the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Trenton NJ, with Virginia’s governor race getting all the national attention, the sleeper election this year is in New Jersey where Governor Phil Murphy is running for re-election.
Republican Jack Ciattarelli has relentlessly attacked Murphy’s record and reduced the gap between them from 26 points in May to only 6 points – and only 4 with leaners – in the latest Emerson/Channel 11 poll. Despite Murphy’s overwhelming spending advantage, the Republican has pounded on his COVID lockdown policies (Murphy imitated New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and sent COVID patients into nursing homes with devastating results).
But taxes are Murphy’s Achilles Heel. New Jersey has the highest property tax rate in the U.S. and the 3rd highest personal income tax rate. Those factors have helped make the Garden State the most moved-out-of-state in the country.
A majority (51%) of New Jersey likely voters in the Emerson poll believe cutting taxes should be the first priority for the next Governor. Ciattarelli has a solid plan to lower property taxes, lower the state’s income tax rate and index rates and exemptions to account for inflation.
This is a heavily Democratic state, so Murphy has all the advantages, but the fact that the race has become so close in a state where Donald Trump won only 41 percent of the vote in 2020 shows just how much Biden’s lurch to the far left has moved even “safe” Democrats in the danger zone.
Murphy’s Saturday rally with Former President Obama drew only a few hundred people for the governor, on the very same day, the former President brought in over 2,000 people to the Terry McAuliffe rally in Virginia.
Now, with just one week left, Murphy is bringing in Senator Bernie Sanders to see if he can work his magic to turn out a base that seems less than enthusiastic to go to the polls for him. In bringing him to the Garden State, Murphy is truly wrapping up his campaign on the theme that started it: if you want tax relief from some of the highest, most punitive taxes in the country, you should just leave our state.
Bringing Bernie Sanders to NJ is the silliest move yet by Murphy. He’s bringing the self-avowed socialist Sanders who promotes taxing and spending like theres no tomorrow to our state which already has the highest property taxes in the country. This is kind of a Murphy neon sign flashing HEY FOLKS WE’RE GONNA TAX THE HELL OUT OF YOU IF VOTE FOR MURPHY.
On the other hand we have Jack Ciatarelli who has a logical plan on how to reduce NJ property taxes. Create a friendlier environment in which our small businesses can thrive again. Reduce the state income tax. Clean up government bloat and waste in Trenton. Improve the NJ motor vehicle commission which we know has been a mess under Murphy.
At the end of the day we will have more money in our wallets and our state will be more fiscally responsible to taxpayers when Jack is governor.
My family works hard to earn our money. We have been in NJ since 1969 and we love our state but we don’t love giving our money away to Murphy’s wasteful agenda. So we are voting for Jack.
Amazing how many senior lib politicians Murphy needs to win this election. How anyone can vote for this arrogant far left elitist is beyond comprehension.
Give Jack a chance to make a difference!.
The problem Murphy did not understand is that New Jersey is getting unaffordable and a poor choice to drop roots. I lived in NJ all my life but now my adult kids can’t afford to move out and won’t move up unless they move away from the state.
Many wage earners are considered rich by the standards of the rest of the country but live a middle class lifestyle in NJ because it is so expensive to exist here. People I know who have moved away are living a better lifestyle because the taxes are lower, people still have a sense of community, and people have more quality of life since they don’t have to become workaholics just to exist.
He, the millionaire, would not and could not understand the struggle to survive in this state while knowing you can thrive in another state… but staying because you have family and neighbors and love the state. Murphy was a transplant that destroyed our state, that is why people are leaving, even those whose family lived here for generative. People need to get ahead and not just get by.
The problem Murphy does not understand is that New Jersey is getting unaffordable and a poor choice to drop roots. I lived in NJ all my life, so did my parents and grandparents, but now my adult kids can’t afford to live in NJ and won’t move up unless they move away from the state.
Many wage earners are considered rich by the standards of the rest of the country, but live a middle class lifestyle in NJ because it is so expensive to exist here. People I know who have moved away are living a better lifestyle because the taxes are lower, people still have a sense of community, and people have more quality of life since they don’t have to become workaholics just to exist.
He, the millionaire, would not and could not understand the struggle to survive in this state while knowing you can thrive in another state… but staying because you have family and neighbors and love the state. Murphy was a transplant that destroyed our state, that is why people are leaving, even those whose family lived here for generative. People need to get ahead and not just get by.
Murphy can’t lose. The election administrators have it all under control.
^ I think Murphy knows that if there is any tampering of votes in this election fingers will point his way.
Jack Ciatarelli is rapidly closing the gap and has a publicly acknowledged excellent chance of being voted in as our next governor. Because knowledge is in the pubic eye anyone in the Democrat sphere who is stupid enough to tamper with the votes is an outright fool.
All of this “too close to call” propoganda is just to provide cover for him when he wins.
There will always be that cache of last-minute mail-in votes delivered just in case they’re needed. Election cheating has been fully destigmatized by Democrats after their righteous sense of getting that evil orange man out of office in 2020.
NJ election has been bought and paid for. Horse teeth wins by +5%. Enjoy the taxes and progressive agenda.
Can’t wait until Horse Teeth makes our kids get experimental gene therapy injections with no safety studies to attend school. After all, they have 10X better chance of dying of the flu or drowning.
Horse Teeth is looking out for all of us.