With 98% of the votes counted, New Jersey Senate President (and South Jersey machine politician) Stephen Sweeney is losing to a truck driver who spend $153 on his campaign.
The ironic part of this is that Sweeney was both a major power in state politics, but also a strong rival and opponent of Phil Murphy. So while Murphy came within a hair of losing his seat, he’s likely to emerge signficantly strengthened, since Sweeney’s replacement is likely to not be as powerful or opposed to Murphy as he was.
Sometimes I wonder if you post in threads without bothering to read them first. I already gave a vastly better run-down of what went down in Seattle. But I’m replying to this just to note that “all but one” is a technically accurate, but odd, way of saying “one of two.”
Well, it sounds scarier, you know.
I disagree. I think it’ll have two major impacts (which is not to say it’ll be enough to deliver victories in 2022.)
- Without passing them, they’re going to get the ‘do-nothing’ tag hung over their necks. Republicans are less susceptible to this, because their base is pretty happy with few changes beyond right-wing judges getting appoints. The Democratic base wants a lot done that require Congressional action. A do-nothing Congress will completely demoralize them.
- The child tax credit is going to be a big win. Yes, it’s an extension. But it’s an extension of a program that went into effect this year. And Democrats can make the case that every Republican voted against it, so if you want to keep it, you need to keep Democrats in power.
This. My family have been good D foot soldiers for 20+ years. Donated, talked, organized, marched. Donated to out-of-state senate races. All of this, all of this, and in the one window we have to make progress, the “we’ve got less than two years to make a difference” window that R used in 2017 to get at least one major victory. What do we get? We have to listen to why the two politicians with direct self-interest in pharma companies are all “sorry, no”. No voting reform, no meaningful healthcare improvements, a bandaid or two, but basically, nothing. We understand compromising in a weak majority, but this isn’t compromise - it’s capitulation.
Well, to hell with it (this is the sentiment among a half dozen family members). Never again donating time, energy, anything at all, to a national general election candidate. They can get their donations from the pharma companies - that’s where our money’s been going for the last couple years, and that’s who they’re going to listen to anyway. If we’re going to get screwed regardless, we might as well just cut out the middlemen.
This is the depth of feeling I’m getting from friends and family who were the most committed, who used to tell me “hey buck up it’s a long haul we’re making progress”. They’re the most bitter right now. Can the D’s repair this at the national level - well, it will take a hell of a lot, and they’re capable of almost nothing, so probably not.
So in the end Governor Murphy was re-elected by a little under 60,000 votes. Far closer than expected. That is with 97% reported.
The Dems had 25 of the 40 Senate seats, they retain 23 and the Reps retain 15. 2 still undecided. It looks like the Dems will only lose 1 seat overall. Ironically the Senate President Sweeney lost his seat to a furniture delivery driver.
Hopefully Sweeney’s replacement as President will work with the Governor more to improve the state.
The Dems retain control over the State Assembly also, so they should be able to get more done over the next 2 years.
A politically engaged friend (D) entirely blames the federal government leadership for the VA results for not getting enough done on that level. Declared the administration “incompetent.” Hearing him agree at all with Fox News was off-putting.