{"id":2293590,"date":"2024-07-12T14:56:02","date_gmt":"2024-07-12T18:56:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/blue-new-jersey-seeing-red-if-gop-doesnt-screw-things-up\/"},"modified":"2024-07-12T15:00:16","modified_gmt":"2024-07-12T19:00:16","slug":"blue-new-jersey-seeing-red-if-gop-doesnt-screw-things-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/blue-new-jersey-seeing-red-if-gop-doesnt-screw-things-up\/","title":{"rendered":"Blue New Jersey Seeing Red, If GOP Doesn&#8217;t &#8216;Screw Things Up&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fblue-new-jersey-seeing-red-if-gop-doesnt-screw-things-up%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2293590&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A conservative\u200d activist in \u200dNew Jersey is \u2063looking to\u2064 implement a ballot-harvesting\u2064 initiative to support the GOP in\u2063 upcoming\u2064 elections.\u200d However, he claims that state party\u200c leaders are more focused on \u2064helping their preferred gubernatorial candidate win\u200c in \u20632025\u200c rather than supporting the GOP \u2063presidential nominee. Internal party politics and factionalism are hindering efforts to\u200d turn New Jersey\u200c red. The activist \u2063group has been \u200dtrying to get the state party and the\u200c Republican National\u200c Committee to \u200dfund their ballot collection program, but leaders are \u2064reportedly more interested in the \u2064upcoming gubernatorial race. The activist&#8217;s son happens \u200cto\u200b be a conservative talk show host running\u2062 for \u200cgovernor, causing tension within the party. Despite Democrat unpopularity\u2063 in the state, internal\u200d conflicts\u2063 and lack \u200dof support\u200c may \u200cimpede the GOP&#8217;s chances in the upcoming\u200b elections.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>A conservative activist looking to get a ballot harvesting initiative up and running in New Jersey tells The Federalist that the state GOP is more interested in helping their preferred Republican gubernatorial candidate \u2014 marked as a \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thegatewaypundit.com\/2024\/07\/is-nj-gop-giving-trump-shaft-grassroots-says\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Never Trumper<\/a>\u201d \u2014 win in 2025 than helping the soon-to-be GOP presidential nominee take back the White House in November. <\/p>\n<p>Deep Blue New Jersey has a chance to turn red this election year, some very enthusiastic Republicans insist. But a local GOP chair tells me that a state party \u201cdrowning in factionalism\u201d could snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.<\/p>\n<h2>\u2018Not Their Priority\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>As The Federalist first <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/03\/22\/conservative-group-fights-to-get-ballot-collection-off-the-ground-in-deep-blue-new-jersey\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a> in March, New Jersey conservative icon <a href=\"https:\/\/observer.com\/2015\/12\/bill-spadeas-power-position-at-new-jersey-101-5-fm\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Dominick \u201cMick\u201d Spadea<\/a> and his political action committee, <a href=\"https:\/\/fixjerseynow.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Fix Jersey Now<\/a>, have proposed a\u00a0 targeted \u2014 and legal \u2014\u00a0 ballot collection program backed by \u201cresearch, analysis, strategies and coordination for identifying voters.\u201d The initiative, according to documents obtained by The Federalist,\u00a0would use \u201cproprietary analysis\u201d to reach out to \u201cthose who do not vote, then develop a targeted message that will engage and speak to those specific register[ed] but non-voting residents.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>The conservative group for months has been trying to get the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.njgop.org\/leadership\/njgop\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">New Jersey Republican Party<\/a> and the Republican National Committee to buy in and beat Democrats at a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-rnc-launches-new-year-round-election-integrity-department-ahead-of-2024\/\" title=\"RNC creates year-round Election Integrity Department for 2024.\">ballot harvesting game<\/a> they\u2019ve been winning for years. <\/p>\n<p>But Spadea claims state party leaders aren\u2019t all that interested in helping former President Donald Trump beat President Joe Biden \u2014 or whoever ends up being the Democrats\u2019 candidate come November. They\u2019ve got their minds fixed on next year\u2019s gubernatorial prize, Spadea told me. The grassroots-establishment battle was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thegatewaypundit.com\/2024\/07\/is-nj-gop-giving-trump-shaft-grassroots-says\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a> earlier this week by the Gateway Pundit. <\/p>\n<p>Spadea and Fix Jersey Now\u2019s numbers guy, Fred Bartlett Jr., on June 24 met with Christina Bobb, Republican National Committee senior counsel for election integrity, and Mike Ambrosini, director of the RNC\u2019s State Party Strategies, to discuss the ballot harvesting plan. The leaders of the political organization were making a pitch for funding from the RNC. