It's primary day

Presented by the NJ Board of Public Utilities: Your afternoon must-read briefing informing the daily conversation among knowledgeable New Jerseyans.

Jun 07, 2022 View in browser   By Jonathan Custodio Presented by the NJ Board of Public Utilities It's primary day, folks. And if you haven't cast a ballot yet, there's still a few hours left. The Republican primary in the 7th congressional district, which now encompasses more Republican areas after redistricting, is widely viewed as a race to watch, particularly concerning reproductive rights. Former state Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean Jr. is slightly favored to get past a primary featuring Assemblymember Erik Peterson (R-Hunterdon) and Fredon Mayor John Flora in a bid to unseat Democratic incumbent Tom Malinkowski, who barely hung on to defeat Kean in 2020. General contractor Kevin Dorlon, former tech worker John Isemann, former pastor Phil Rizzo and Navy vet Sterling Schwab are also running in the primary. Should there be a rematch between Malinowski and Kean, abortion rights will likely be at the forefront if, as expected, the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down Roe v. Wade. As POLITICO's Matt Friedman noted in a recent piece , while Kean has said he supports abortion rights, he has not discussed the issue very much and voted against codifying abortion into New Jersey law while a member of the Legislature. He also "repeatedly refused to vote to overturn former Gov. Chris Christie's cuts to Planned Parenthood funding," according to Friedman's piece. Democrats are eyeing the threat to abortion rights as a potential galvanizer for turnout, so look for Malinowski to hammer that issue should he get past his primary today against contender Roger Bacon.   A message from the NJ Board of Public Utilities: New Jersey is on its way toward its goal of 100% clean energy by 2050. And you can help. Find out how New Jersey's Clean Energy Program can help businesses save energy and money with commercial clean energy incentives. High-value incentives and rebates on energy efficient improvements and appliances are also available from your utility company. You'll be saving more than money—you'll be helping to make the Garden State the Greenest State. Visit njcleanenergy.com.   HAPPY TUESDAY AFTERNOON — Hi there, I'm Jonathan Custodio, your Playbook PM author. We're adding New Jersey political trivia to this newsletter and will shout out one person who correctly answers the question in the following day's edition. Shout out to Anita Daniel for knowing that the first passenger flight in American history was flown from New York to Atlantic City . Today's question: Which governor won reelection by the widest margin in state history? Send answers and tips to jcustodio@politico.com. We're here with the latest from Trenton and elsewhere as New Jersey moves ahead in the budget process and the Legislature conducts hearings on Gov. Phil Murphy's spending plan. And it's primary day. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY GET OUT THE VOTE — Gov. Phil Murphy touted the importance of civic engagement and praised the state's voting machines after casting his ballot in his polling location in Middletown this morning, reports New Jersey Globe's Joey Fox. This year's congressional primaries have seen a subpar turnout thus far — 266,852 votes have been cast as of this morning — as several races are uncontested and others uncompetitive. "These machines are first class, the process was easy-peasy," said Murphy, who was accompanied by his wife, Tammy. "The only issue is turnout. We were told that we were the fourth and fifth people in our district to be voting today, and they've been open for a while." COVID NUMBERS — New Jersey reported 2,530 confirmed positive Covid-19 tests and 19 deaths from the virus on Tuesday. The state's seven-day case average is down 13 percent from a week ago and up 14 percent from a month ago. ON THE BEATS HEALTH CARE — The Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee advanced four of the eight bills in Majority Leader Teresa Ruiz's child care package on Monday. The four bills, which aim to improve the child care industry and expand access to child care, passed without opposition. The bills had the support of advocates for children who say the industry needs more help and business groups that argued child care could help address workforce shortages. "Child care access is a critically important issue for the business community," Alexis Bailey, the director of government affairs for the New Jersey Business & Industry Association, told the committee. "As we know right now, businesses across industries are facing workforce shortages and childcare access is a key component to that, especially for working mothers." — Daniel Han   A message from the NJ Board of Public Utilities:   Around New Jersey KRATOVIL TO CHALLENGE CAHILL IN NEW BRUNSWICK — New Jersey Globe's David Wildstein: "Charlie Kratovil will announce his independent bid for mayor of New Brunswick this afternoon, making his second bid to unseat incumbent Jim Cahill. Kratovil is the founder and editor of New Brunswick Today, a local news site, where he has doggedly pursued government transparency issues. He has scheduled a formal announcement for 4 PM at the New Brunswick City Hall. In 2018, Cahill defeated Kratovil by 4,097 votes, 77%-23%." BILL WOULD PROHIBIT DISCRIMINATION BASED ON HEIGHT, WEIGHT — New Jersey Monitor's Sophie Nieto-Munoz: "Sen. Andrew Zwicker wants to make New Jersey the second state in the nation to ban weight and height discrimination, saying employers should not be able to discriminate against someone because of their body size or shape. Zwicker (D-Middlesex) introduced a bill last week that would expand the state's Law Against Discrimination to include weight and height as protected characteristics. Michigan is the only other state with a similar law, and there are no federal protections against discrimination due to weight and height. He said he introduced the measure after a recent conversation with a constituent who mentioned discriminatory behavior she faced because of her body shape." ACCOUNTANTS GRIM ABOUT STATE'S ECONOMY — 101.5's David Matthau: "A new survey finds most certified public accountants in New Jersey believe the state economy will continue to get worse for the rest of the year. Ralph Albert Thomas, the chief executive officer and executive director of the New Jersey Society of CPAs, said a just-released report finds 65% of CPAs in the Garden State think the Jersey economy will go downhill for the remainder of 2022, while 68% believe economic conditions throughout the entire U.S. will get worse for the remainder of the year." Odds and ends — Rents are skyrocketing in the Garden State.  — Gas in New Jersey has topped $5 a gallon for the first time. — The mayor of Point Pleasant is lashing out over the possibility of more pop-up parties. — Lawmakers are looking to fix the state's "senior freeze" property tax relief program.    A message from the NJ Board of Public Utilities: New Jersey is at the forefront of the clean energy revolution. Thanks to the enthusiastic participation of businesses, residents, local government, and many others across the state, New Jersey is well on its way toward reaching Governor Phil Murphy's ambitious goal of 100% clean energy by 2050. But there is still more to be done. Find out how New Jersey's Clean Energy Program can help you save energy and money. Visit njcleanenergy.com to learn about the available commercial and residential clean energy incentives, local government energy audits, and ways to save with high-value incentives and rebates from your local utility company on energy efficient improvements and appliances. You'll be doing a lot more than saving money on your energy bills—you'll be helping to make New Jersey the greenest state on the planet. Start saving right away—visit njcleanenergy.com today!     Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  California Playbook PM  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  New York Playbook PM View all our political and policy newsletters Follow us

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