1) As the dust settles on the June 7th New Jersey primaries, I am left with some thoughts:
— Sussex County is the gold standard of NJ politics. It is the only county in NJ that an America First challenger won (Rizzo in NJ-7).
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2) This is because we don’t have party lines and also because we are made up of smart, true, principled, conservatives. Republicans came out in force here to vote, outnumbering the Democrats by a 3 to 1 margin.
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3) — Party lines have to go. Although they were overcome in Bergen County and Morris County, in a few races, they significantly alter the landscape of a ballot and give more “establishment” candidates an advantage.
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4) — Phil Rizzo is a great candidate. For the second major election in a row, his energy and grassroots dominance secured him an impressive runner-up finish, behind two of the biggest names in NJ politics.
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5) In both elections the conservative vote was split and he would have been in position to win, had he been the only challenger. In Sussex County, he beat Kean by 4 points and conceivably would have secured 66% of the vote here (against 33% for Kean), had the vote not been split.
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6) Also, in both of his elections, the winner didn’t reach 50% of the vote total.
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7) — If the winner doesn’t get at least 50% of the vote, it should trigger an automatic runoff with the runner-up. This would ensure that the will of the people is reflected and also that establishment candidates don’t receive a free pass to the general election.
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9) In both cycles, he outperformed expectations in Bergen, while earning overwhelming support in the other counties, including Sussex. His name ID and grit, coupled with the incoming red wave, could very well mean the end of Josh Gottheimer’s days as a Congressman.
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10) — Nick De Gregorio is a class act. Throughout the primary, he was committed to supporting Frank Pallotta, in the event that he lost. On day one after his defeat, he has already followed through on that promise, urging his supporters to get behind Frank and turning his focus
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11) back to being the strong family man that he is. In all of my personal interactions with Nick, he has always been kind, humble, and forthright. I hope he remains engaged in NJ politics.
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12) — Mike Crispi, Ian Smith, and Phil Rizzo are going to be a vital part of our movement going forward. They took on three extremely well-funded candidates and were within striking distance of victory. They made major waves and have created a tangible shift in the political
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13) landscape here. With a Trump endorsement, all three would have raised a ton more money and would have likely pulled out victories in all three districts.
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14) — Where is President Trump? He had an opportunity to help get a handful of strong, passionate, America First candidates elected in the blue state of New Jersey, and he didn’t take it. He seems more focused on 2024 than 2022, but 2024 is irrelevant if we become a third world
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15) country before then. While I am a big supporter of Donald Trump and would be ecstatic to see him back in the White House, I am certainly disappointed with his hands-off approach in our election process in New Jersey.
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16) — New Jersey will be a red state (Governor, Senate, and Assembly) by the end of this decade. This one is self-explanatory. Keep pushing forward, patriots!
For Life and Liberty,
Nick D’Agostino
NJ GOP State Committeeman