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cMike Ambrosini stated that the NJ GOP is focused on getting Jack Ciattarelli, elected Governor,\u201d states Fix Jersey Now\u2019s After-Action Report prepared by Fix Jersey Now and obtained by The Federalist. \u201cThe 2024 Presidential Election, a Trump victory and a GOP win in New Jersey is not their priority or focus.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>An RNC official told The Federalist the conversation didn\u2019t go quite as Spadea painted it. Ambrosini, the official said, told Spadea that the Jersey GOP\u2019s resources would be spread pretty thin as it prepares for next year\u2019s gubernatorial clash. The conservative activist is seeking hundreds of thousands of dollars from the party for the ballot-harvesting initiative.  <\/p>\n<p>State party officials did not return The Federalist\u2019s requests for comment. <\/p>\n<h2>Internal Politics<\/h2>\n<p>Ciattarelli, a former member of the Jersey General Assembly, is among a crowded field of Republicans running for governor in next year\u2019s election, <a href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/Robert_Canfield\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">including<\/a> state Sen. Jon Bramnick, real estate broker Robert Canfield, and <a href=\"https:\/\/newjerseyglobe.com\/governor\/spadea-has-strong-13-day-fundraising-haul-as-he-launches-gop-gubernatorial-run\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bill Spadea.<\/a> The latter is a popular conservative talk show host and just happens to be the son of Mick Spadea. As you might imagine, that fact is not lost on a GOP establishment that the younger Spadea has routinely criticized on New Jersey\u2019s airwaves. Two of his primary opponents have complained that his weekday radio show on New Jersey 101.5 is essentially a massive \u2014 and \u201cimpermissible\u201d \u2014 \u201cin-kind contribution to his campaign,\u201d the New Jersey Monitor <a href=\"https:\/\/newjerseymonitor.com\/2024\/06\/25\/radio-host-bill-spadea-attacks-extralegal-push-to-review-campaign-benefit-of-his-show\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Mick Spadea asserts party officials backing Ciattarelli, who has twice unsuccessfully run for governor, are locking out funding for his plan to harvest ballots from Republicans, Independents, and \u2014 particularly \u2014 disaffected voters who have had enough of Biden and the Democrats. He insists his son\u2019s gubernatorial run has nothing to do with Fix Jersey Now\u2019s zeal to elect Republicans. The organization requested at least $300,000 to pay ground troops to collect ballots in a dozen Jersey counties or $525,000 to reach all 21 counties, according to the After-Action Report. Garden State <a href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/Ballot_harvesting_(ballot_collection)_laws_by_state#New_Jersey\">law<\/a> limits the number of voters a harvester may deliver mail-in ballots for to three, so it\u2019s a very labor-intensive effort. <\/p>\n<p>Ciattarelli has run afoul of many supporters of former President Donald Trump, who next week is expected to receive his third consecutive GOP presidential nomination at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. Ciattarelli, who finished <a href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/New_Jersey_gubernatorial_and_lieutenant_gubernatorial_election,_2021\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">less than 3 points<\/a> behind Democrat Gov. Phil Murphy in 2021, once called Trump a \u201ccharlatan.\u201d He \u201csoftened his rhetoric\u201d during Trump\u2019s tenure in the White House, walking a \u201ctightrope,\u201d as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2021\/06\/08\/ciattarelli-gop-new-jersey-primary-492354\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Politico reported<\/a>, during the 2021 election \u2014 \u201cneither too anti-Trump for the primary nor too pro-Trump for the general election in a deeply blue state.\u201d <\/p>\n<h2>Red Potential <\/h2>\n<p>But the blue state is seeing red in the Biden era.\u00a0The Democrat\u2019s general <a href=\"https:\/\/news.gallup.com\/poll\/644252\/biden-13th-quarter-approval-average-lowest-historically.aspx?utm_source=alert&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_content=morelink&#038;utm_campaign=syndication\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">unpopularity<\/a>, his unpopular policies, as well as his age and clear cognitive <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2024\/07\/11\/biden-polls-washington-post-abc-00167571\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">decline<\/a> have made liberal citadels a lot more competitive than they have been in the past. