In a day sure to traumatize socialists across America, November 2 saw major elections that appeared to give resounding support to moderate politics. With more than one shakeup, the results herald a ferocious battle in next year’s midterms.
New Jersey Gubernatorial
In a surprise twist, New Jersey’s gubernatorial race remains neck-and-neck between Democrat incumbent Phil Murphy and Republican candidate Jack Ciattarelli. While New Jersey is a blue state with one million more Democrat voters registered than Republicans, the race has come down to the wire and is still too close to call. With 88% of the vote counted, Ciattarelli has a paper-thin lead of 0.1%, having gained 49.7% of the vote compared to Murphy’s 49.6%.
According to Politico, the shock result is due to red counties turning out to vote in high numbers, while blue counties displayed less enthusiasm. Ciattarelli was quick – perhaps too quick – to celebrate his success. “I wanted to come out here tonight and tell you that we won,” he announced to a celebrating crowd. “I’m here to tell you that we’re winning.”
Murphy offered a more sober response. “We’re going to wait for every vote to be counted, and that’s how our democracy works,” he told supporters. “We’re all sorry that tonight could not yet be the celebration we wanted it to be … When every vote is counted, and every vote will be counted, we hope to have a celebration.”
There was some drama due to reports of technical difficulties at the polls. The ACLU and the League of Women Voters of New Jersey both sued the state on election day, asking a judge to extend the voting hours to accommodate those who may have been turned away. The request was rejected, and polls were required to close at 8 p.m., as required by law. The New Jersey GOP tweeted a message advising rebuffed voters to stay in line and “demand a provisional ballot & utilize it.”
While Murphy was faced with the challenge of becoming the first Democrat governor to win re-election in the Garden State since 1977, he was widely expected to achieve an easy victory, having established a solid lead in polling. Although Murphy’s background is that of a wealthy career banker, he has sought to demonstrate his progressive bona fides as governor and steered the state left since his election in 2018. As described by the Associated Press:
“New Jersey has taken a decidedly liberal shift under first-term Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, increasing income taxes on the wealthy, expanding voting rights, and tightening the state’s already restrictive gun laws. It’s a notable change from his predecessor, Republican Chris Christie, who spent two terms pushing more moderate policies.”
Jack Ciattarelli (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Ciattarelli ran a largely pro-business platform, vowing to lower taxes, boost commerce, and fix the state’s ailing economy. He told business owners in his hometown of Raritan:
“If you like high property taxes and New Jersey being the worst place in the country to do business, if you like waiting five hours in line at motor vehicles, to get your unemployment check, or go to state government, vote for Phil Murphy. But if you want change, you do that by voting for Jack.”
Analysts have suggested the result would indicate how the state’s population feels about Murphy’s COVID response. While Murphy’s approval levels have appeared relatively stable throughout the pandemic, a Project Veritas exposé hit just days before the election, indicating the governor and his campaign team may have lied about their intentions regarding vaccine requirements. Undercover footage showed campaign workers Wendy Martinez and Matthew Urquijo suggesting Murphy was reluctant to acknowledge a planned vaccine mandate as it may turn voters off. Martinez said on camera:
“He’s going to do it, but he couldn’t do it before the elections because [independent and undecided voters are] all into the s—t, my rights, my s—t. And they don’t care if they kill everybody.”
The campaign denied the claims that a vaccine mandate is on the way in a Murphy-run New Jersey.
New York Mayoral
In New York’s mayoral race, Democrat Eric Adams won with 66.94% of the vote, easily beating out the Republican candidate, Curtis Sliwa, who garnered 27.84%.
Despite the Democrat win, the message is not one that will please progressives. Both major candidates ran on a law-and-order platform, rejecting the anti-police stance of the Dems’ left-wing. Adams, a former policeman, will become the Big Apple’s second black mayor; he will be leaving his position as Brooklyn Borough president to do so. He lambasted his Democrat predecessors, not least Mayor Bill de Blasio, saying during his victory speech that a new approach is on the way:
“This campaign was for those who have been betrayed by their government. There is a covenant between government and the people of our city: you pay your taxes, we deliver your tax dollars through goods and services. We have failed to provide those goods and services — Jan. 1, that stops. That stops!”
(Photo by Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Haute Living)
Adams had previously pointed the finger at de Blasio for policies that made New York “a city of disorder” and an “enemy of business.”
Having run as a moderate, Adams promised to raise public safety, deal with police brutality, and give a voice to working-class residents. When it comes to COVID, the mayor-elect has remained relatively quiet. He has not made his position clear on the vaccine mandate, though he did say he would “encourage” police officers and firefighters to get the jab. Despite saying he would have approached matters differently, he appeared to say during a debate that he would keep in place de Blasio’s current measures.
Ohio Special Elections for House of Representatives
Results for two Ohio elections to determine seats in U.S. Congress show one Democrat victory and one for Republicans. Both races show a rejection of progressive policies.
In the state’s 11th district, Democrat Shontel Brown won in a landslide, securing 78.8.% of the vote. Republican Laverne Gore trailed with just 21.2%. Brown is positioned as a moderate Democrat who was backed by establishment figures, including Hillary Clinton.
The 15th district saw a much closer contest with Republican Mike Carey declaring a win with 58.3% and Democrat Allison Russo receiving 41.7% of the vote. Carey was endorsed by former President Donald Trump and, as a coal lobbyist, is vocal in his desire for American energy independence. He also campaigned on the economy and jobs, as well as a secure border.
Buffalo Mayoral Election
In a case of intraparty warfare, Buffalo’s mayoral election came down to Democrats Byron Brown and India Walton. Despite Walton winning the party’s primary in June as a socialist candidate, the moderate Brown appears to have pulled off a projected success as a write-in candidate. Brown, the incumbent mayor, claimed the stunning victory – although mail and military ballots won’t be counted for two weeks, meaning the final result is still up in the air.
State Republican Party Chair Nick Langworthy expressed support for Brown, tweeting “socialism has been defeated in Buffalo.”
Other Mayoral Races
In other mayoral races across the country, a number of Democrat or Democrat-leaning candidates won position. Ed Gainey (D) took Pittsburgh, more than doubling the Republican contender’s vote tally.
City Councilor Michelle Wu (D) is now set to become mayor of Boston.
In Atlanta, Felicia Moore and Andre Dickens (both Democrats) will head to a run-off election scheduled for November 30.
~ Read more from Laura Valkovic.
You can read Liberty Nation’s in-depth analysis of Virginia’s stunning contest here.
