One NJ Congressional district can turn blue to red in 2020 (Opinion)

Democrat Tom Malinowski defeated Republican Congressman Leonard Lance in 2018. I was not at all surprised by the result, as Lance, whom I've known for years, made a fatal political error by standing against President Trump on tax cuts.

A guy who had a career based on fiscal responsibility both in the New Jersey Legislature and in Congress should have known better. That said, Malinowski is way out of touch with the average Democrat, Independent and Republican in the western NJ district, which has traditionally leaned right.

Two candidates are vying for the opportunity to take him on in November 2020 — one is my friend state Sen. Tom Kean Jr., who made a mistake (in my opinion) voting for the Sweeney/Murphy spending spree budget this year, but can certainly defeat the incumbent if he's the nominee and will be a vote for common sense in DC. He joined me on Wednesday to discuss his local effort to get charitable contributions legally deducted from NJ taxes.

His primary opponent is Rosemary Becchi. She's a tax attorney who heads a group called Jersey First Leadership. She joined me on Tuesday to discuss her plan to lower taxes in NJ and why she thinks she's the best to take on Malinowski. Rosemarie respected our audience, the largest in Jersey, enough to announce her bid for congress live on our morning show.

Bill Spadea is on the air weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m., talkin’ Jersey, taking your calls at 1-800-283-1015. Tweet him @NJ1015 or @BillSpadea. The opinions expressed here are solely those of Bill Spadea.

More from New Jersey 101.5: