| | | |  | | By Matt Friedman | Presented by Working New Jersey | In his opening statement at last night’s gubernatorial debate, former state Sen. Ed Durr said, “Tonight you’re going to hear a couple of guys argue about who’s more Trump-like.” I thought so, too. And there was some of that. But it didn’t dominate the debate because the candidates were too busy attacking each other, yelling over one another and hurling insults. Donald Trump’s name wasn’t mentioned as much as I thought, but the political chaos he’s fostered infused the room. “The guy’s a grifter,” Jack Ciattarelli said of Bill Spadea, noting he paid himself $65,000 from his non-profit. Spadea, who just stepped down from his radio show on 101.5, might have raised his voice the least of the four candidates on stage, but that’s a pretty low bar. “Unfortunately in a debate as to who’s going to be the next best governor, the loudest, most disruptive, annoying person does not win,” Spadea said. Demeanor aside, some of Spadea’s remarks could easily be dug up by Democrats in the general election, like when he called the Covid vaccine a “poisonous jab” and, after being asked about trans rights, said, “There is a huge difference between sexual orientation, sexual preferences and mental illness.” Spadea referred to Ciattarelli’s “lobbyist buddies,” name-checking Princeton Public Affairs, presumably referring to Ciattarelli’s tightness with lobbyist Dale Florio. Ciattarelli shot back by noting Spadea’s association with Ocean County GOP Chair George Gilmore, who he said was “running his campaign.” But when asked by conservative blogger Matt Rooney about whether Gov. Phil Murphy and four former governors publicly appearing with indicted Democratic boss George Norcross was evidence of a "deep state," the candidates largely stayed clear of criticizing Norcross. State Sen. Jon Bramnick, the moderate who constantly calls for civility, was yelling as much as the rest, perhaps more. Even at the crowd when they booed his criticism of Trump for pardoning even the violent Jan. 6 rioters who attacked police. “Let me make this clear: Either we’re the party of law and order or we’re not,” Bramnick said. “You can clap, you can boo if you want, but I will stand with police officers every time.” It was almost two debates in one, with Ciattarelli and Spadea, the apparent leaders in the race, going after each other while Durr and Bramnick had their own show off to the side. At least, Durr and Bramnick talked to each other during a break. Spadea and Ciattarelli were silent. I was almost 200 miles from the debate stage at Rider University, but I could feel the contempt. “We’re not getting the kumbaya night tonight that we did on Sunday,” moderator David Wildstein said at one point, contrasting it to Sunday night’s dramatically more friendly Democratic debate. . That’s not to say they didn’t discuss policy. Spadea, for instance, called for reducing development in the suburbs by offloading their affordable housing quotas to the cities. He would reinstate Regional Contribution Agreements, which fell out of favor and have been barred since 2008. He also would not commit to fully funding the pension — except for first responders — calling for New Jersey to pull a Wisconsin with something like former Gov. Scott Walker’s Act 10. Ciattarelli talked about putting all of the state’s transportation agencies under one roof with the “Garden State Transit Authority.” They all supported reinstating pension cost of living adjustments for cops and firefighters. He also called for DOGEing New Jersey’s watchdog agencies by combining the Comptroller and State Commission of Investigation under an Auditor General. (Democratic Senate President Nick Scutari might like that idea.) Candidates don’t typically make a lot of news at debates, but Spadea pledged to serve just one term so he could make “a lot of unpopular decisions.” “I’m going to commit to you tonight to serve one term as your governor, because we have to separate the politics of reelection from the job of governing,” Spadea said. I could parse his words to note that he didn’t explicitly say he would not serve a second term, but his meaning was plain. Watch the debate here if you don’t want to shell out cash for pay-per-view to watch men bludgeon each other. WHERE’S MURPHY? No public schedule HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Derek Roseman, Jason Carty, Jim Carroll, Joe Crifasi QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Anyone concerned about democracy in America should also at long last recognize that Big Tech is the enemy and act accordingly. The social media companies have poisoned our politics with their addictive hate algorithms, done unforgivable harm to our kids’ mental health, and fueled a war against our democratic institutions—in which Elon Musk, the Cronus of the tech titans, is an active belligerent.” — Hunterdon County Democratic Chair and former U.S. Rep. Tom Malinowski in The Bulwark on fighting the Trump administration TIPS? FEEDBACK? Email me at mfriedman@politico.com
| | | | A message from Working New Jersey: Sean Spiller is the only candidate for New Jersey Governor with a statewide track record of defending our economic interests. As Governor, he'll stand up to MAGA extremists and fight for an economy that works for all working families. Support Sean Spiller for Governor. | | | |  | WHAT TRENTON MADE | | RADIOACTIVE CORPORATE CULTURE — “Holtec VP was fired after CEO told him ‘nothing short of an act of God would force me to fire you,’ lawsuit says,” by The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Andrew Seidman and Abraham Gutman: “When Holtec International agreed to pay a $5 million fine last year to avoid facing criminal charges over a New Jersey tax credit application, it seemed like a clean resolution to a yearslong legal headache. Then the energy technology company sued its outside accounting firm, accusing it of giving bad advice that prompted the criminal probe and damaged Holtec’s reputation. The suit also alleged an accountant formed a shadow company with Holtec’s former chief financial officer and general counsel to embezzle funds. Now Holtec’s tax credit saga is the subject of another lawsuit, this one filed by a former top executive who says he was made a scapegoat for the whole mess and wrongfully fired — just moments after the CEO allegedly told him ‘nothing short of an act of God would force me to fire you.’” IT’S ALL ABOUT STOPPING THE CONCEALMENT OF ABUSE WITH THE BENJAMINS — “Ramirez introduces bill inspired by Sean Combs victim to penalize crime cover ups,” by Hudson County View’s John Heinis: “Assemblywoman Jessica Ramirez (D-32) has introduced a bill, referred to as ‘Cassie’s Law,’ to penalize those who intentionally hide evidence of a crime inspired by an assault victim of Sean ‘P. Diddy’ Combs. ‘Cassie [Ventura] should have been able to access her own evidence within the statute of limitations. This happens far too often to victims of domestic violence, and it needs to end now.’ … The hotel caught the attack on their security camera, but staff was bribed into hiding the video evidence. The footage substantiates Ventura’s claims of abuse, however, it only came to light in 2024 after the statute of limitations on her assault had expired. ‘Under the bill, an act of concealment, alteration, or destruction of evidence that is intended to thwart law enforcement detection of an alleged offender in exchange for money or non-monetary compensation is defined as rendering criminal assistance,’ the description says.’”
| | | | We’ve re-imagined and expanded our Inside Congress newsletter to give you unmatched reporting on Capitol Hill politics and policy -- and we'll get it to your inbox even earlier. Subscribe today. | | | | | —“Budget stress testing is the norm in many states, not yet in NJ” —Gottheimer: “When will my fellow Dems get it? Cutting taxes is good policy and good politics” —“Family claims NJ DOC failures led to son's suicide at Northern State Prison” —“N.J. publishes records for 20K DWI cases possibly tainted by improper breath tests”
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BREAKING GROUND: ONLY ONE OTHER FORMER NAVY HELICOPTER PILOT NAMED REBECCA HAS EVER WON A NEW JERSEY HOUSE SEAT — Former Navy helicopter pilot looks to take on Kean, by POLITICO’s Matt Friedman: A Democratic candidate has already emerged with the hopes of challenging Rep. Tom Kean Jr. in 2026. Rebecca Bennett, a former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot and health care executive, announced her 7th Congressional District campaign on Tuesday morning in a video. “I really felt called to run after the outcome of the last election. People voted for Trump for a number of different reasons, and my hope is to bring people together and help us overcome this decade-plus that we’ve had of polarization and division and rhetoric,” Bennett says in the video. Bennett, 37, would be the second member of New Jersey’s House delegation with a background as a U.S. Navy helicopter pilot, following Rep. [Rebecca “Mikie”] Sherrill, who’s currently running for governor.
SCAPEGOATS — “'I am a patriot': Transgender NJ veteran speaks out on Trump military ban,” by The Asbury Park Press’ Ilana Keller: “During her 30-year Army career, Sgt. Maj. Jennifer Marie Long of Kearny was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. She was posted at the Holland Tunnel the day after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. She even served alongside now-Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Now Long, a transgender woman, is being told she would be unfit to serve. Last week, the Trump Administration issued an executive order that attempts to ban transgender people from serving in the military. … The move is already facing legal challenges. ‘The issue of whether we negatively impact readiness has more than once been proven false; the draw to service and patriotism are the underlying reasons for nearly all who enlist,’ Long said.” OHMAN — “Trump’s border czar threatens N.J. governor: I ‘seek prosecution’ against you,” by NJ Advance Media’s Matt Arco: “New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is on President Donald Trump’s border czar’s radar. “Maybe he’s bluffing. Maybe he’s not,” Tom Homan, who the president tapped to deport undocumented immigrants, told Fox News’ Sean Hannity after Murphy suggested over the weekend he was housing an undocumented immigrant in a garage above his home and dared federal officials to ‘try to get her.’ ‘Well, I think the governor is pretty foolish saying what he said because I’ve gotten hold of it, won’t let it go, we’re looking into it, and if he’s knowingly harboring and concealing an illegal alien, that’s a violation,’ Homan said He added: ‘I will seek prosecution.’” —“New Jersey’s attorney general urges federal employees to ‘closely scrutinize’ resignation offer”
| | | | A message from Working New Jersey: As a former educator and son of immigrants, Sean Spiller knows what working families need and he is the only candidate for New Jersey Governor with a statewide track record of defending our economic interests. As Governor, he'll stand up to MAGA extremists and fight for an economy that works for all working families, not rich corporations. Now more than ever, New Jersey needs a leader who stands for our values. Support Sean Spiller for Governor. | | | | | LOCAL | |
AT LEAST THEY AGREE THEY HATE THE IDEA OF MONDAY ELECTIONS— “Garfield City Council, school board can't agree on election date. They now head to court,” by The Record’s Kristie Cattafi: “The city's school board election is set to take place in April, a move made by the City Council that was not supported by the board and now is in court. The mayor and council approved a resolution last month to change the election back to April from November. Two weeks later, the Board of Education tried to move it back to November. The council sued the Board of Education to block it from taking a vote to switch the election to November at the Jan. 27 meeting. A judge granted the injunction, and no vote took place. The city will be in court again on Wednesday to defend its position. ‘Garfield taxpayers won a massive victory when the court prohibited the Board of Education from hiding the school board budget from public scrutiny,’ Mayor Everett Garnto said … Schools Superintendent Richard Tomko, who was hired in July, said it was the council's ‘prerogative’ to move the election back to April, but the school board wasn't notified of the change until the day after its reorganization meeting.”
