Noticias

Dale Caldwell, the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor, looked out from the stage. He was at Kean University with other Black leaders on Thursday to discuss an inescapable challenge of today’s politics: low turnout from Black male voters.

As he looked into the seats, he acknowledged the irony of the evening: two-thirds of the auditorium was empty.

“One of the things that has troubled me is the apathy,” Caldwell said. “You know, this room should be filled. Folks should be coming out, seeking out, ‘Is there something for me?’”

The town hall, hosted by the nonprofit group Black Men Vote, sought to discuss ways to increase the civic engagement of Black men, which they deem one of New Jersey’s “most decisive but under-engaged voting blocs.”

The panelists — Caldwell, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, and Kean University President Lamont Repollet, as well as moderator Nii-Quartelai Quartey — were each left-leaning Black men, though the ideological tilt of the panel wasn’t by design. Mike Bland, the executive director of Black Men Vote, said an invitation to the panel was extended to Republican Jack Ciattarelli’s campaign for governor, but nobody came.

“We are not partisan,” Bland told reporters. “I know you’re like, ‘Mike, you have three Democratic guys up there.’ Well, we extended an invitation to everybody, and we still talk to you whether you’re a Black male Republican or whether you’re a Black independent. Doesn’t matter who you are.”

Bland, who worked on Kamala Harris’ campaign for president, said his group’s goal is to increase turnout among Black men, an issue that has proven intractable. The organization has hosted meetings and town halls nationwide and plans to hold more events in the Garden State before Election Day. Bland said that with Black voters moving rightward and Democrats seeking to keep the governorship of a state with 1.5 million Black residents, this is a chance for both parties to invest in Black communities.

“I think this is a great opportunity for either party to present themselves with an agenda for Black men,” Bland said. “I think it’s a great opportunity for even Jack, right? But it takes more than a photo op.”

New Jersey shifted 10 points toward Republican Donald Trump in last fall’s presidential election, one of the country’s most dramatic shifts. Black voters proved to be a key force behind that change. Analysis from the New Jersey Globe found the state’s eleven predominantly Black towns voted for Joe Biden by a 79-point margin in 2020, a number that dropped to 66 points for Kamala Harris last year. National analysis from the Pew Research Center determined 12% of Black men voted for Trump in 2020 before a spike to 21% in 2024.

Pew analysis also determined Black voters were one of the blocs with the highest drop in turnout rate from 2020 to 2024.

Caldwell, the president of Centenary University, was asked about his interactions with Black voters on the campaign trail. He said he runs into three types of voters. First, those who agree that democracy is at risk under Trump and support Democrats (“preaching to the choir,” Caldwell said). He said the second group includes people who openly care about themselves or their families instead of their communities writ large, while the third group includes the state’s admittedly apathetic voters.

“The second group, and I’m really disturbed that this group is so open, are people saying, ‘I only care about my family. I don’t care about anything.’ And they’re not smart enough to understand that we’re all integrally connected,” Caldwell said. “There’s a saying in Africa called Ubuntu. ‘I am because you are.’ And that is so true in American society.”

The Sherrill campaign’s most consistent criticism of Ciattarelli is that he would essentially be a Jersey version of Trump. They criticize the former assemblyman for aggressively angling for the president’s endorsement, and they regularly repeat Trump’s assertion that Ciattarelli is “100% MAGA.” Caldwell said the election could rest on whether Democrats can convince voters — particularly the second and third groups he described — that Trump and Ciattarelli pose a threat to their well-being and to democracy.

“I’m realizing that we have to really change the discussion in a way that’s very personal, to say how this is going to affect you and your family,” Caldwell said. “And so I’ve been very, very, very disappointed in how many people will openly say, ‘I don’t care about anybody else but my family.’”

Baraka was frank throughout the discussion — he joked that he’s unable to hide disagreements on his face, no matter how hard he tries. In an indirect response to Caldwell, the mayor said he understood why people expressed a desire to put themselves and their families first. Warning about the ills of Trump isn’t enough to convince voters who have suffered since before Trump arrived in the Oval Office, he said.

“How are you going to help me get out of this place where I’m at [and get] to where I need to be?” Baraka asked on behalf of those residents. “What are you going to do for me specifically? And that’s what I think people are really getting at when they say ‘my family’ or ‘me.’ They’re getting at the fact that we help everybody but us. … I’m putting my body in front of people, and while I’m taking the blows, they’re eating.”

