| | | | |  | | By Matt Friedman | | | Good Tuesday morning! A poorer campaign than Tammy Murphy’s might not be able to withstand the week she’s having. Over the weekend, Murphy suffered massive losses to Andy Kim in two county conventions that weren’t driven by party bosses, in Atlantic and Morris Counties. Even the awarding of Murphy of Camden County’s boss-driven endorsement was marred by video of rival Patricia Campos-Medina being blocked from entering the meeting. Then, Attorney General Matt Platkin, long a member of the Murphys’ innermost circle, announced that he believes the “county line” — that thing Murphy’s campaign lives and dies on — is unconstitutional. And then, about an hour after this newsletter hit inboxes Monday morning, it somehow got worse. Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, a 2025 gubernatorial candidate and early Murphy endorser, announced: “I was wrong with my early support and endorsement of Tammy Murphy for Senate,” backed Andy Kim and called on Murphy to drop her candidacy. On top of all of that, a federal judge Monday heard arguments on whether the county line — the linchpin of Murphy’s candidacy — should even exist. But I’m getting no indication that the Murphy campaign is doing anything but putting their heads down and fighting through yet another rough week. The convention results like Atlantic and Morris indicate that the grassroots of the party wants Kim. Predominantly white suburban progressives clearly prefer Kim. As paid media ramps up, it sounds like Murphy’s campaign is going to target the support of the Black and Hispanic voters that were key parts of the Democratic coalition before the suburbs made their sharp Trump-era turn to the left. Still, I think New Jersey politics is at an inflection point, at least with Democrats. Between Menendez’s political if not legal downfall, Murphy’s flailing amid anti-boss backlash, and the sudden turn of so many against the county line, it looks like we’re in for some major changes. TIPS? FEEDBACK? Email me at mfriedman@politico.com QUOTE OF THE DAY: “For those of you that are worried about people coming out of the closet, from a personal example I can tell you this is New Jersey, and it was much more difficult for me to get the courage to come out of the closet and admit that I was a Republican than it was to admit that I was gay" — Assemblymember Don Guardian speaking on the floor in favor of a LGBTQ+ business certification bill he sponsors HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Patrick Diegnan, Angelica Jimenez, Mike Makarski, Yujin Lee, Anjali Mehrotra, Zach Dougherty WHERE’S MURPHY? — No public schedule
| | A message from Alibaba: American businesses sold $66B worth of products in 2022 on Alibaba’s online marketplace. New Jersey-based companies such as Phyto-C partner with Alibaba to reach one billion consumers globally. The impact: U.S. sales on Alibaba supported over 10 thousand local jobs and contributed $1.3B to New Jersey's GDP in one year. Explore Alibaba’s local impact. | | | |  | WHAT TRENTON MADE | | TAKE IT EV — New Jersey's mixed signals on EVs, by POLITICO’s Ry Rivard: Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat with some of the nation’s most aggressive climate goals, is looking to raise the cost of electric vehicles by thousands of dollars, in part by adding one of the highest EV fees in the country. The increases are causing consternation among some of Murphy’s traditional environmental allies. And they come at the same time New Jersey is following California in planning to require all new cars sold in the state by 2035 to be zero-emission vehicles. A few climate change advocates, including the New Jersey chapter of the Sierra Club, have formed an unusual alliance with the state’s car industry. The coalition also has some support from one of the state’s most powerful lawmakers on climate issues, Senate Environment and Energy Chair Bob Smith. “To do anything to discourage EVs in the state is a serious policy mistake,” Smith said on Monday — before voting to send a bill that contained an EV fee increase to Murphy’s desk. —Gas tax increase heads to Murphy, by POLITICO’s Ry Rivard: The New Jersey Legislature approved an increase in the gas tax to fund transportation infrastructure on Monday, with some Republicans and Democrats breaking ranks to support and oppose the plan. Gov. Phil Murphy is expected to sign the bill. The tax increase, of 10 cents per gallon over five years, will start to go into effect this summer and generally increase by 1.9 cents each year to help pay for about $2 billion annually in road, bridge and transit infrastructure. Because the amount of the tax is based on how much gas is being sold, a busy summer could drive down the tax and a slow year could increase it … A few Republicans broke ranks to vote for the gas tax plan, but most voted no … Some Senate Republicans had offered their own plan meant to avoid raising the gas tax, but it was rejected by Democrats, in part because it would have eaten away at the budget surplus that Murphy has built during his two terms.” WHAT THEY DO IN THE SHADOWS — Judge kicks case against shadowy South Jersey Democratic super PAC to ELEC, by POLITICO’s Matt Friedman: A judge has tossed a GOP lawsuit targeting a shadowy Democratic group that promoted alleged fake candidates to hurt Republicans, ruling that the complaint belongs with the state’s campaign finance watchdog. The decision by Judge Michael Blee is a win for the group Jersey Freedom, which in court would likely have had its inner workings more publicly exposed than it will with the Election Law Enforcement Commission, which conducts investigations behind closed doors before it issues rulings about whether groups violated campaign finance laws. The Election Law Enforcement Commission in a court brief argued it had jurisdiction