June 28, 2023
By Sen. Mike Testa, Jr.
Earlier this month, New Jersey voters selected the candidates to champion their needs in the New Jersey Senate and General Assembly. Now that the primaries are over, it’s time we unify behind a cause many New Jersey families are increasingly trending towards: putting a stop to
the disastrous Murphy Mandate and restoring sanity to the Garden State. June was a battle within our party, but November is when we win the war.
Many Republican candidates passed through difficult, acrimonious races in June, where voters were tasked with analyzing small policy and personality differences. But in November the differences need to be made clear: Republican candidates in New Jersey must stand for affordability, solutions to problems the average voter faces, and a commitment to fight the Murphy agenda. Every candidate on our side of the aisle must be focused on meeting voters where they are, and run serious campaigns focused on delivering real, tangible, wins for their constituents.
That’s how I won a tight race in 2019, and powered my fellow Cumberland Republicans to take back control of the county. How did we do it? We were on the ground, speaking to voters about what they needed, and we listened. We heard that voters were worried about affordability; solutions to problems they actually face: not lofty climate goals or progressive wishlist items; and having a candidate they trust to fight for their needs. It’s simple: be the candidate you would want to vote for.
We must apply those lessons learned and carry them forward into 2023: these are the Murphy Midterms. Democrats are massively out of step with average New Jerseyans, less than half of voters approve of Phil Murphy’s job in office. Every voter who disapproves of his job performance can be a future Republican, we just need to speak to them and show them there is another way.
Murphy nearly lost in 2021 to an underfunded, under-reported-on challenger. Now we have momentum, and we’re here to stop his Woke, weird agenda. If Republicans focus on opposing his radical agenda, and advocate for good jobs, schools that teach English and math, and opportunities for all New Jerseyans, we will shock the Trenton Democrats in 2023. We want a New Jersey that is good to working class families, where anybody who works hard and plays by the rules can succeed and raise a family.
Let’s focus on issues that matter, and leave the crazy politics to Murphy and his friends, we know they’ve got enough of it. November is our opportunity to support Republican voices that will keep New Jersey the incredible place to live and raise a family.
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Senator Michael L. Testa, Jr. is a State Senator representing New Jersey’s First Legislative District which includes Atlantic, Cape May, & Cumberland Counties. He is a dad, husband, and leader in fighting for the needs of New Jersey’s working families.