than 70 displaced during the holiday season, according to local officials. More than 95 firefighters responded to the four-alarm blaze at the center, the Inman Grove Senior Citizen Residence at Menlo Manor, shortly after 6 p.m., officials said. Emergency responders encountered heavy smoke on the second floor of the building.”

— “Edison council president says sorry for 'confusion', American flag permitted at meetings,” by MyCentralJersey.com’s Suzanne Russell: “Township Council President Nishith Patel apologized Tuesday for the ‘confusion’ surrounding the recently approved decorum ordinance which indicated props, such as the American flag, would not be permitted for use by residents addressing the council at meetings. ‘Let me be very clear, the Edison Council has never, nor will we ever, ban the American flag from our public meetings,’ Patel said in a statement, more than week after the decorum ordinance was approved. Mayor Sam Joshi agreed. ‘Our nation’s flag has never, ever, been banned, nor will it ever be banned in our municipal complex, or any government building that we solely operate. We are all proud Americans who believe in the principles, morals, and values the American flag represents,’ Joshi said, adding he has spoken with Patel about the ordinance.”

— Hudson County View: “Mamta Singh will run on Solomon’s slate for Jersey City council-at-large seat”

— Hudson County View: “Hudson County Complete Streets starts advocacy campaign for PATH improvements”

— The Record: “North Jersey mom sues school district over bullying after child attempts suicide”

— The Record: “'Affront to Jewish community': Teaneck HS students to hold second 'Walkout for Palestine'”

Billions in spending. Critical foreign aid. Immigration reform. The final weeks of 2024 could bring major policy changes. Inside Congress provides daily insights into how Congressional leaders are navigating these high-stakes issues. Subscribe today.

EVERYTHING ELSE

‘GET THE HELL OFF THE BEACH!’ — “A 20-foot whale appeared on a beach near Cape May,” by the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Robert Moran: “A live 20-foot minke whale was stranded on a beach near Cape May on Tuesday, drawing a response from police and firefighters as well as curious onlookers for a short time before it died. The whale was found at Sunset Beach near the wreck of the SS Atlantus in the early afternoon and was still alive shortly before 3:30 p.m., said Jeff Stewart of the Cape May Whale Watcher company. He went to the scene after seeing photos of the whale posted by a friend on Facebook, he said.”