New Jersey's midterms are shaping up to be a battle for control in the state, with the Democratic party looking poised to make significant gains. One group that is not: Republicans.
According to political experts, the lack of candidate recruitment on the GOP side is a red flag that suggests they expect to lose seats in the midterms. "When you have a party that has lots of really good candidates jumping out of the gate and chomping at the bit, that's usually an indication that they think the party has good chances," said Micah Rasmussen, director of Rider University's Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics.
In contrast, Democrats are fielding a dozen or more strong candidates in key races across the state. This is not surprising, given that many Republicans believe their party will struggle to hold onto the majority next year. The results of last November's off-year gubernatorial elections have emboldened Democrats, with President Biden's challenger, Mikie Sherrill, winning by double digits and carrying over unaffiliated voters in a key battleground.
The contests that are expected to be most competitive are in New Jersey's 9th Congressional District, where first-term Democratic Rep. Nellie Pou is facing just two GOP challengers, including Air Force veteran Billy Prempah. Meanwhile, the 7th Congressional District, which has been held by Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. for over a decade, looks set to be another battleground.
Political experts point out that this lack of candidate recruitment on the GOP side is not due to a lack of qualified candidates, but rather because those candidates are choosing to wait until 2028 or 2030 to run when they believe their chances are better. "Qualified Republican candidates are going to bide their time and wait for an election in '28 or '30 when they think they've got a better chance," said Dan Cassino, professor of government and politics at Fairleigh Dickinson University.
The lack of Republican candidate recruitment has sparked criticism from some quarters. National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Maureen O'Toole claimed that Democrats are "running with failed records and out of touch priorities" - but it remains to be seen how this will play out on election day.
According to political experts, the lack of candidate recruitment on the GOP side is a red flag that suggests they expect to lose seats in the midterms. "When you have a party that has lots of really good candidates jumping out of the gate and chomping at the bit, that's usually an indication that they think the party has good chances," said Micah Rasmussen, director of Rider University's Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics.
In contrast, Democrats are fielding a dozen or more strong candidates in key races across the state. This is not surprising, given that many Republicans believe their party will struggle to hold onto the majority next year. The results of last November's off-year gubernatorial elections have emboldened Democrats, with President Biden's challenger, Mikie Sherrill, winning by double digits and carrying over unaffiliated voters in a key battleground.
The contests that are expected to be most competitive are in New Jersey's 9th Congressional District, where first-term Democratic Rep. Nellie Pou is facing just two GOP challengers, including Air Force veteran Billy Prempah. Meanwhile, the 7th Congressional District, which has been held by Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. for over a decade, looks set to be another battleground.
Political experts point out that this lack of candidate recruitment on the GOP side is not due to a lack of qualified candidates, but rather because those candidates are choosing to wait until 2028 or 2030 to run when they believe their chances are better. "Qualified Republican candidates are going to bide their time and wait for an election in '28 or '30 when they think they've got a better chance," said Dan Cassino, professor of government and politics at Fairleigh Dickinson University.
The lack of Republican candidate recruitment has sparked criticism from some quarters. National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Maureen O'Toole claimed that Democrats are "running with failed records and out of touch priorities" - but it remains to be seen how this will play out on election day.
I mean, seriously, who even uses the "advanced search" feature anymore? It's like they're intentionally trying to make us scroll through ages of irrelevant results before we get to the good stuff.
republicans got only 2 candidates for one district, thats not a strong start 
maybe they should've recruited more people to run, who knows? 
from what i saw last year's elections, democrats are looking super energized and confident 
, and with president biden's support, it's gonna be tough for republicans to catch up 
. I get why Republicans would want to wait until '28 or '30 when things might be better, but it's like, the game is already on 
. They're giving Democrats all the momentum. And honestly, who can blame them if they think their party has a tough time holding onto power? But still, you'd think they'd try to stir up some excitement 
. Guess that's just not their style this year 
.
. Democrats got a lot of strong folks running, and they're feeling pretty confident about it 
. The Repub side is like "we'll just wait 'til 2028" 
, which doesn't exactly fill me with confidence 
.
with their candidate recruitment game 
i mean, 12+ strong candidates? that's not somethin you see every year... it's like rep party thinks they're gonna lose seats for sure 
. I think its fair to say the Dem's got a good shot at making some gains, but we shouldn't count out the Rep's just yet 
. The lack of strong GOP candidates is def a concern, but its not like they're not qualified... they're just choosing to wait it out 
. I mean, who can blame them if they think 2028 or 2030 is gonna be better? 
. As for Dem's running with failed records... yeah, that might be a low blow from Rep's camp