Baraka finished second in this summer’s Democratic primary for governor, about 13% behind Sherrill. He was perhaps the race’s most progressive candidate, proposing a sweeping platform that he said would create an “opportunity economy.” Last week, Baraka said defeating Republicans is a necessity and endorsed the congresswoman, even while acknowledging their many policy disagreements.

“I’d rather argue with the congresswoman about [civilian complaint review boards] than debate about whether the National Guard should be on our streets,” the mayor said last week. “I would rather have a discourse about very specific issues that I think are important to me, than them thinking that the police should have the ability to do whatever they want, whenever they want, to whomever they want.”

Baraka’s endorsement of Sherrill wasn’t necessarily a shoo-in. In April, when Sherrill was clearly the front-runner in the primary and the rest of the field sought to claw their way to contention, he visited her hometown of Montclair and called on the Democratic Party to embrace policies that increase racial equity. During that visit, he said Sherrill might not be able to inspire Black voters to turn out, and implied he might not even vote for her if she didn’t strengthen her stances against issues harming New Jerseyans of color.

On Thursday evening, Baraka criticized the electoral system and the candidates who have succeeded under it. He said financial influence in elections means candidates back away from substantive proposals out of fear of losing donors. This, he said, leads to empty promises and governance.

“[These] candidates win without saying anything, because they’re told not to say anything by these advisers who tell them, ‘You shouldn’t say anything, stay away from this, stay away from that, be as moderate as possible.’ Because you’re trying to win specific votes, but you also are not trying to chase the money away,” Baraka said.

He said Black communities don’t possess the same capital as other political blocs, meaning they’re often the first to be left behind.

“I ran into a Black woman in Maplewood who was waiting for me on the porch just to cuss me out and tell me she left the Democratic Party and she don’t know why I’m running as a Democrat,” Baraka said. “But at the end of the day, I think people honestly, at this stage, want somebody to do for them what crazy ass Donald Trump is doing for those crazy people. They want somebody to take care of them and protect them.”

Like last week, after discussing what he expects out of a Sherrill-Caldwell administration, he endorsed the Democratic nominees in their suit for the governorship.

“We want you to win, brother,” Baraka said. “We hope that you do. We need you to win. I can’t imagine National Guard on the streets of Newark.”

Repollet, the president of Kean University, offered similar sentiments. He attended the Democratic National Convention last summer, even giving remarks before the convention’s Black Caucus, but he returned dissatisfied, feeling the platform didn’t offer enough.

“I was at the Democratic National Convention, and I came back from the convention and I told my wife that it was great, a good experience. But I wasn’t moved,” he said. “There wasn’t policies that were set for Black men. Some of the folks that are running for governor and mayor and stuff like that, they have plans in place, but we’re not seeing those plans materialize.”

Caldwell said he understood those concerns and wants to be part of the solution. He pointed to projects like Entrepreneur Zones and workforce development grants to prove he has the experience and know-how to build opportunities for New Jerseyans. But, he said, he can’t do it alone.

“This is our time,” he said. “And so you can either sit on the sideline and complain, or you can jump in and do it. We’re all jumping in and doing it.”

The post In candid discussion, Black leaders discuss alienation of Black male voters appeared first on New Jersey Globe.

Democrat Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli will face off in the first general election debate of the race for Governor of New Jersey on Sunday, September 21, at 7:00 PM, sponsored by the New Jersey Globe, On New Jersey, and Rider University.

The Sherrill vs. Ciattarelli debate is presented by O’Toole Scrivo, LLC.

The ninety-minute debate will feature a town hall-style format with questions from students, faculty, parents, alums, employees, and community members from Rider, along with questions from New Jersey Globe Editor David Wildstein, Rebovich Institute of New Jersey Politics at Rider University Director Micah Rasmussen, and New Jersey Monitor Reporter Sophie Nieto-Muñoz.   Laura Jones of On New Jersey will moderate the debate.

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey is a debate sponsor.  Additional debate sponsors include RWJ Barnabas Health and Prudential Financial.

Debate coverage will begin at 5 PM, brought to you by AARP of New Jersey, and will be led by New Jersey Globe reporter Joey Fox and Brian Thompson, the legendary former New Jersey news reporter for NBC 4.   Thompson and Fox will resume debate coverage at 8:30, including post-debate press gaggles, interviews with Stomping Grounds analysts Alex Wilkes and Dan Bryan, and panel discussions.

The PSEG Foundation will sponsor the livestream.

