Political districts didn’t cause disappointing election results, expert says (Listen)
Democrats gained seats in the State Assembly yesterday, which means the gas tax is nearly inevitable and a lot of us are bummed out. To help us make sense of the election day results, attorney and Save New Jersey blogger Matt Rooney called in to discuss the outcome.
"I think that what happened in [District] 16 yesterday and elsewhere is a symptom of a larger problem," Rooney said of the losing party's campaign plan. "And it's a strategy that Republicans have gotten in trouble with outside of New Jersey, too. It's that, 'Well, if we just narrow down the battlefield enough- not just geographically but also on the issues- it'll make it easier to hold onto what we got.'"
But according to Rooney, you can't do this. You have to be proactive.
"You can't assume your enemy's only going to attack you where they say they're going to attack you," Rooney said. Otherwise you'll be taken by surprise when there's a last minute cash dump aiding your opponents, like the GOP was in this case.
Rooney and I agreed that the Republican leadership needs to be reevaluated. The fact that they didn't try to run their campaigns on anti-gas-tax statements is appalling.
Are you happy with the election results? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below.
Bill Spadea is host of the Chasing News TV program. He periodically fills in for NJ 101.5 show hosts, and you can daily hear his opinion about all things New Jersey here, or by tweeting @BillSpadea.