Election Day is here and New Jersey matters

Good Tuesday morning!

It’s Election Day. Polls are open. And for the first time in a long time, New Jersey is playing a big role in who controls Congress.

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I compiled a list of things to watch for today.

Polls close at 8 p.m. But since you subscribe to this newsletter, you probably don’t need any encouragement to vote. Let’s just hope we don’t need to wait days for the results of close races, as some have predicted because of New Jersey’s new mail-in ballot law.

WHERE’S MURPHY? Campaigning all over the state.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Atlantic City Councilman Jesse O. Kurtz, DSC’s Axel Owen Missed Sunday: NJAA’s Dave Brogan

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “This election is about who gets the vote out and who doesn’t, and I hope it rains hard tomorrow.” — Bob Hugin, via NYT

POLL OF THE DAY — Quinnipiac: Menendez 55 percent, Hugin 40 percent

BOBS — ‘Corrupt’ vs. ‘rubber stamp’: Menendez, Hugin make closing arguments, by POLITICO’s Ryan Hutchins: Sen. Bob Menendez said Monday his Republican rival, Bob Hugin, would be “just another rubber stamp” for President Donald Trump and portrayed his own reelection as being as much as referendum on the president as on his own record. Hugin, a former pharmaceutical executive, continued to label Menendez a “corrupt” politician and called him “the worst senator New Jersey’s ever had,” declaring the Democrat is “not the role model for our children and our grandchildren.” Those were the closing arguments in a vicious, months-long, $50 million battle for a U.S. Senate seat few thought would be in jeopardy of falling into Republican hands, despite a failed effort to prosecute Menendez on federal corruption charges. It was the emergence of the self-funding Hugin that proved to be enough to put Democrats on the defensive. Read the report

—“Menendez and Hugin crisscross the state ahead of Election Day” Read the report

—“Bob Menendez vs. Bob Hugin: Where N.J. Senate candidates stand on guns, immigration, and taxes” Read the report

PIC OF THE DAY — Seth Grossman, who has suggested that there’s a conspiracy to have white Christians and Jews commit mass suicide, speaking at a rally, at a podium with a Bob Hugin campaign sign on it and in front of a dozen or so Hugin campaign signs. I asked Hugin’s spokesman what event this was. He did not get back to me. Pic here

GILMORE HAPPY TO FIND CALL FROM WASHINGTON WAS FROM WHITE HOUSE, NOT FBI — “MacArthur, Kim race to the finish line,” by POLITICO’s Katherine Landergan: — Ocean County Republican Chairman George Gilmore’s phone buzzed just after 6 p.m. on Monday. Someone from the White House had a question: How is Tom MacArthur going to do tomorrow? ‘I said, ‘Well, if Ocean County does its job, and we follow through, we will win,’’ Gilmore said, recounting the story at one of the incumbent congressman’s last campaign stops in Toms River. MacArthur and his Democratic opponent Andy Kim raced across the 3rd Congressional District on Monday, preparing for the national spotlight that will be placed on them on Tuesday. The race will be closely watched as Democrats hope to flip the House from red to blue. Read the report

MACARTHUR IS FRANK WITH CONSTITUENTS — “Some Pa., N.J. members of Congress spending $200K or more on ‘franking’,” by WHYY’s Matt Laslo: “[House members are] each given roughly $1.4 million annually to use as they see fit on staff, travel, equipment upgrades, and for communicating with their constituents … South Jersey Republican U.S. Rep. Tom MacArthur came in second [among regional lawmakers] behind [Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Brian] Fitzpatrick, spending close to $210,000. ‘It’s not a waste of taxpayer dollars,’ said MacArthur, who considers constituent outreach to be a priority … Taxpayer-funded mail made more sense in the 1700s than it does now, said Melanie Sloan with American Oversight, a government accountability group. ‘The goals behind it are good. It has long been subject to abuse in that it gives members of Congress a leg up in their campaigns against opponents because it’s taxpayer-funded mailers going to every home in the district,’ Sloan said .. In the scheme of a $4 trillion federal budget, $200,000 or $300,000 isn’t much, but over in Central New Jersey, Republican U.S. Rep. Leonard Lance spent just over $20,000. He’s proud of not using all of his allotted budget. ‘We have given back about a $100,000 a year in each of the years I’ve been here. I think I’m actually one of the very few members of Congress who actually gives back some of the amount that is accorded to our office,’ Lance said.” Read the report