over the complaint, which charged Jersey Freedom violated New Jersey’s campaign finance law. Blee agreed. “The election has since concluded … and the only remaining issue is a determination of Reporting Act violations concerning the filing of reports and inaccuracy of the information in filed reports. Thus, the only proper remedy at this juncture in the proceeding is monetary, which falls squarely within ELEC’s vested authority,” Blee wrote. Still, Blee still held that candidates still have a right to bring seek injunctions against campaign spending during an election if they allege they’re being harmed. MURPHY ADMINISTRATION CHEERS DROP IN NERDS — “State lacks 'urgency': After COVID, K-12 students in NJ still lag significantly in math,” by The Record’s Mary Ann Koruth: “Most students in New Jersey are still behind in math four years after the COVID-19 pandemic hit, says a study by researchers from Harvard and Stanford universities that measured school districts nationwide on a common scale. And a report commissioned by the Murphy administration released this month said New Jersey’s schoolchildren suffered significant learning losses during the pandemic, more in math than in reading. Losses would have been far less steep had schools reopened in person earlier. … The state was aware of this in October 2022, yet efforts by legislators to have the Education Department formally target learning loss have failed. State Sen. Teresa Ruiz … has sponsored a bundle of four bills to create a learning loss czar in the department, now headed by Kevin Dehmer, who replaced former acting Commissioner Angelica Allen-McMillan after she retired in January. Ruiz has said the state hasn’t approached the issue with urgency. A year and half later, most New Jersey students are still lagging, by a lot.”
| | | | A message from Alibaba:   | | | IT’S LOGS, LOGS. THEY’RE BIG, THEY’RE HEAVY, THEY’RE … PUBLIC RECORDS — “We sued for records on NJ program that teams police with health experts. See what they say,” by The Record’s Ashley Balcerzak: “When the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office hails the ARRIVE Together program as a success, it often points to a positive report by the Brookings Institution … But the documents provide only a small window into a program that has expanded into communities in all 21 counties, including Paterson, Hackensack and Elmwood Park in North Jersey. The logs included close to 350 cases from Cumberland County, Elizabeth and Linden. ARRIVE teams have since had 2,800 interactions statewide. Inconsistent record-keeping among the departments that Brookings examined also left holes: Cumberland County didn’t record race and other demographic information, and Elizabeth's and Union County’s descriptions of what happened on calls could be sparse. … ‘It is very difficult to make those kinds of claims with a sample size that small,’ said Marleina Ubel, senior policy analyst at the left-leaning think tank New Jersey Policy Perspective. … The Attorney General’s Office denied OPRA requests from NorthJersey.com and the New Jersey Monitor, saying the logs contained “sensitive medical and mental health information” and were exempt from disclosure. A state Superior Court judge disagreed.” GRANDE GESTURE — “Don’t close city’s only Starbucks, N.J. governor tells execs,” by NJ Advance Media’s Brianna Kudisch: “Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan met with Murphy and officials from the state Economic Development Authority over Zoom Thursday, said Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora, who also had his own meeting with company executives. Starbucks executives initially said they’d make a decision about whether to keep the Starbucks open within 24 hours of meeting with Murphy, Gusciora said. But, then company officials said they were returning to “the drawing board” on the store’s impending closure. ‘We haven’t gotten any white smoke from the Vatican, which is actually a good sign,’ Gusciora joked about Starbucks. … Two other elected officials — Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-12th Dist. — have also reached out to the company to urge executives to keep the Trenton location open.” —“Can N.J. build its way out of the housing crisis? New bill that just passed aims to find out”
| | | | Easily connect with the right N.Y. State influencers and foster the right relationships to champion your policy priorities. POLITICO Pro. Inside New York. Learn more. | | | | | | | BIDEN TIME | | JUDGE REJECTS PLATKIN AS PEN PAL — Federal judge unsure about New Jersey AG’s claims on ballot design in Senate race lawsuit, by POLITICO’s Daniel Han: Federal District Judge Zahid Quraishi said Monday that he is unsure whether he will consider the New Jersey attorney general’s claims that the state’s unique party line system is unconstitutional in deciding a lawsuit seeking to dismantle the controversial ballot design. … “I don’t know if I should consider that letter at all,” Quraishi said from the bench on Monday in an all-day hearing in a packed courtroom. Quraishi noted that Platkin is not intervening in the case, adding that “he’s lobbing his opinion from the cheap seats.” “He’s trying to backdoor his opinion without getting into the case,” he said. Angelo Genova, an attorney representing a handful of county clerks named as defendants in the case, told the judge that Platkin’s letter was a “litigation grenade.” Kim provided sworn testimony for around an hour, describing his first run for congress in 2018 and seeking county lines. He said he felt forced to run on the line to be successful in elections. Kim said that prospective candidates would drop their election bids if they did not win the line, which he said hurt the democratic process. “The whole point of democracy is to give the people a choice and be able to have the decision