Noticias

The post The Inside Edge with David Wildstein: Never Forget appeared first on New Jersey Globe.

One day after he voided the results of the Democratic primary for Roselle Borough Council, embattled Superior Court Judge John Deitch will hold a case management conference on Thursday at 2 PM to figure out how to proceed.

Deitch determined that three voters in a primary where incumbent Denise Wilkerson defeated challenger Cynthia Johnson by two votes the disenfranchisement of three voters due to mistakes by election officials required the a new primary.

Bergen County Counsel Bruce Bergen told Deitch not to create any additional delays in the printing of ballots.

“Presumably, the position in question would not be included on the Roselle general election ballot as that vote cannot now take place until after a special primary is held,” Bergen said.  “It will be impossible for a legal, fair, open and fully transparent ‘new election’ for the primary vote to take place in time for the result to be included on the November 4, 2025 general election ballot,” said Bergen.

He told Deitch in a letter that all of the statutes applying to primaries would be in force and voting machines programmed.

No Republican filed for the seat, but it’s possible that a write-in candidate could emerge.

Assemblyman Reginald Atkins, the Roselle Democratic municipal chairman, believes Deitch was incorrect in determining that the now-vacant Democratic nomination should be filled by the local county committee members.

“A primary election is the mechanism by which a party selects its candidate. Here, that process failed to produce a nominee because the Board of Elections, through its own errors, disenfranchised three voters,” said Atkins’ attorney, Timothy Howes.  “To deprive the Democratic Party of a nominee under these circumstances would frustrate the purpose of the primary and run counter to legislative intent.”

Howes said that Atkins is preparing to hold a county committee meeting to pick a Democratic nominee. There is a belief that such a process favors Johnson, but Atkins’ majority on that panel is tenuous and a vote could swing based on turnout.

The legal challenge to the June 10 primary took more than three months, leaving Democrats without time to re-run a primary.

Click HERE to read about a do-over New Jersey congressional primary in 1976.

The post Judge will consider Roselle election options after Democratic primary overturned appeared first on New Jersey Globe.

The House voted on its version of the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) this evening – and on several key amendments from New Jersey’s members of Congress along with it.

One amendment concerning Picatinny Arsenal in Morris County, authored by Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair), was successfully added to the bill. Another from Rep. Chris Smith (R-Manchester) on offshore wind, however, surprisingly failed in the face of opposition from a small cohort of moderate Republicans.

Thanks to a series of other amendments added to the bill by Republicans, final passage of the historically bipartisan bill proved to be contentious: it passed 231-196, with seven of New Jersey’s nine Democrats voting against it. Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-Tenafly) voted in favor, and Sherrill herself was not present for votes this evening.

Over the summer, Sherrill and most of her New Jersey colleagues sent a letter to top Defense Department officials criticizing a relocation proposal that would gut Picatinny Arsenal, a key military installation in the western reaches of Sherrill’s district. The department’s plan, the representatives wrote, would jeopardize 1,000 jobs and nearly $1 billion in funding while also undermining military effectiveness.

Under an amendment Sherrill added to the NDAA today, the Army would have to complete a report on a key part of that plan – moving around $500 million in ammunition research and development away from Picatinny – submit that report to Congress by next November, and wait for another six months before moving ahead. The amendment, which Sherrill’s office argued would give the Army additional time and information to realize the downsides of its proposal, was approved on a voice vote.

“With today’s action, Congress is making clear that the Army cannot quietly move ammunition research and development funding elsewhere without first reporting on the impacts and giving us the chance to evaluate them,” Sherrill said in a statement.

Smith, meanwhile, has long been a crusader against wind development off the Jersey Shore, and has successfully pushed for a number of bills and amendments over the years to combat it, including the commissioning of a Government Accountability Office study on offshore wind’s impacts that was released earlier this year.

Smith’s NDAA amendment that came up today would have required the Secretary of Defense to certify that offshore wind projects will not interfere with radar capabilities before they can proceed – a key concern for the congressman, who has repeatedly expressed worries that offshore wind turbines will disturb military ships and planes.

“Even somebody who is strongly in favor of ocean wind should want to know if our radar – for civilian aircraft, for vessels; this is focused primarily on aircraft, military and civilian – is going to be disrupted,” Smith said prior to the vote. “The answer right now is capital Y-E-S, with exclamation points.”

The amendment, however, ran aground when a 16-member cohort of Republicans, some of whom have been known to break with their party on environmental issues, voted against it. The amendment failed 209-224; all present New Jersey Democrats opposed it, and all three New Jersey Republicans supported it.