JOEY AVOIDS POUCH CONFINEMENT — “Former Paterson mayor gets 3 years of probation, fine after illegal bid to run again,” by The Paterson Press’ Joe Malinconico: “Joey Torres, the city’s twice-convicted former mayor, was sentenced on Tuesday morning to three years of probation and the maximum $10,000 fine for his derailed attempt to run for Paterson’s top job in 2022. Immediately after the sentencing, Torres told reporters he likely would appeal the fine, claiming he doesn’t have the means to pay it. ‘I think the fine is somewhat excessive,’ said Torres, 66, who gets a $62,567 annual pension according to state treasury records. Torres’ Dec. 19 plea agreement said he would not face any new prison time for violating a court order that banned him from seeking any public office or employment because of his initial criminal conviction.” A THOROUGH AND EFFICIENT EDUCATION — “This Paterson school struggles with high absenteeism, poverty — and potential gang threat,” by The Record’s Mary Ann Koruth: “While urban and even suburban school districts across New Jersey continue to grapple with a major, disturbing fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic — high rates of chronic absenteeism — Paterson's School 6 in particular faces a barrage of hurdles that has exacerbated its absenteeism problem. … In the past two school years the absenteeism rate has finally started to decline, but it remains elevated at 27.5%, the district said. And that's an alarming problem. … And now, on top of everything else, School 6 appears to be facing yet another new problem: a juvenile gang, county probation and city police officials have reported. … The story of School 6 is about a community raising its children in an area that has battled extreme poverty, broken homes, homelessness and drug activity for decades. Only if the school, businesses, stakeholders and parents whose kids struggle the most join forces will they be able to tackle some of the many challenges that exacerbate high absenteeism, advocates say.” AN UNORTHODOX USE OF EMINENT DOMAIN —“Jackson land swap, Orthodox school deal hits legal roadblock. Appeals court weighs in,” by The Asbury Park Press’ Mike Davis: “The controversial land swap deal between the township and a school developer is on thin ice after an appellate panel invalidated the town's plans to condemn two small plots at the center of the deal. The township had hoped to condemn the lots, owned by Getzel Bee LLC and Bellevue Jackson LLC, and include them in a land swap deal with developer Mordechai Eichorn, who planned to build an Orthodox Jewish school campus. In exchange, the township would acquire Eichorn's property on Leesville Road and preserve it as open space. Getzel Bee and Bellevue Jackson's two properties total about two-thirds of an acre, the smallest portion of the 43 acres the township hoped to swap with Eichorn. But the appellate division ruled that the condemnation couldn't occur because there wasn't a public purpose for the site. Simply including it in a deal for a public use elsewhere wasn't enough, since Eichorn could do whatever he wanted with the site, Appellate Judge Berdote Byrne wrote.” —“Newark files legal action to hold Central Ward special election with school board election” —“Atlantic City Housing Authority consultant Volpe loses job with Linden Housing Authority” —“[Vineland] police chief pleads guilty to reduced charge in domestic violence case” —“[Demarest] school board faces bullying lawsuit from family. Here's what the suit says” —“[Roselle] officials ‘silenced’ Black councilwoman, lawsuit says” —“[Piscataway] agrees to $750K settlement after police officer says she was sexually harassed” —“Former [North Plainfield] clerk, 76, claims he was fired because of his age” —“Student voters keen to impact Newark school board election”
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POLLY WANTS SOME JUSTICE — “$7K parrot stolen from Saddle Brook found and returned safely to store,” by The Record’s Manahil Ahmad: “An African gray parrot stolen from a Saddle Brook shop has been returned safely, police said on Monday. Onyx Calderon, 24, of Paterson has been charged with theft after allegedly taking the parrot valued at $7,000 from Birds by Joe on Jan. 23, according to Saddle Brook police. According to police, Calderon entered the store and asked to see an African gray parrot. When the store owner placed the bird in a cage and brought it over, Calderon allegedly grabbed the cage and ran from the store through the parking lot in an unknown direction. … Police located the stolen parrot in Paterson and safely returned it to the store owner.”
—“911 tape reveals chilling moments after N.J. detective was shot in home invasion” —“Popular N.J. restaurant now empty after fake ICE raid video scared away customers” —“Jury selection begins in trial for Bergen County man accused of attacking Salman Rushdie”
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