CARAVANS: ONE OF JAY WEBBER’S ‘KITCHEN TABLE ISSUES’ — “Migrant caravan? NJ voters are more concerned about health care and the economy,” by The Record’s Charles Stile: “As President Donald Trump talked up his plans to deploy 15,000 troops to confront a ‘national emergency’ at the Mexican border, Democratic activist Amber Pallante walked through a Burlington County neighborhood late last month, worried about the closer-to-home threat of losing health insurance. ‘I care about what there is going to be for my kids,’’ said Pallante, a canvasser for Andy Kim, the Democratic candidate for the 3rd Congressional District … Yet poll after poll in New Jersey has said that concerns over health care far outweigh worries about the economy, ethics and other issues, including immigration. In fact, health care has been a top voter priority for more than a decade, and most dramatically in 2010, with a Tea Party-fueled backlash over the Affordable Care Act, President Barack Obama’s signature health care law. Right-wing critics called the Affordable Care Act socialized medicine that threatened the very fabric of democracy. They warned that ‘Obamacare’ would destroy the economy. The campaign of fury worked. Democrats lost 63 House seats and majority control that year in Obama’s 2010 midterms — a ‘shellacking,’ he called it.” Read the report

NEVER HEARD OF THE GUY — “Trump who? In NJ, where voters could decide the House, Republicans keep their distance,” by The Record’s Herb Jackson: “It’s OK with him if the main issue in the midterm elections is President Donald Trump. ‘They say if I was on the ticket, everybody would go, it would be a landslide,’ Trump told supporters at a rally Oct. 2 in Mississippi. ‘Pretend I’m on the ballot.’ But while that strategy may get the base fired up in states like Mississippi, which is 15 percentage points more Republican than the country as a whole, New Jersey is 13 points more Democratic, according to the website FiveThirtyEight.com. So as Election Day nears, GOP candidates in New Jersey battlegrounds — races that could help determine which party controls Congress in the next two years — are spending the campaign’s closing days distancing themselves from Trump, offering nuanced support or trying to change the subject and touting bipartisanship.” Read the report

GROUND GAME — “Late game convergences: Driven by anti-Trump outrage (and their own organizational interests) Democrats pour it on for the finale,” by InsiderNJ’s Max Pizarro: “In a side-by-side comparison of GOTV events in the closing hours of this historic campaign cycle, Democrats proved more robustly overlapped by party organizations and new voters determined to voice their disapproval of President Donald J. Trump than Republicans looking to capitalize on a wounded U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) or navigate political straits severely complicated by the President. As the polls closed on general election night 2009, Democratic Party operatives in Elizabeth noted the lack of energy and enthusiasm for then-Governor Jon Corzine; even gently bragged about not working hard — or at all. InsiderNJ checked in with those same operatives this weekend, who busily headed up GOTV crews intent on reelecting Menendez. They even doubled back later with late phone calls, eager to prove activity.” Read the report

—“Rice’s war room: In Newark, veteran senator eyes the weather, cautions allies about urban over-optimism” Read the report

UNRELIABLE TRANSIT AGENCY COULD BE UNRELIABLE — “Will NJ Transit spoil Election Day? Mikie Sherrill is worried. Here’s why,” by NJ Advance Media’s Claude Brodesser-Akner: “Speaking to several dozen volunteers in Parsippany before they began canvassing on Sunday afternoon, Democratic congressional candidate Mikie Sherrill had words of advice: Don’t rely on NJ Transit. Sherrill urged volunteers to make sure that any voters commuting to New York City from Morris or Essex County consider casting their ballots first thing in the morning, lest delays prevent them from getting to the polls. ‘I’ve been talking a lot about infrastructure,’ said Sherrill, pausing. ‘I tell people, ‘Maybe vote in the morning if you have to go to Manhattan?’ Let’s not rely on NJ Transit right now.’” Read the report

SAUDINOVILLE — “Former detainee sues ICE agents for medical neglect,” by Documented’s Max Siegelbaum: “The Bergen County Jail allegedly withheld HIV medication for days and neglected to treat the prostate condition of an immigrant detainee, he said in a lawsuit filed late last month. In a complaint filed with a New York federal court on October 25, Jesus Prado accused four Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents of medical neglect and other grievances. The agents arrested him in April 2015 from his assisted living home at a housing facility called Gouverneur Court on New York’s Lower East Side. Prado, a 60-year-old immigrant from Latin America who tested positive for HIV in 1994, has been diagnosed with physical and mental disorders including depression and acute cerebral toxoplasmosis, the complaint said. He has difficulty remembering details and thinking clearly.” Read the report