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cTrump can win New York just like Ronald Reagan did in 1980,\u201d New York State Republican Party Chairman Ed Cox, recently <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/06\/30\/us-news\/trump-may-be-first-republican-to-win-ny-nj-in-decades-after-biden-debate-debacle-gop-leaders-say\/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CTrump%20can%20win%20New%20York,Republican%20Party%20chairman%20Ed%20Cox.&#038;text=A%20recent%20Siena%20College%20poll,,%2047%25%20to%2039%25.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">told<\/a> the New York Post. <\/p>\n<p>In a Siena College <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/06\/20\/us-news\/trump-trails-biden-by-just-8-in-new-york-with-surge-in-support-among-blacks-jews\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">poll<\/a> conducted last month, the former president trailed Biden by single digits (47 percent to 39 percent) among voters in the Empire State, which has effectively been a one-party state for the better part of the last two decades.\u00a0The survey was taken about two weeks before the June 27 debate.<\/p>\n<p>A recent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.coefficient.org\/njsenate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">poll<\/a> of likely Garden State voters, conducted by market research firm Co\/Efficient found Trump edging ahead of Biden, 41 percent to 40 percent. Independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. garnered 7 percent support in the poll of 810 respondents conducted June 26-27 \u2014 the day before and the day of Biden\u2019s disastrous debate performance. <\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<div lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\n<p>New data release: New Jersey General Election<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/POTUS?src=hash&#038;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#POTUS<\/a><br \/>Trump: 41%<br \/>Biden: 40%<br \/>RFK\/3rd Party: 7%<br \/>Undecided:13%<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/NJSEN?src=hash&#038;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#NJSEN<\/a> <br \/>Generic Ballot \u2013<br \/>Democrat: 42%<br \/>Republican: 39%<br \/>Independent: 8%<br \/>Undecided: 11%<\/p>\n<p>Full Ballot \u2013<br \/>Andrew Kim: 39%<br \/>Curtis Bashaw: 33%<br \/>Bob Menendez: 3%<br \/>Undecided: 25%\u2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u2014 co\/efficient (@coefficientpoll) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/coefficientpoll\/status\/1806731783729209394?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 28, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>In the poll\u2019s generic matchup, Republicans trail Democrats by just 3 percentage points. <\/p>\n<p>Biden\u2019s troubles combined with Trump\u2019s ascent is boding well for Republicans\u2019 chances to take a U.S. Senate seat in November, something the New Jersey GOP hasn\u2019t done in more than a half-century. Hotelier <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/new-jersey-election-bashaw-kim-menendez-senate-71df42004cee42f8692db4e32e89f0c8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Curtis Bashaw<\/a>, who <a href=\"https:\/\/newjerseymonitor.com\/2024\/06\/04\/curtis-bashaw-defeats-trump-endorsed-candidate-to-win-gop-senate-nod\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">beat the Trump-endorsed candidate<\/a> in last month\u2019s GOP primary, is trailing Democrat <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/new-jersey-andy-kim-tammy-murphy-lawsuit-8432085d5661892d3e48259100ebf0e5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Rep. Andrew Kim<\/a> by just 2 percentage points (35 percent to 33 percent) in the increasingly competitive Senate race, <a href=\"https:\/\/newjerseyglobe.com\/fr\/gop-super-pac-poll-in-n-j-shows-biden-vs-trump-kim-vs-bashaw-statistically-tied\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">according to<\/a> a GOP super PAC poll reported on by the New Jersey Globe.\u00a0 Incumbent Democrat <a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/US\/wireStory\/new-york-jury-ready-start-negotiations-sen-bob-111881940\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sen. Bob Menendez,<\/a> who is running an <a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/Politics\/menendezs-independent-senate-bid-new-jersey-democrats-share\/story?id=111309614\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">independent campaign<\/a> while being tried on federal corruption charges, is polling at 6 percent. <\/p>\n<h2>\u2018Various Warlords\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cWe could have a U.S. senator in 2024 if we don\u2019t screw things up with our infighting,\u201d said <a href=\"https:\/\/newjerseyglobe.com\/local\/labarbera-defeats-smith-in-race-for-sussex-gop-chair\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Joe Labarbera<\/a>, chairman of the Sussex County Republican Party and a big fan of Fix Jersey Now\u2019s ballot-gathering initiative.