This is mark Joseph “young” blog entry #507, on the subject of Something About New Jersey’s 2024 Election.
As the political fighting escalated I thought I really should write something about New Jersey’s 2024 election. This is that, for what it’s worth.
It is difficult to comment on the Presidential race without raising the ire of readers. For many this election is once again about which candidate you fear more. Former President Donald Trump is perceived by many as a lying buffoon and an embarrassment to the country, but by others as a bold leader unaffected by public opinion. Vice President Kamala Harris, meanwhile, is perceived by opponents as an extreme liberal leading America into socialism but by supporters as a defender of the rights of minorities. I cannot say what perceptions are more true, only that I fear both of them and think everyone is being misrepresented both positively and negatively, and the truth might not be out there.
Of more consequence perhaps is the United States Senate race. We wrote about the indictment of Senator Menendez a few years ago, but it has finally resulted in him stepping down from the Senate. Ballotpedia marks this as one of the battleground elections in this year’s Senate race, and it could help tip the balance in the Senate one way or the other.
In this regard, it is significant that the current breakdown of the Senate has 49 Republicans and 45 Democrats, with 4 independents who usually side with the Democrats. (Two seats are currently vacant.) Of the 33 seats slated for election this year, 19 are Democrats, 10 Republican, and 4 independent. More significantly, only one of the dozen elections identified as battleground states by Ballotpedia is currently Republican, and one Independent, the other ten all being currently held by Democrats. The election could easily give either party control of the Senate, with the Republicans favored in that.
It seems unlikely that New Jersey will be one of the states that does that, though. Democrat Andrew Kim has easily outspent Republican rival Curtis Bashaw, five million against one and a half million dollars with more left in his coffer than Bashaw has raised total. He also has the political experience, having served as our third district U. S. Congressman since 2019; Bashaw is a businessman with no reported political experience, but who believes he can help put the country on a sound financial footing. Further, the increasing urbanization of the Garden State has given Democrats the edge in state-wide races. It would be nice for New Jersey to once again have a split Senatorial represenation (one Democrat and one Republican), but it does not appear to be likely.
There are four “third party” candidates on the ballot, Green Party Christina Khalil, Libertarian Kenneth Kaplan, Socialist Workers Party Joanne Kuniansky, and Independent Patricia Mooneyham, but it is unlikely these will have much impact on the outcome.
It should be mentioned that all twelve of our Congressmen, that is, those in The U. S. House of Representatives, are up for re-election or replacement. The current breakdown is 7 Democrats and 3 Republicans, with two vacant seats. Currently the House is fairly closely split, with 220 Republicans and 212 Democrats plus three vacancies; the entire House is up for election, but Ballotpedia identifies 53 as battleground races, of which 28 are currently Democrats and 25 Republicans. In New Jersey, political analysts see only the 7th district in doubt, where Republican incumbent Thomas Kean, Jr., is running against Democrat Susan Altman, and Kean is generally thought to have a slight edge. Other districts are expected to stay with the party currently holding the seat, most of whom are incumbents.
There are, surprisingly, no questions on the ballot this year.