Two other New Jersey congressmen, Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-Tenafly) and Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield), also inserted amendments into the bill on unanimous votes. Gottheimer authored four amendments, including one pushing back on International Criminal Court arrest warrants for U.S. and allied military personnel and another increasing funding for the National Defense Education Program; Kean’s amendment updates the definition of “conventional ammunition” to include unmanned aircraft like drones.

And as members of the House Armed Services Committee, Sherrill and Rep. Donald Norcross (D-Camden) were part of the process of writing the bill in the first place; the bill passed out of committee back in July on a 55-2 vote, fitting a longer trend of bipartisan NDAA committee work followed by a more partisan debate on the House floor.

The post Sherrill boosts Picatinny Arsenal in annual defense bill appeared first on New Jersey Globe.

Charlie Kirk, a 31-year-old conservative activist and media personality, was shot and killed during an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday. University officials say no suspect has been arrested in the killing of Kirk, an ally of President Donald Trump and the founder of Turning Point USA, the country’s top youth conservative group.

Below are statements from New Jersey officials on the killing (many came before the announcement that Kirk had died):

Gov. Phil Murphy: “Horrified by the shooting of Charlie Kirk today in Utah. We must unequivocally condemn political violence. Please pray for Charlie, his wife, and children.”

Senator Cory Booker: “We must call politicial violence what it is: evil and an attack on our most fundamental values. The shooting of Charlie Kirk today in Utah must be condemned by all. My heart is with Charlie Kirk, his family, and all those who are impacted.”

Senator Andy Kim: “Simply abhorrent. There is no justification for political violence. We all must condemn this attack on Charlie Kirk.”

Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair), the Democratic nominee for governor: “There is absolutely no place for political violence in this country. My thoughts are with Charlie Kirk, his loved ones, and the community at Utah Valley University. The perpetrator of this abhorrent act should be brought to justice.”

Former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, the Republican nominee for governor: “There must be zero tolerance for political violence and harsh punishment for the perpetrators of it. Pray for Charlie Kirk and his young family.”

Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-Dennis): “Absolutely heartbroken. America lost a true patriot today. God bless Charlie Kirk, and my prayers are with his family and all who loved him.”

Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Ewing): “This is truly horrific. We must forcefully reject all political violence. There is no place for it in our country. Bill and I are praying for Charlie and his family.”

Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield): “Praying for Charlie Kirk, his family, and the law enforcement officers who responded to the scene. Political violence has no place in our country. The perpetrator must be held accountable.”

Rep. Herb Conaway (D-Delran): “I unequivocally condemn the attack on Charlie Kirk. The truest sign of our right as Americans to freedom of expression is tolerating opinions you don’t agree with. Using political violence to settle our differences is never the answer and will only divide us. I pray for Charlie Kirk’s family and the students of UVU.”

Rep. Donald Norcross (D-Camden): “Political violence is never acceptable. The shooting of Charlie Kirk must be condemned. I’m thinking of Charlie Kirk and the entire Kirk family during these troubling times.”

Rep. Frank Pallone (D-Long Branch): “I was shocked and appalled to hear the news of Charlie Kirk’s shooting today. We as a country cannot afford to normalize political violence and gun violence. American democracy is based upon the principle of peaceful, respectful disagreement.”

Rep. Rob Menendez (D-Jersey City): “We must all unequivocally condemn the tragic killing of Charlie Kirk. Gun violence and political violence must have no place in our country. My thoughts are with his family, friends, the UVU community who witnessed this horrific act and our entire country in this moment. Let this be a clarion call for our nation: we must work together to heal our division and prevent these tragedies from ever happening again.”

Rep. Nellie Pou (D-North Haledon): “I condemn the heinous shooting of Charlie Kirk. Political violence is against everything America stands for and is never acceptable. I pray for him and for his family.”

State Sen. Parker Space and Assemblymembers Dawn Fantasia and Michael Inganamort, Republicans from the 24th legislative district: “We are overwhelmed with sorrow and outrage over the assassination of Charlie Kirk. He was a driven and articulate advocate who stood firmly for his convictions—and no one should ever be silenced, let alone killed, for their political beliefs or for engaging in public discourse. Our hearts go out in prayer and solidarity to his wife, Erika Frantzve, and their two young children, as well as every life he impacted in his powerful but tragically abbreviated journey. May they find strength in the love he inspired and in the principles he so bravely championed. Justice must be served, and political violence must never prevail in our nation.”

The post Statements on the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk appeared first on New Jersey Globe.