MORRISTOWN – Elections are a never-ending cycle. When one ends, another begins.
So, as hard as it obviously is, Amalia Duarte is looking ahead.
“I’ll be damned if a Republican wins the governorship,” the Democratic chair in Morris County told party members at a Sunday breakfast designed to plan for the future, but also to cope with the specter of another Donald Trump presidency.
“I don’t have an analysis,” she said. “We are feeling a lot of emotion.”
Duarte said she gave herself Wednesday to grieve, but come Thursday, the future beckoned. Hence, the breakfast at party headquarters just off the famous Morristown Green.
The 2025 gubernatorial race may soon take its final shape with Democrats Josh Gottheimer and Mikie Sherrill, both of whom won reelection to the House last week, expected to formally announce plans to run.
Already in the field are Steve Fulop, Sean Spiller, Steve Sweeney and Ras Baraka. Talk about an interesting primary.
Pivoting to the future is nice, but last week’s election can’t be forgotten all that quickly.
Duarte asked the 100 or so people on hand to write on a wall poster how they were feeling, preferably in one word. Here were some of the answers:
Worried.
Disgusted.
Fired up.
Angry.
There was talk – obviously – among party loyalists about what went wrong.
Things may have been different, some said, if Joe Biden gave up his reelection bid far sooner than he did – like a year ago. That would have allowed for a “real” primary.
How about the fact some voters just don’t want a woman president? That deserves some thought.
We now see that Trump has defeated two women but in between, he lost to a man.
Women have been elected to the House, the Senate and as governors. Women are on the U.S. Supreme Court and more than one have served in such significant Cabinet positions as Secretary of State. But maybe some voters shy away from a woman in the Oval Office.
But, as was also brought out, there was a problem with Democratic-leaning voters not voting.
The numbers are almost uncanny. Trump got almost 75 million votes in 2020 and he has gotten almost 75 million this year.
But while Biden got almost 82 million votes in 2020, Kamala Harris has gotten slightly more than 71 million.
So the problem for Dems was not so much a GOP surge, but lack of performance. Why? A “deep dive” is clearly needed.
Back to the hopeful spirit of the day, Duarte, who sits on the Mendham Township Council, was happy to claim some small, but important, victories.
“In my town, our local candidates didn’t win, but you know who did win overwhelmingly in Mendham Township – Kamala Harris.”
For the record, Harris beat Trump in the township, 1,905 to 1,671.
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President Donald Trump’s recent endorsement of Republican candidate for governor in New Jersey has put Democrats at risk of losing control of the governorship in the upcoming election. The endorsement, which came as a surprise to many political analysts, has the potential to shift the dynamics of the race and give Republicans a much-needed boost in a traditionally blue state.
The Democratic candidate for governor, incumbent Phil Murphy, has been facing criticism from both sides of the political spectrum for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and his policies on issues such as taxes and immigration. Trump’s endorsement of Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli has energized the GOP base and could help to mobilize conservative voters who may have been disenchanted with the party in recent years.
While New Jersey has historically been a Democratic stronghold, recent polls have shown a tightening race between Murphy and Ciattarelli. Trump’s endorsement could be just the push that Republicans need to tip the scales in their favor and potentially win back the governorship for the first time in over a decade.
Democrats are now faced with the challenge of countering Trump’s influence in the race and rallying their own base to ensure a victory for Murphy in November. The party will need to focus on highlighting Murphy’s accomplishments as governor and contrasting them with Ciattarelli’s policies and positions on key issues.
The outcome of the New Jersey governor’s race will have far-reaching implications for both parties, as it could signal a shift in the political landscape of the state and potentially impact future elections. With Trump’s endorsement looming large over the race, Democrats will need to work hard to ensure that they maintain control of the governorship and continue to advance their agenda in New Jersey.
