Pub. 15 2016-2017 Issue 4

N E W J E R S E Y C O A L I T I O N O F A U T O M O T I V E R E T A I L E R S I S S U E N O . 1 , 2 0 1 7 32 new jersey auto retailer Will New Jersey’s 2017 Election Hold Any Surprises? BY BRIGID CALLAHAN HARRISON, PH.D ut will November’s elections – particularly the gubernatorial election — serve as a mandate on Mr. Trump and his policies? It’s unlikely, primarily because voters al- ready have deep and well-formed opinions about the current office holder, Governor Chris Christie, who, having been elected twice, cannot run again. So, though Christie’s name won’t be on the ballot, when voters go to the polls it’s likely that they’ll be thinking of the Governor – who currently has an abysmal approval rating of 17 percent. That record-low rating, combined with the partisan demographics of the state – there are over two million registered Democrats, compared with 1.2 million Republicans — means that the Democratic nominee for governor will likely have the upper hand. The candidate with that upper hand is former Goldman Sachs executive Phil Murphy. Murphy, who served as the U.S. Ambassador to Germany from 2008-2013, is the front-runner Democrat seeking his party’s nomination for governor. Murphy was at first considered an underdog in the race, but he opted out of the State’s gubernatorial public funding system, and decided to largely fund his own race, loan- ing his campaign $10 million. Under the State’s public funding mechanism, when a candidate raises $430,000, they then qualify to receive a two-for-one match, garnering an additional $860,000. But to receive those monies, a candidate must abide by ascribed limits on campaign expenditures, allowing them to only spend $6.4 million total in the primary election. Murphy opted out of the public financing system which means that he does not have to adhere to such limits. He has already spent $10.6 million, some of it on consultants and advertising, but he has also contributed large sums to county Democratic party organizations and candidates, ensuring their support in his bid. The effect has been to push out two powerful likely competitors, State President Trump’s first months in office have evoked passionate reactions, both positively from his staunch supporters, and in the form of widespread protests on the part of his detractors, but come November, New Jersey will be one of only two states in the nation where voters will go to the polls and elect an official to state-wide office (Virginia is the other) . In addition to a new governor, New Jerseyans also will elect all 120 members – the 40 State Senators and 80 members of the General Assembly – into office.