The debate will be aired on the New Jersey Globe and On New Jersey websites, along with social media sites: Facebook, YouTube, and X (formerly Twitter).   C-SPAN will also air the debate, along with Local Now and News On.

The debate between Sherrill and Ciattarelli will also be available across multiple OTT Platforms: Fire TV, Roku, Apple TV, Samsung TV, YouTube TV, Amazon App Store, Twitch, Vizio, Fubo, Sling, Fios, Altice, Dish, IOS, Vimeo, Hisense, Xumo, Frndly, Google Android, Reflector, and Joox.

Sponsored by Audible, the gubernatorial debate will also be available on major podcast platforms: Spotify, Apple iTunes, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, and YouTube.

To ensure inclusivity, the debate will be closed captioned in the following languages: Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, English, Spanish, European Portuguese, Gujarati, Haitian Creole, Hindi, Korean, Punjabi, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Urdu.

Johnson and Johnson will host a pre-debate reception. Additional sponsors include the New Jersey Business and Industry Association and McCarter & English.  Social media services will be provided by Mercury.

The debate is one of two authorized by the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission.  Under state law, gubernatorial candidates are required to participate in the two official ELEC debates as part of their acceptance of public funds under the New Jersey Gubernatorial Public Financing Program.

The Lieutenant Governor Debate is scheduled for Tuesday, September 30, at 7:00 PM at Kean University, sponsored by PIX11/WPIX-TV, PHL17/WPHL-TV, Kean University, and New Jersey 101.5.  It will feature Republican James Gannon and Democrat Dale Caldwell. The debate will also be live-streamed on PIX11.com, PHL17.com, NJ101.5.com, and the station’s streaming app, PIX 11+.  Candidates for lieutenant governor are also required to debate once as part of ELEC’s public financing.

The second Sherrill vs. Ciattarelli debate will be held on Wednesday, October 8, at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center at 7 PM.  Moderated by Tamala Edwards and Bill Ritter, WABC and WPVI will broadcast the debate live, along with simultaneous streaming on all digital platforms, including websites (abc7ny.com and 6abc.com respectively), mobile apps, and streaming channels, for both stations as well as ABC News LIVE. WXTV Univision 41 New York will livestream the debate with Spanish Captioning.

The New Jersey Globe, On New Jersey and Rider University produced four gubernatorial debates during the primary election, and the first 2024 U.S. Senate debate between Democrat Andy Kim and Republican Curtis Bashaw.  The New Jersey Globe and Rider University have produced over 30 debates since 2020.

The post Sherrill, Ciattarelli meet for first debate on Sunday, Sept. 21 appeared first on New Jersey Globe.

When Democrats in Congress created enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits four years ago to help Americans afford health coverage in the wake of Covid, they came with a built-in drop-off point: if the credits weren’t renewed by the end of 2025, they would expire, jacking many Americans’ health care costs back up. That deadline has nearly arrived, and Congress is torn on what to do.

Acknowledging that letting the credits suddenly expire would increase health care costs for millions of people and could be a political disaster, Democrats and some Republicans in Congress are now strategizing about how to keep them going. Last week, a bipartisan group of swing-district House members, among them Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield), introduced a bill to extend the credits for a single year, thus pushing the deadline until after the 2026 midterm elections.

“If [the credits] expire at the end of the year, families in New Jersey and across the country will face higher costs and risk losing critical coverage,” Kean said in a statement on the bill. “This bipartisan effort will extend the credits for another year as Congress continues working together on long-term solutions to lower health care premiums.”

Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-Dennis) has since signed onto the bill as a co-sponsor, as has Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-Tenafly); New Jersey’s other Republican congressman, Rep. Chris Smith (R-Manchester), told the New Jersey Globe that he “hasn’t really studied” the issue yet and has yet to decide whether to support an extension.

Some Democrats, though, are interested in proposals that go much further. One bill that’s gained steam in the Democratic caucus would both make the expanded Obamacare credits permanent and repeal the Medicaid cuts that Republicans passed as part of the Big Beautiful Bill earlier this year; the bill, which likely has no shot of going anywhere in Republican-controlled Washington, counts Gottheimer and Reps. Frank Pallone (D-Long Branch) and Rob Menendez (D-Jersey City) among its co-sponsors.

Pallone, moreover, is connecting the fight over the ACA credits to another fraught congressional issue: the government funding deadline looming at the end of the month. In order for a funding proposal to earn his support, Pallone said, Republicans need to find a compromise that averts major health care cuts. 