—”We may not learn results of several close races by end of tonight — or for days” Read the report

—“This N.J. race tells you everything you need to know about the 2018 midterms” Read the report

—“Lin-Manuel Miranda, Sara Bareilles among celebrities out campaigning for NJ candidates” Read the report

—“MacArthur finishes in Ocean County” Read the report

OUTBREAK — “Viral outbreak in South Jersey pediatric nursing home infects another child,” by NJ Advance Media’s Susan K. Livio: “A fifth child has been infected in a viral outbreak at a long-term care facility in Camden County, state Health Commissioner Shereef Elnahal announced Monday. The outbreak at the Voorhees Pediatric Facility in South Jersey is unrelated to the one that has claimed 10 young lives at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in northern Passaic County. The hospital-acquired adenovirus is to blame in both locations, but the strain detected at Voorhees is not as virulent as the one in Haskell, the health department said.” Read the report

—”NJ lawmakers to delve into deadly disease outbreaks at pediatric facilities” Read the report

JANUS — New Jersey teachers file class-action suit over mandatory payment of union dues, by POLITICO’s Linh Tat: Two New Jersey teachers have filed a federal class-action lawsuit, seeking a refund of mandatory union dues and challenging a state law that gives public employees just 10 days a year in which to withdraw their union membership. The case could potentially have widespread implications for thousands of teachers in the state, as labor groups continue to grapple with the impact of June’s U.S. Supreme Court decision in Janus v. AFSCME that public-sector unions can’t collect mandatory fees from nonmembers without their consent. Attorneys for teachers Susan Fischer and Jeanette Speck filed the complaint Friday in the U.S. District Court of New Jersey. The suit names as defendants Gov. Phil Murphy, the New Jersey Education Association and the local teachers union in Ocean Township, where the two women are employed. Read the report

—“Christie Critic Can’t Revive Criminal Case Over GWB Scandal” Read the report

WILL SOMEONE TELL LAKEWOOD RESIDENTS THEIR IMMUNITY FROM PROSECUTION DOESN’T APPLY TO DISEASE? — “Measles outbreak in N.J. causes surge in people seeking vaccination,” by NJ Advance Media’s Amanda Hoover: “Health officials in Ocean County are continuing to monitor a measles outbreak after four cases were confirmed in Lakewood and another four are suspected. And those without the vaccine, or unsure of their status, are turning out in big numbers to seek it. The first case involved a person who had traveled to Israel and contracted the disease. It was reported to the Ocean County Health Department Oct. 26. Three additional cases have been confirmed, all of which followed exposure to the traveler.” Read the report

NEWARK WATER — Newark study shows lead control treatment stopped working in 2017, by POLITICO’s Danielle Muoio and Sam Sutton: Corrosion control treatment designed to prevent lead from flaking into Newark’s drinking water hasn’t been effective since at least early 2017, despite repeated claims from top officials the water was safe to drink, according to a draft of a study commissioned by the city. Samples taken from the Pequannock Water Treatment Plant — which provides drinking water to Newark’s North, West, South and Central wards — has exceeded the federal limit of 15 parts per billion since early 2017, according to the draft obtained by POLITICO. In the first half of 2017, 5.3 percent of the samples taken exceeded 50 parts per billion. The percentage remained relatively unchanged (5.1 percent) in the second half of 2017 before falling to 2.2 percent in 2018. Read the report

TRANSITIONING TO MORE AID — “Paterson asking state for 48 percent aid increase,” by The Paterson Press’ Joe Malinconico: “Facing a possible $13 million budget gap, Paterson is asking the state to increase its transitional aid for 2019 by 48 percent. The city has applied for $40 million from the state — which would be the largest transitional aid allocation Paterson has gotten in more than a decade. Last year, the state gave Paterson $27 million in transitional aid, funding that is supposed to keep struggling New Jersey cities solvent while they find ways to address their structural deficits.” Read the report

