Tuesday is Primary Election Day in New Jersey! Polls close at 8:00 pm
I’ve been doing my best to follow all of the intriguing races going on around the state – a lot of heated congressional races between Democrats – given the increased number of resignations or retirements from Republican congressman within the last year or so.
Interesting developments as of late have really been showing me this increased bubble I feel is inflating between traditional and progressive Democrats. Many of the latter have cropped up in the last few years with fervor after the presidential campaign of Bernie Sanders, who pressed for major left-leaning reforms nationwide. I think the biggest rift that I’ve seen cropping up really has to do with simply one word: loyalty.
Traditional Democrats have rested their laurels firmly on the trust and honesty of fellow Dems through campaigning, volunteering, fundraising, and of course voting for consistent representation of blue-dog values in Washington. While this form of democracy has its place – mainly in the offensive style of keeping Republicans out of office – traditional Democrats have also held the line in terms of who has opportunity to represent in Washington; much of this follows the wait-your-turn or pay-your-dues style of politics where newcomers are expected to listen and do as their told and this obedience will eventually be rewarded with political promotion.
One of the most generic cases I can see unfolding is that of Tanzie Youngblood in the 2nd congressional district (currently held by Republican congressman LoBiondo who is retiring after this term). Youngblood is running against frontrunner State Senator Jeff Van Drew, who has garnered much of the traditional party’s support – an interesting article from NJ Spotlight about how this rift in Democratic values may be perceived by those outside of the inside political folds of these campaigns. Essentially the article impresses that while progressive candidates (like Youngblood) are more successful in keeping Republicans at bay during campaigning season, it’s the moderate Dems (like Van Drew) that can speak at a Republican’s speed when in office and therefore more likely pass legislation.
A bright spot in local news is the City Council race here in Camden and I got a chance to chat with Council hopeful Rashan Prailow. Prailow, a Camden native, has a compelling and inspiring backstory that you can read more about here. Rashan has a grasp on many of the buzzword issues in the city including the relatively young age of Camden’s population, small business development in East Camden, rehabbing vacant housing units, and getting the city much more civically engaged overall. “I’m not nervous at all,” Prailow said when asked what he’s most nervous about in running for Council, “This is my city, I earned my stripes here…I’m the worst and the best of Camden’s youth and I want to inspire people the way I know I can.”
Exciting is an understatement when seeing the possibility of a person that represents over a third of the city on its governing body. Despite the rifts and tension bubbles cropping up toward the higher peaks of the political landscape in the state, locally we can see some incremental changes in that landscape. It’s up to us on the ground to make sure these grassroots grow up to meet and fix those rifts and bubbles.
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