The races for Congress in Monmouth County are snooze fests. Our incumbent congressmen, Chris Smith and Frank Pallone are heavily favored to be reelected by wide margins.
But just south of us in Ocean and Burlington Counties, the CD-3 race between freshman Democrat Congressman Andy Kim and Republican businessman David Richter is one of the most competitive and closely watch races in the nation. The partisan balance of power in the House of Representative could depend on the outcome of that election.
Thousands gathered in support of Law Enforcement Officers, U.S. Military Veterans and President Donald J. Trump on Saturday in a boat parade on Barnegat Bay. The flotilla is estimated to have drawn 2,000-2,500 boats carrying 2-10 people each and thousands of spectators along the shoreline and on bridges that span the bay.
Burlington County Republican Chairman Sean Earlen has some explaining to do.
According to a December 21, 2019 article in the Pine Barrens Tribune, the Burlington County Republican Screening Committee put Kate Gibbs, a former Burlington Freeholder, through a “thorough vetting process” prior to endorsing her for the CD-3 nomination to challenge freshman Congressman Andy Kim at the December 7, 2019 nominating convention.
Earlen is a former mayor of Lumberton, Gibb’s hometown.
A “thorough vetting process” is time consuming and expensive. It is one of the most important roles of Party leadership. Voters, donors and other leaders alike depend on Party leaders to put forth candidates with the records and character worthy of the offices they are seeking.
David Richter defeated Kate Gibbs, 68-60, at the Ocean County GOP nominating convention on Wednesday evening, securing a favorable ballot position in the Republican primary for the right to take on Congressman Andy Kim in the Ocean portion of the 3rd Congressional District.
Gibbs won the support of the Burlington GOP at a convention last December. The two will now face off in what could be an ugly primary campaign.
Ocean County Republican leaders will convene in Toms River this evening.
Their most important order of business will be to endorse a primary candidate for the nomination to challenge Democrat Congressman Andy Kim in the 3rd District. The candidate they chose will appear on the June 2 primary ballot in the same column as President Donald J. Trump, the Party’s U.S. Senate candidate (likely Rik Mehta), Freeholder Joe Vicari and the local candidates for municipal offices throughout the Ocean portions of the district.
David Richter is the best candidate to take on Congressman Kim in the general election.
The pre-primary for the GOP nomination CD-3 has gotten ugly. Rightfully so.
David Richter, the former international construction executive who is vying for the 3rd district GOP nomination to take on Congressman Andy Kim, released an ad on facebook and youtube this afternoon that highlights his opponents’s arrest record and compares her, Kate Gibbs, to Snooki. The ad is hard hitting. Just like Andy Kim’s ads will be in October if Gibbs wins the primary on June 2.
David Richter, the former CEO of Hill International, a global construction management firm, has had a tough start to 2020. Richter, of Princeton, was the front runner for the GOP nomination for Congress in the second district of New Jersey and was poised to end the political career of Congressman Jeff Van Drew.
The impeachment of President Donald J. Trump upended Richter’s self-funded path to Congress. In a deal brokered by former Governor Chris Christie, according to the NY Times, Van Drew became a Republican and pledged his undying support to the President. Trump, seeing a opportunity much larger than picking up one congressional seat in New Jersey, provided Van Drew with a first class political operation and cleared the path for the freshman congressman to win the GOP nomination for reelection.
