In New Jersey, registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans by about 15 percentage points. In Camden County, the gap is even wider -- a full 29 percentage points. And in Cherry Hill Township, it's a nearly identical 26 percentage points.
Democrats don't win in Camden County and they don't win in Cherry Hill. In fact, Cherry Hill has not elected a Democrat to local office in more than 40 years.
Yet incredibly, there's been an active, local Republican Party in Cherry Hill as long as I can remember -- a testament to group of people determined to sustain the two-party system. Mind you, it's not a very large group and its members have a history of fighting amongst themselves. Why? A friend explained it this way: "We fight because we lose." Or maybe it's the other way around. Who knows? Still, they're keeping democracy alive.
Now, the local Cherry Hill GOP has had another donnybrook and a new team has taken the helm of the organization, such as it is. To their credit, the new team has apparently managed to fill a complete slate of county committee posts and those new committee members will be sworn in by our dear friend, Matt Rooney of Save Jersey.
We wish the new Cherry Hill GOP team well, recognizing that hope springs eternal and even the most daunting journey begins with just a single step. Two steps that can help get things going? First, stop the infighting, start the remediation process and welcome everyone and every point of view into the party. The party deserves nothing less. Second, begin with an achievable goal. Aim to win back just one single elected office.
And this final thought: The Camden County GOP can benefit from a strong Cherry Hill organization as Cherry Hill is the county's largest municipality and its economic center. Go into the county reorganization meeting united behind a completely new Camden County GOP leadership team -- one that the county group so desperately needs.
Avanti!
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