In the 2008 Presidential election, the state of New Jersey voted overwhelmingly Democrat, filling 8 of 13 House seats, and the open Senate seat with party members. In addition, President Barack Obama received 57.3 percent of the vote. Few would bet against the state remaining “blue,” despite the party’s questionable history with fiscal responsibility in the state.
But today, New Jersey might light up red as the state’s underdog Republican Party, gains popularity with voters who like Gov. Chris Christie’s hard line approach on cutting spending. The state three closest races are between Democratic incumbents and Republican challengers, meaning in the somewhat unlikely event that all three Republicans win, Republicans will have majority of the state. For a state that has long suffered under the irresponsibility of the Democratic party especially on the local level it’s about time. And it’s not a bad thing for the country either.
About an hour ago, I got home from Republican candidate Scott Sipprelle, the former Wall Street banker vying with Sen. Rush D. Holt to represent New Jersey’s 12th district in the U.S. House of Representatives. The battle between Sipprelle and Holt is close, closer than any since Holt took the seat in 1998. Last week’s poll from Monmouth University showing Sipprelle trailing Holt by just 8 percentage points. Holt was expected to receive 51 percent of the vote with Sipprelle expected to receive 43%. But with an error margin of 3%, Sipprelle still has a fighting chance.
Now, Holt is not a bad guy. From a brief interview with the congressman this summer, it was apparent that he is always willing to make time for a local reporter. He even made time to call back when his cell phone service was interrupted despite a hectic schedule. But as Sipprelle supporters expressed today at the campaign headquarters, it is time for a change. Holt is a strong and enthusiastic supporter of Dodd-Frank and the Obama healthcare plan but what has either of those acts done to help the economy. Nothing good. In fact, I would argue quite the opposite, as business are cautious to hire in the face of two monster pieces of legislation that could skyrocket the cost of doing business.
Sipprelle, one the other hand wants to remove or lessen the burden of these obstacles. He wants to lower taxes, rein in government spending and promote a small budget. He recommends holding the government accountable, just as any company. In addition, he wants to spur economic growth by implementing a flat tax to free up money that could be invested in growth and encourage people to prosper, instead of facing diminishing returns on their income as they move through the tax bracket system. In short, typical Republican rhetoric. But Sipprelle is different. He is a big bad Wall Street guy and we as a country do love to hate those. But he also fought Morgan Stanley along with other former partners in the company to oust Phil Purcell in 2005 due to reckless investment choices the former CEO made. And he does support regulation of Wall Street.
When I spoke with Holt this summer, he told me he supported community banks including Bank of Princeton…which is interesting because Sipprelle worked to gather the capital to put that bank, which became profitable during the recession. So one candidate verbally supports a bank…one creates that bank. In a recession where the national unemployment is almost 10 percent, we need to stop playing the blame game and find people who can get the job done. We need people who know how to get the dollars together and make a business out of it.
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