Two Accounts -- And Some Curious Observations!

From someone in NJ posting on X:

I'm not going to say that Ciatarelli should've won. It was a 10-point loss. That out of the way? I live in an exurban part of South Jersey, and my voting location got a ton of turnout. 

But it was also a joke as far as security went. I could walk in, give my name and address, and simply go vote. There was no need to present ID. There was "technically" signature verification, but not really. My signature didn't even come close to matching the one they had on file because they had me sign with my finger on a touch screen rather than a stylus. 

That presented no issue. I simply went in and voted. If this is how lax election day voting is, then I shudder to think about what early voting... either by mail or in person... looks like. Is turnout so high because we've made it this easy to pretend to vote as other people?

And then, THIS -- from Quantas polling: 

We were disappointed, and honestly, angry over our New Jersey polling. Our first September Labor Day poll showed Sherrill +10. By late September, after debates, campaign controversies, and the Kirk assassination, everything changed. The race tightened fast. More Republicans entered the likely electorate and independents started breaking for Ciattarelli. 

We confirmed this again in late October: Sherrill +3 from a random sample of 100,000 NJ voters showing Republicans fired up and turning out. However, the Democrats were holding the edge and keeping a breakout from occurring. We rather easily detected potential for a +5 to +6 Sherrill victory despite our polling showing +3. Notably, Sherrill was only marginally improving with Hispanic voters, showing similar margins to 2024. 

While our last poll did show black voters finally swinging her way. We had Ciatt at single digit support among black voters. Then election night happened and the results stunned nearly everyone. Exit polls, turnout, demographic margins, and the final numbers made little sense compared to virtually every public survey. It wasn’t just us. 99% of pollsters missed it at similar scale. Something unusual happened in New Jersey, and we’re still unpacking why.

Lessons Must Be Relearned, Again And Again . . .

Zohran Mamdani: “We will prove that there is no problem too large for government to solve."

Ronald Reagan: “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’”

Hey, New Jersey: It's Only Gonna Get Worse!

 

A Message From Cardinal Robert Sarah

'The West is dying. No more natality. You are being invaded and losing your culture'

Cardinal Robert Sarah@CatholicArena pic.twitter.com/S98s8U248n

— Catholic Arena (@CatholicArena) November 5, 2025

The FIASCO: Five Big Takeaways . .

Call it what you will:  devastating, a disaster, a debacle. 

We're calling it a fiasco, appropriately an Italian word which describes a complete failure.

And make no mistake about it, for New Jersey Republicans last night was a complete and utter failure -- an unmitigated fiasco! Before any thought can be given to picking up the pieces (if that's even possible) we must ponder the sorry takeaways. Here are five Big Ones:

1)  Bananana. Jack Ciattarelli was like the little boy who knew how to spell banana but just didn't know when to stop. Looking back on it all, he probably should have consoled himself with his almost win in 2021 and exited stage right. Instead he announced his candidacy the very night he lost the last time and essentially spent five years campaigning for a office that he wound up losing bv even a far bigger margin this time. Call is Cittarelli Fatigue. In the end, the voters were likely tired of him and saw him not as part of the future but as a rerun and a relic of the past.

2) The Seduction of the New. Nobody knew Mickey/Mikie Sherrill, aka Rebecca Michelle from Virginia. Statewide, she barely registered. But she was a new face -- a fresh, young face that made Jack look all the more shop worn. As a Democrat in New Jersey, she started with a mammoth advantage and ran a carefully crafted, strategically targeted campaign, highly disciplined campaign. Plus, she effectively pinned Jack to Trump while shrewdly preventing Jack from pinning her to Murphy. Voila!

3) Insufficient Followup. Jack was onto something when his campaign uncovered the fact that Sherrill was not allowed to walk at her naval academy graduation ceremony, implicating her in an historic cheating scandal that brought dishonor to the academy. But there wasn't enough followup -- not enough was done to gain the complete record of Sherrill's time at the academy or to pressure her to release the record. Ditto, the stock market bonanza she reaped while serving in Congress. 

4) Letting the Lies Stand. Yeah, Sherrill misled and deceived voters. And the deceit was effective -- particularly her absurd claim that Jack would raise New Jersey's sales tax to 10 percent. Jack never said that; never proposed that; never happened. But Sherrill's dogged repetition of the claim and Jack's failure to snuff it, allowed too many people to believe it. It stuck. Sure, Jack threatened a defamation suit but, c'mon! That was like pissing on a three alarm fire. 

5) Policy Wonk. No doubt about it, Jack maintained an impressive command of the issues throughout the campaign. Raise an issue or concern, he had the answers and he had the plan. And he was thorough, quick and smart on his feet. But often, he spoke too fact and covered too much ground. Sometimes, it became a bit breathless and it arguably overwhelmed weary and besieged voters. A friend compared him to a likable enough salesman who, in the end just may have been just a bit too slick.

And one more thing: New Jersey is not a swing state. In fact, it hasn't been a swing state in my lifetime -- and I wrote all about this some time ago in a piece you can read right here. We're not a red state. We're not a purple state. We're a blue state. And, time and again, the overwhelming legion of Democrat voters in this state return to form. GOP wins here are ever the exception, never the norm.

Having said all that does not lessen the enormity of this loss.  This was a fiasco. And now, heads must roll!

And Today, The Voters Themselves Speak . . .

🚨 VOTERS IN NEW JERSEY:

"The Democratic leadership has failed us."

"I voted for Jack Ciattarelli. We need some Republicans in here."

Vote for @Jack4NJ to SAVE New Jersey!https://t.co/Li4xDK2lVN pic.twitter.com/5NhRTpA8HD

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) November 4, 2025

President George W. Bush Remembers Dick Cheney

Statement by President George W. Bush on Vice President Dick Cheney: 

The death of Richard B. Cheney is a loss to the nation and a sorrow to his friends. 

Laura and I will remember Dick Cheney for the decent, honorable man that he was. History will remember him as among the finest public servants of his generation – a patriot who brought integrity, high intelligence, and seriousness of purpose to every position he held. 

As a young White House aide and chief of staff, a Congressman, a Secretary of Defense, and my Vice President, Dick earned the confidence and high opinion of five presidents. 

 asked him to join my ticket in 2000 after first enlisting him to help me find the best running mate. In our long discussions about the qualities a vice president should have – deep experience, mature judgment, character, loyalty – I realized that Dick Cheney was the one I needed. 

I’m still grateful that he was at my side for the eight years that followed.  Dick was a calm and steady presence in the White House amid great national challenges. I counted on him for his honest, forthright counsel, and he never failed to give his best. He held to his convictions and prioritized the freedom and security of the American people. 

For those two terms in office, and throughout his remarkable career, Dick Cheney’s service always reflected credit on the country he loved. Dick’s love for America was second only to his family.  

Laura and I have shared our deepest sympathies with Vice President Cheney’s wife Lynne and their daughters and grandchildren of whom he was so deeply proud. 

We are praying for Lynne, Liz, Mary, and the Cheney family as they honor a great man.

Well, When You Think About It . . .

 

The ONLY Way To Stop It? CIATTARELLI!

The Democrats have been making decisions for the past 20 years and they just can't make good decisions. Please don't forget to vote. pic.twitter.com/suuBXHub1T

— New Jersey Project (@fight4newjersey) November 2, 2025

Must See Video: Absolutely Incredible Moment!

Amazing:@Jack4NJ’s son came home from Kuwait today and surprised him on Election Eve! pic.twitter.com/JvlOSkqeik

— Matt Rooney (@MattRooneyNJ) November 3, 2025