be made by the people,” Kim said. “If there are elements limiting that, I find that to be adverse to the pursuit of democracy.” NADINE, NADINE, NADINE, NAADIIIIINE. I’M BEGGIN’ OF YOU, PLEASE DON’T TAKE THE STAND — “Prosecutors may call on Nadine Menendez lawyers as witnesses in bribery case,” by The Record’s Kristie Cattafi and Katie Sobko: “Despite a recent change in representation, Nadine Arslanian Menendez may soon be on the hunt for another lawyer. Recent court filings show that the government may bring David Schertler and other members of his law firm to the stand as witnesses against her and her co-defendants in a federal corruption and bribery case. … The United States attorney for the Southern District of New York requested a hearing to ensure Nadine Menendez ‘understands and knowingly waives the multiple issues arising from her continued retention of Mr. Schertler and his law firm, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams wrote in a letter to Judge Sidney Stein on Sunday. … ‘The Government believes that Schertler participated in, among other things, relevant conversations with you and counsel for your co-defendants Robert Menendez and Wael Hana,’ court documents said. The conversations included such topics as the nature and purpose of the payments co-defendant Uribe made for a Mercedes-Benz that Nadine Menendez received, the nature of payments Hana made towards Nadine Menendez's mortgage, and the purpose of repayment for both.’” —Stile: “The backlash on OPRA and the NJ primary are real. Democrats better pay attention” —“Hoping for a waiver, N.J. republicans will elect 46 delegates to convention” —“Hoboken Dems buck HCDO, endorse Kim & Bhalla; chair blasts HCDO in resignation”
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Learn more. | | | | | LOCAL | |
BUENA FONTOURA — “New Jersey’s Longest-serving sheriff will retire,” by New Jersey Globe’s David Wildstein: “Essex County Sheriff Armando B. Fontoura, a hugely popular Essex County Democrat who has won elections in landslides, will not seek re-election to a 12th term, ending a law enforcement career that began as a Newark police officer in 1967. ‘Serving the residents of Essex County as their sheriff has been an honor and a privilege,’ said Fontoura. ‘Law enforcement is a young person’s game, and I feel it’s time to bring a close to my 57 years in law enforcement and pass the baton on to the next generation.’ Democrats have a narrow window to find a new candidate; the filing deadline is March 25 at 4 PM. … He was elected in 1991 and re-elected ten times by massive margins.”
ASBURY PERK — “Asbury Park teachers happy superintendent is gone, but taxpayers still owe him over $400K,” by The Asbury Park Press’ Charles Daye: “Teachers in the district told the Board of Education they feel optimistic about the future and are ready to move forward after Asbury Park Schools Superintendent RaShawn M. Adams was placed on paid administrative leave by the Board of Education. Adams has had a contentious relationship with the teachers' union since taking charge two years ago, and it finally boiled over at the Feb. 22 meeting when the board voted 5-2 to place Adams on paid administrative leave. The district is still on the hook to pay Adams more than $400,000 for his contract, which doesn't run out until the middle of 2026, and the school board has yet to say what the long-term plans for district leadership are.”
| | | | JOIN US ON 3/21 FOR A TALK ON FINANCIAL LITERACY: Americans from all communities should be able to save, build wealth, and escape generational poverty, but doing so requires financial literacy. How can government and industry ensure access to digital financial tools to help all Americans achieve this? Join POLITICO on March 21 as we explore how Congress, regulators, financial institutions and nonprofits are working to improve financial literacy education for all. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | ARE THEY HIRING IN CLARK? — “N.J. police chief relieved of his duties, amid allegations of homophobic slurs,” by NJ Advance Media’s Riley Yates: “Roselle’s police chief was quietly relieved of his duties in August amid allegations he made graphic homophobic remarks to his officers, NJ Advance Media has learned. … [A] lawyer for the local Policemen’s Benevolent Association, the union that represents rank-and-file officers, said Williams was notified this week that he faces the loss of his job. ‘I know that Stacey Williams has engaged in reprehensible conduct, that he has been suspended without pay, and that he should be fired for what he did,’ said Peter Paris, the Roselle PBA attorney. … Randy Davenport, an attorney for Williams, said some of the allegations are years old and that his client denies some of them and could not remember others. He called Williams a longtime public servant who was being targeted after he tried to make changes in police policies that drew the ire of officials within the department and borough hall. “These statements would be totally out of character for the chief to have made,” Davenport said.” —“Too much Atlantic in Atlantic City: Beach erosion has casinos desperately seeking sand by summer” —“Atlantic City Airshow faces funding questions that could impact its future, report says” —“Jersey City school board to meet Tuesday. New budget and settling differences are on the agenda” —“Planned weed lounge in the Claridge could be first for South Jersey” | | EVERYTHING ELSE | |
—“Death of teacher in Dumont car crash was 42nd this year and part of disturbing trend”
—“'You were absolutely on your own': How LADACIN changed lives of severely disabled people” —“1,600 N.J. nurses will get raises after union, [Virtua] agree to contract” —“Meet ‘Mr. Johnny,’ the man devoted to keeping his city’s streets clean”
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