“I’m not voting for any spending bill that does not address this health care crisis in a serious way,” he said at a press conference this morning. “We owe it to the American people to address this.”

Republicans, though, have thrown cold water on the idea of linking an ACA credit extension to a funding deal. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) told Bloomberg there’s “no way” the ACA credits will make it into the stopgap funding bill that needs to pass by the end of this month, raising the prospect of a shutdown.

Per the health policy organization KFF, the enhanced ACA subsidies were originally implemented by the 2021 American Rescue Plan as a short-term way to ameliorate Covid’s impacts, and were later extended through the end of this year by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. In the four years since their creation, the new and expanded credits helped ACA Marketplace enrollment explode from 11.4 million to 24.3 million.

If the credits were to expire cold-turkey, those who get health coverage via ACA marketplaces would see their premiums increase by 75% on average, KFF found. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the result would be that four million fewer people would have health coverage, adding onto the 11.8 million the CBO estimates will go without coverage thanks to the One Big Beautiful Bill.

In a letter sent to New Jersey’s congressional delegation in May, the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance (DOBI) warned of the negative impacts of a subsidy expiration on New Jersey specifically. 454,016 New Jerseyans would see their health care costs go up, DOBI Commissioner Justin Zimmerman said, and those who receive the credits would have to pay an average of $1,260 more per year.

“Congress can prevent increases in health coverage costs for New Jersey residents by renewing or making permanent these vital tax credits as soon as possible on behalf of residents who rely on them for quality, affordable health coverage,” Zimmerman wrote.

Many congressional Republicans, especially those on the more conservative end of the conference, nevertheless argue that Congress should allow the credits to expire rather than continue to spend hundreds of billions of dollars keeping them going. Van Drew, however, argued that those holdouts should acknowledge the political reality of the situation.

“They have to learn what everybody else has to learn in life: you don’t get your way 100% of the time,” he said. “We’ve done a lot of good, conservative, fiscally responsible things, and they have to realize that there are other members in Congress… [Swing-district Republicans] are going to be very vulnerable – we need to help them.”

The post An Obamacare subsidy cliff is approaching. N.J. lawmakers have competing plans to prevent it. appeared first on New Jersey Globe.

A bid to recall Park Ridge school board member Robert Fisher is now headed to court, pending a decision by Superior Court Judge Lina P. Corriston on whether to hold a hearing before the vote-by-mail ballots are printed.

Organizers collected 2,141 signatures – more than the 1,864 needed to put the measure on the ballot – but they neglected to have the petitions notarized, which is required under state election law.  That caused the county clerk, John Hogan, to reject the recall election.

“This is a time-sensitive matter. If the court delays, the recall cannot appear on the ballot — and voters will be silenced,” a recall committee spokesman said. “We are calling on the judiciary to defend the constitutional rights of Park Ridge residents and allow this recall to proceed.”

The lawsuit was filed on Friday with a request for emergency action, but the courts have not yet set a hearing date.

Vote-by-Mail ballots are being printed now, and Park Ridge is on hold pending the court’s action.  Ballot printing for fifty municipalities in Bergen County is already complete, and nineteen others are being printed now, election officials told the New Jersey Globe.

If the matter isn’t resolved by September 16, Park Ridge voters will not get their ballots on time. That leaves a narrow window for Corriston – and for a possible appeal.

Now, the organizers have hired election lawyer Bret Pugatch, who worked on the legal team of now-U.S. Senator Andy Kim, which successfully challenged the county line system in 2024.

Pugatch, in a court filing, argues that “the only challenge to the sufficiency of the Petition and the only reason for its rejection by the County Clerk was because the signature pages were not notarized.”

“The only reason the signature pages of the Petition were not notarized is because, upon (the recall committee)  specifically asking the Bergen County Clerk if notarization was required, “he said.   He maintains that the clerk “incorrectly instructed them that notarization was not required,” and that the recall committee relied on those instructions.

Fisher, elected two years ago at the age of 18, faces criticism for missing 30% of meetings this year, for not attending community events, and for not serving on any school board committees.

He also faced residency issues: his family moved out of Park Ridge after his high school graduation, and he rents a basement apartment in town for $10 per month.  Fisher has stated that he has spent thousands of dollars commuting back to New Jersey due to his public duties.  Fisher attends Vanderbilt University in Tennessee.

The post School board recall in limbo awaiting a judge to schedule a hearing appeared first on New Jersey Globe.