Sean Spiller talked about the damage Chris Christie did to teachers.
Mikie Sherrill said this year is a chance to stand up to Donald Trump.
Spiller and Sherrill, two of the six candidates seeking the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, attended events the end of last week in Morris County.
Spiller certainly draws political strength from his “day job.”
He’s president of the state teachers’ union, or formally, the New Jersey Education Association, a group often called the “most powerful union” in the state.
But do voters like the NJEA?
Spiller was asked precisely that last week while attending a gubernatorial forum at Fairleigh Dickinson University. The FDU program offers all candidates a chance to speak to guests exclusively. Last Thursday was Spiller’s turn.
Spiller said that if the NJEA has a bad image, it goes back to the days of Gov. Christie.
When Christie became governor in 2010, he quickly set his sights on the teachers’ union, seeing rising salaries as a main reason for high property taxes.
This was time for over-the-top rhetoric – like when Christie said teachers treated students like drug mules when they asked them to help support the annual school district budget. Really.
Spiller said the then-governor did a lot of harm to the teaching profession. So, going forward it’s important to stand up for teachers and education in general. And he suggested that Donald Trump’s antipathy to public education could be similar to Christie’s.
Two days later, Sherrill appeared at a “town hall” meeting hosted by Morris County Democrats in Randolph.
“I expected this to be bad and it’s worse than expected,” she said of the first few days of the Trump administration.
The obvious reference was to the pardoning of Jan. 6 defendants and the warrantless search of a Newark business as part of an immigration crackdown.
The good news – so to speak – is that this year’s gubernatorial race gives Democrats and like-minded individuals a chance to stand up to the Trump administration.
“As Democrats, when we don’t win, vulnerable people suffer,” Sherrill said.
Republicans remain enthused over Trump’s win and his good showing in New Jersey. That has given the GOP confidence for 2025.
Sherrill isn’t buying it. She said:
“I want everyone to know New Jersey is undeniably a blue state.”
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Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has once again found himself in the crosshairs of his longtime political rival, State Senator Ray Lesniak. Lesniak, who is known for his outspoken criticism of Christie, recently penned a scathing op-ed for Insider NJ in which he lambasted the former governor for his handling of the state’s pension crisis.
In the article, titled “Spiller Returns to Criticize Chris Christie in Insider NJ,” Lesniak accuses Christie of neglecting his duty to properly fund the state’s pension system during his time in office. He argues that Christie’s failure to address the issue has left thousands of retired public employees in financial peril, and has put the state on a path to fiscal ruin.
Lesniak also takes aim at Christie’s record on environmental issues, accusing him of prioritizing corporate interests over the well-being of New Jersey residents. He points to Christie’s decision to pull the state out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) as evidence of his disregard for the environment.
The article serves as a reminder of the contentious relationship between Lesniak and Christie, which dates back to their time serving together in the New Jersey legislature. Lesniak has long been a vocal critic of Christie’s policies and leadership style, and has not shied away from calling out the former governor on his perceived shortcomings.
As New Jersey gears up for another gubernatorial election, it is clear that the animosity between Lesniak and Christie is far from over. Whether or not their feud will have any impact on the outcome of the election remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: Lesniak will continue to hold Christie accountable for his actions, both past and present.