STICKS AND STONES WILL BREAK MY BONES BUT WORDS WILL BE REPORTED TO THE COPS — “Dover mayor recorded yelling obscenities at town alderwoman, political foe,” by The Daily Record’s Peggy Wright: “Police are investigating an incident Sunday where the mayor allegedly yelled profanities at a vehicle occupied by a town alderwoman and political foe. Mayor James Dodd’s voice was recorded on a dash-cam video as he yelled out expletives at the car where Alderwoman Carolyn Blackman was a passenger and former political ally Fernando Barrios was behind the wheel … Dodd is never visible on the recording but, according to the Democratic Committee, he is stood on the street next to Barrios’ vehicle as he yells out: ‘Roll down the window, roll down the window, you [expletive].’” Read the report

MORRIS COUNTY — “Two parties, two visions in race for Morris County freeholder seats,” by The Daily Record’s Peggy Wright: “The ideas touted by the GOP team running for three Morris County freeholder seats in Tuesday’s election are stale, say their three Democratic challengers who hope to sweep the race. The Republican team said they have the experience to move the county forward. The Republicans on the ballot are incumbent Deborah Smith, former Freeholder John Krickus and former Mountain Lakes Mayor Stephen Shaw. Challengers are Democrats Mary Dougherty, Rupande Mehta and Rich Corcoran. Dougherty is the wife of Morristown Mayor Timothy Dougherty.” Read the report

I NOMINATE MUHAMMED AKIL — “Jersey City wants a poet laureate,” by The Jersey Journal’s Muhammed Akil: “Jersey City wants a poet laureate. You must be old enough to drink. The term: one year. The yearly pay ($3K) is about what you’d think. Let’s support the arts big and small, so says the mayor: They make the city better, safer, a major player. Your work must be ‘of the highest caliber’ if you want to be picked. So no dumb verse or bad verse or someone’s verse that you nicked.” Read the report

—“Fulop sits out 2018 campaign” Read the report

—“Camden mayor nixes controversial billboard” Read the report

—“Fort Monmouth preparing for first homeowners” Read the report

—”On election day, Newark will decide who should select school board members — voters or the mayor” Read the report

—“Gun violence, gender, #MeToo: Young women explain what sparked their political awakening” Read the report

—“Hudson sees heavy early voting in midterm election: ‘It’s a referendum on Donald Trump’” Read the report

—“2018 Elections: These North Jersey candidates are making their first run for office” Read the report

—“Paterson BOE candidates condemn district’s special ed performance” Read the report

—“Paterson mayor’s ‘clean team’ decommissioned” Read the report

—“Paterson police officer guilty of leaving fatal accident scene” Read the report

NJ LAWMAKERS LOOK FORWARD TO PROSTRATING SELVES IN FRONT OF NEXT COMPANY THAT OFFERS JOBS — “Amazon plans to split HQ2 evenly between two cities,” by The Wall Street Journal’s Laura Stevens: “Amazon.com Inc. plans to split its second headquarters evenly between two locations rather than picking one city for HQ2, according to a person familiar with the matter, a surprise decision that will spread the impact of a massive new office across two communities.” … Amazon is in advanced talks with multiple cities but hasn’t made a final decision on which two locations it will pick, according to people familiar with the matter. The Wall Street Journal on Sunday reported that Amazon was in late-stage discussions with Crystal City in Virginia, Dallas and New York City.’” Read the report

—“’It’s not over,’ mayor says of Newark’s chance to score Amazon’s HQ2” Read the report

AFTER THIS ELECTION, THIS SOUNDS ATTRACTIVE — “Rutgers prof: Get rid of elections. Choose leaders by lottery,” by NJ 101.5’s Dino Flammia: “Becoming the next lawmaker for New Jersey, or the next member of your local Town Council, could work the same way as getting picked for jury duty, under a new form of government proposed by a philosopher at Rutgers. The “lottocracy” model from Alexander Guerrero, an associate professor of philosophy at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, gets rid of elections altogether and gives the power of political decisions to adult citizens chosen at random. This way, he says, America can do away with the current system of false campaign promises, wealthy special interests, and the sense of ‘winning or losing’ when one political party defeats the other. ‘Also it would get people from all walks of life,” Guerrero told New Jersey 101.5. ‘It wouldn’t be just rich lawyers and bankers and people who went to Harvard Law. It would be all kinds of people — nurses and schoolteachers and veterans and police officers.’” Read the report

—“Newark archdiocese and all dioceses subpoenaed” Read the report

—Riordan: “Post-Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, N.J. Jews and Muslims seek stronger bonds” Read the column

—“This children’s Christmas book screwed up a map of New Jersey so badly it’s actually funny” Read the report