August 6, 2025

Permission to republish original opeds and cartoons granted.

New Jersey Is A State To Watch In 2025. Can GOP Up Their Game Among Independent And Latino Voters? 

By Manzanita Miller    

After the 2024 election, several states emerged as possible new “purple states”, states that were once long-time Democrat strongholds but showed signs of moving toward the right when faced with a choice between Former Vice President Kamala Harris and President Donald Trump. New Jersey, once a Democratic stronghold, is one of the states where power began to shift toward conservatives, thanks in part to Hispanic voters moving toward President Trump.  

This November, New Jersey will face a gubernatorial election that offers an opportunity for conservatives to fight to increase their edge and offers an early look into how power may shift in the midterm cycle next year. New Jersey has largely favored Democrat governors since the early 2000’s with the exception of Former Republican Governor Chris Christie’s two terms, making it a challenge for conservatives. Since 2002, four out of the last five governors have been Democrats, with Chris Christie serving beginning in 2010 and ending in 2018. Democrat governor Phil Murphy has governed for the past two terms.  

This fall’s election pits Democratic candidate Mikie Sherrill against GOP challenger Jack Ciattarelli, and according to recent polls Sherrill is in the lead. A July Fairleigh Dickinson University poll released July 29 found Sherrill leading Ciattarelli by eight points, 45 percent to 37 percent, with 16 percent undecided.  

However, that 16 percent uncommitted could be pivotal. According to the survey, most partisans plan to vote along party lines, but independent voters move significantly toward the Republican candidate, Ciattarelli, when first asked a series of questions about local New Jersey issues rather than focusing on national issues like immigration and President Trump. The pollsters found that independent voters move seven percentage points toward Ciattarelli when asked about local issues like energy costs, flooding, and Jersey Transit. While Democrats hold an advantage in New Jersey at the moment, independent voters may be able to tip the scales.   

Economic issues could also push voters toward Ciattarelli, according to a July 2 Rutgers-Eagleton poll. The survey found the Democrat candidate Sherrill loses her edge when asked about issues like taxes and affordability, the two largest issues to New Jersey voters. It should also be noted that Ciattarelli has increased his standing significantly over the month of July. He went from trailing Sherrill by twenty points in the early July Rutgers-Eagleton poll to trailing her by eight points in the late July Fairleigh Dickinson poll.  

New Jersey is in flux, and Republicans may be able to continue making inroads with economically motivated voters, just as they did in 2024. Last November, President Trump lost new Jersey by six percentage points, but when compared to the margin by which Joe Biden won Jersey in 2020 the data shows cracks in Democratic control. Biden won New Jersey by sixteen points in 2020, indicating the state swung ten points to the right between 2020 and 2024.   

Latino voters shifting toward President Trump played a crucial role in that shift. According to AP VoteCast, 43 percent of Latino voters supported President Trump in 2024, up from just 28 percent in 2020, a striking fifteen-point shift.  

Trump also won a collection of Latino heavy districts in North Bergen, a region that is 70 percent Hispanic, and made gains in densely Hispanic cities. As the New Jersey Monitor reported after the election, Trump beat Harris by six points in the city of Passaic, which is 73 percent Latino.   

Unaffiliated voters could also play a role, as independents shifted nationwide toward Trump in 2024. While Democrats maintain a strong advantage over Republicans in terms of voter registration, New Jersey has a large unaffiliated population that could shift toward the Republican Party, particularly when candidates focus on issues like taxes, affordability, transportation, flooding, and energy costs.  

As of late July, Republican Jack Ciattarelli is still trailing his Democratic rival, Mikie Sherrill, but the race leaves room for him to improve against Sherrill. Surveys show Sherrill loses her edge on the two most important issues to New Jersey voters — taxes and affordability. Data also shows that when the race is framed in terms of local issues such as flooding and transportation over national issues such as immigration, Ciattarelli improves significantly among undecided voters. In addition, Ciattarelli has improved in polling since early July, indicating it is possible he could close the gap by November. Either way, the gubernatorial race will provide insight into whether the GOP is able to continue the momentum it gathered under President Donald Trump in possible “purple states”.    

Manzanita Miller is the senior political analyst at Americans for Limited Government Foundation. 

To view online: https://dailytorch.com/2025/08/new-jersey-is-a-state-to-watch-in-2025-can-gop-up-their-game-among-independent-and-latino-voters/  

Governor Abbott's Heavy Hand Has The Backing Of History 

By William Hilman 

In the sweltering summer of 2025, Texas Governor Greg Abbott is wielding a firm grip to crush the cowardly tactics of House Democrats who fled the state to dodge a redistricting vote. These runaway lawmakers, skulking in blue-state hideouts like Illinois and New York, think they can paralyze the Texas Legislature by denying a quorum. But history stands squarely behind Abbott’s iron-fisted response, echoing a decisive moment in 1787 when Commodore John Barry and his sailors dragged dissenting delegates back to the Philadelphia Convention to secure the U.S. Constitution. Abbott’s resolve to force these deserters back to Austin is not just justified—it’s a patriotic act to preserve the will of Texas voters, backed by the same bold spirit that forged our nation. 