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI did three combat tours in Afghanistan and two in Iraq. I\u2019m seeing the same thing here that I saw over there: various warlords jockeying for power. We don\u2019t have a unified message right now,\u201d Labarbera told me in an interview. <\/p>\n<p>The problem in the Jersey GOP is that the party chairs are picked by the lead GOP candidates, the local chairman said. Their loyalties typically lie with the candidate who selected them. At the moment, the power is spread out in the main among the major Republican gubernatorial candidates, at war with each other more than a year before the 2025 election. <\/p>\n<p>Labarbera said Jose Arango, chairman of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/NJRepublicanChairs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">New Jersey Republican Chairs Association<\/a>, has urged unity in the state party and for the Jersey GOP to keep their eye on the big prize of 2024 \u2014 Control of the White House and Congress. New Jersey\u2019s 14 precious electoral votes would help Trump secure the former and success in the state\u2019s down-ballot races would assist in the latter. <\/p>\n<p>But none of the combatants seems to want to play nice.  <\/p>\n<p>Labarbera said he\u2019s not seeing much in the way of support from the RNC so far, but he acknowledges he\u2019s in his own \u201cmyopic battles.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Lara Trump, the former president\u2019s daughter-in-law and co-chair of the Republican National Committee, has pushed for the GOP to use the same tools Democrats have to their advantage \u2014 early voting and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/lara-trump-says-rnc-must-use-legal-ballot-harvesting-first-time-stay-competitive-against-democrats\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201clegal\u201d ballot harvesting<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve got to start putting some points on the board early and not wait for Election Day,\u201d Mick Spadea told me. <\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Matt Kittle is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-throws-out-leftist-nevada-ags-phony-fake-electors-case\/\" title=\"Judge Throws Out Leftist Nevada AG&#039;s Phony &#039;Fake Electors&#039; Case\">senior elections correspondent<\/a> for The Federalist. An <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-knew-100-percent-he-was-fighting-for-the-little-guy-former-top-trump-economic-adviser\/\" title=\"Trump Knew \u2018100 Percent\u2019 He Was \u2018Fighting for the Little Guy\u2019: Former Top Trump Economic Adviser\">award-winning investigative reporter<\/a> and 30-year veteran of print, broadcast, and online journalism, Kittle previously served as the executive director of Empower Wisconsin.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A conservative activist in New Jersey is trying to implement a ballot harvesting initiative, but claims that the state GOP is more focused on supporting their preferred gubernatorial candidate in 2025 rather than helping the GOP presidential nominee win in November. The activist&#8217;s group has been trying to get support from the state party and the RNC for their initiative, but state party leaders seem more interested in the upcoming gubernatorial race. The activist believes that internal party politics and factionalism are hindering efforts to support the ballot harvesting plan. Despite potential for the state to turn red in the upcoming election, party officials are reportedly more focused on next year&#8217;s gubernatorial election<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":656,"featured_media":2293591,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Screenshot-2024-07-12-at-11.24.16-AM-1024x478.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[4138,33096,34840],"class_list":["post-2293590","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-blue","tag-new-jersey","tag-seeing-red"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Screenshot-2024-07-12-at-11.24.16-AM-1024x478.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2293590","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/656"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2293590"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2293590\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2293591"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2293590"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2293590"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2293590"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}