How Republicans can win in deep blue parts of New Jersey (Opinion)

As you know, I've spent the past year traveling the state helping local, county, and campaign organizations raise money and build their volunteer and member base.

One of the key components of my "common sense" message is that the narrative of defeat needs to be rejected. Specifically, too many consultants and media pundits want us to accept the "status quo" of party registration gaps as unchangeable.

Unfortunately, too many candidates buy into the false narrative and beg for scraps off the current majority table. The good news is that as I make my way around the state, I'm meeting leaders who reject the narrative and are committing to fighting to change the state for the better.

I re-introduced you to one of those leaders last week, state Sen. Ed Durr who scored the upset of the cycle taking down the most powerful incumbent senator in Trenton in 2021.

Another rising star in the New Jersey GOP is Pat Johnson. Pat joined me on the show to discuss her upcoming run for the State Senate against another entrenched incumbent, state Sen. Linda Greenstein.

Pat is a thoughtful, professional nurse and entrepreneur. She brings a level of passion, intelligence, and courage to the race that we haven't seen in some time. I was honored to emcee an event for her and the Mercer County Republicans this week.

My friend Lisa Richford is the county chairwoman and has really taken the organization to the next level. The event exceeded fundraising goals and attracted leadership from counties across the state including Cumberland, Cape May, Warren, and Ocean.

In my remarks, I mentioned several takeaways for the attendees. The first is that too many are already focused on the race for governor in 2025 and as important as that race is going to be, we have to first focus on the legislative races in 2023 and the local, yes LOCAL, races in 2024 first.

The second takeaway is that Republicans need to stop bashing mail-in voting and accept that until we change the majority and the governor, it's the way elections are conducted. We cannot have blind faith in the process of voting on Election Day. Just look at what happened in Mercer County this past November when all the machines were down for hours potentially disenfranchising thousands.

The third and equally important takeaway is that unaffiliated voters can vote in the Republican primary. For too long, voters in the Garden State complain about the poor choices in November. They're not wrong, oftentimes we're greeted with candidates who instead of appealing to people on ideas, charisma, and competence. They just work the system in the back room and emerge as the nominee.

The more than 2 MILLION unaffiliated voters in NJ can help change that. Get involved. Vote in the primary. Help me help you bring this state back from the crisis of incompetent political insiders who have wrecked our government and economy over the past thirty years.

Change is coming. Be a part of the solution. See you on the trail...

A few photos from the event:

George Gilmore — Ocean County GOP chairman

Tom Crone — Camden County GOP chairman

Serena DiMaso — Former assemblywoman and Holmdel mayor

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Spadea. Any opinions expressed are Bill's own. Bill Spadea is on the air weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m., talkin’ Jersey, taking your calls at 1-800-283-1015.

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