In 1787, the fledgling United States teetered on the brink of collapse under the feeble Articles of Confederation. The Philadelphia Convention was tasked with crafting a new Constitution, but a handful of Pennsylvania delegates, scared of a strong federal government, tried to sabotage the process by bolting to avoid a quorum. Their absence threatened to derail the entire convention, risking the republic’s future. Enter Commodore John Barry, a Revolutionary War hero who didn’t hesitate to get his hands dirty. On September 18, 1787, Barry and his band of sailors hunted down the absconders, dragging them back to the State House. One delegate, clothes in tatters, was reportedly thrown over a railing into the chamber, protesting the rough treatment and said “I object to being carried into the Chamber”. Benjamin Franklin, carried in a sedan chair due to his failing health, shot back with a razor-sharp quip: “So was I.” That forceful action restored the quorum, secured Pennsylvania’s vote, and saved the Constitution—and with it, the United States. 

Fast forward to 2025, and Texas faces its own crisis of cowardice. House Democrats, desperate to block a redistricting plan that would align congressional seats with Texas’s conservative majority, fled to states like Massachusetts to break the quorum needed for a vote. Their stunt aims to thwart a map that could add five Republican seats for 2026, reflecting the state’s political will as expressed in recent elections. Governor Abbott, like Barry before him, isn’t sitting idly by. On August 3, 2025, he issued a blistering demand for their return, backed by a 2021 opinion from Attorney General Ken Paxton that suggests absent lawmakers could forfeit their seats. Abbott’s ordered the Texas Department of Public Safety to track them down and authorized civil arrest warrants, showing he’s ready to use every tool at his disposal. This isn’t overreach—it’s leadership, rooted in the same resolve that kept the republic alive in 1787. 

The parallels are undeniable. In Philadelphia, the dissenting delegates weren’t just shirking duty; they were endangering the nation’s future by obstructing a process critical to its survival. Today’s Texas Democrats are doing the same, undermining the democratic process by refusing to face a vote they know they’ll lose. Their flight is a tantrum, not a strategy—a weak attempt to subvert the will of Texans who elected a Republican majority to draw fair maps. Abbott’s threats of arrest and seat vacancies mirror Barry’s no-nonsense tactics, proving that sometimes a heavy hand is needed to keep democracy on track. Just as Barry’s sailors didn’t coddle the runaways, Abbott shouldn’t hesitate to drag these lawmakers back, metaphorically or otherwise, to do their damn job. 

Critics might whine that Abbott’s tactics are too aggressive, but history laughs at their naivety. The Constitution, the bedrock of our nation, was saved by strong-arming cowards who tried to dodge their duty. Franklin’s quip about being carried wasn’t just wit—it was a reminder that showing up, even under pressure, is non-negotiable when the stakes are this high. Texas’s redistricting fight isn’t just about maps; it’s about ensuring the state’s voice in Congress reflects its voters, not a minority of sore losers. Abbott’s willingness to play hardball, backed by the Texas House’s 85-6 vote on August 4 to authorize arrests, shows he’s ready to fight for that principle. 

The stakes in 2025 echo those of 1787. Back then, Barry’s actions ensured the Constitution’s ratification, cementing a government that’s lasted over two centuries. Today, Abbott’s stand could secure Texas’s political future, ensuring its congressional delegation reflects the state’s conservative heart. The Democrats’ quorum break is a fleeting stunt—history shows these tactics rarely succeed. In 2003 and 2021, Texas Democrats tried similar ploys, only to see their causes crumble when they ran out of steam. Abbott, with the power to call endless special sessions, can outlast them. His heavy hand isn’t just justified; it’s a necessary echo of Barry’s sailors, who didn’t let a few runaways derail a nation. 

In the end, Governor Abbott’s resolve channels the same grit that saved the republic in 1787. The Texas Democrats’ flight is a betrayal of their oath, a weak attempt to dodge the inevitable. Just as Barry and Franklin understood that democracy sometimes demands force to function, Abbott knows that letting a minority hold Texas hostage is no way to govern. His actions, backed by history’s precedent, will ensure the redistricting vote happens, the maps are drawn, and Texas’s voice rings true in Washington. The republic survived Philadelphia’s crisis because bold men acted. Abbott’s doing the same, and history will thank him for it. 

William Hilman is a contributing writer to Americans for Limited Government.  

To view online: https://dailytorch.com/2025/08/governor-abbotts-heavy-hand-has-the-backing-of-history/