Although primary races are almost always low turnout affairs, which can sometimes lead to an incumbent upset loss, that was not an issue for New Jersey Rep. Chris Smith (R-Manchester) in Lakewood on Tuesday.
Turnout in New Jersey’s 5th largest municipality was a poor 9.7% this election cycle, with only 5,529 voters participating in the primary, out of 57,265 registered voters.
But despite the low participation, Smith, who is the longest-serving member of Congress and well liked in Lakewood, dominated, receiving 81% of the vote, a solid showing in a race where former President Trump called for a challenger to Smith over his vote for the infrastructure bill which passed the House last November.
Smith’s challenger, Mike Crispi, who Trump ultimately chose not to endorse, brought in some heavyweights from Trump’s orbit, including former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, Trump associate Roger Stone and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani – to no avail. Crispi received only 681 votes in Lakewood, or 16%.
There were two other candidates on the ballot as well. Retired FBI agent Steve Gray received just 82 votes and Mike Blasi, who dropped out of the race prior to election day but was still on the ballot, received 24 votes. There were 10 write-in votes as well.
Districtwide, Smith received 57.6% or 31,887 total votes while Crispi received 37%, or 20,498 total votes.
I was going to get my name on the write-in ballot, but who’s going to vote for someone with a name like Asinine Commenter?
You really think there are some asinine voters out there that would vote for Asinine Commenter? No, I don’t think so.
So, next time you hear people play down the value of a name and say, “What’s in a name?”, don’t listen to them. I’m proof that a name is not something to sniff at, although some would say my problem is not just my name. And I get it. I understand.
“Smith’s challenger, Mike Crispi, who Trump ultimately chose not to endorse, brought in some heavyweights from Trump’s orbit, including former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, Trump associate Roger Stone and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani – to no avail. Crispi received only 681 votes in Lakewood, or 16%.”
Although I have no particular problems with Crispi’s endorsers, (Having worked side by side with Rudy Giuliani, when NYC was literally the Capitol of th World), the endorsers have laid claims to manipulated elections, for which there has been no evidence in Lakewood and none for Chris Smith cited by them.Why they endorsed Crispi is a mystery to me other than they have not given endorsements to incumbents, in general.
The abysmal turn out of the frum Lakewood voting population for this election does not bode well for the midterms. One would have to be living under a rock not to know how crucial the midterms will be to assure a “red wave” that will help to decimate the (now) evil, immoral, authoritarian, neo-socialist Democrat party. (Are these enough pejorative adjectives to accurately describe how dangerous the Dems have become to our Torah way-of-life in this malchus shel chessed?) An indifferent, apathetic frum electorate is enormously self-defeating. I pray that the frum community wakes up come November and breaks voter participation records to defeat EVERY Democrat running for office!
It is a real shame how so many people neglected to take this opportunity to show we care about what happens in our government & to exercise our rights as Americans. I took my kids with me when I voted; was educational & sets the mood to encourage them to vote as well when they are old enough to do so.
What is wrong with voting for Mordy Gross?
Shua – Throwing in terms like “Torah way-of-life” and “malchus shel chessed” doesn’t make your partisan rant any more based in a Torah outlook. The truth is that Lakewood is irrelevant to the midterms – Chris Smith is in a safe Republican seat even if nobody from Lakewood shows up. I wouldn’t let all that partisan media propaganda raise your blood pressure.
Okay, so let’s see how the Democrat agenda is perfectly aligned with a Torah way-of-life: abortion on demand = no problem (that babies are actually killed in the womb is just media propaganda); LGBTQ+ indoctrination of children in all schools = no problem (parents shouldn’t have any say about their children’s education anyway, especially those who are bigoted, religious fanatic types like Orthodox Jews); the Agudah’s battle in NY with the leftist, woke, State Education Dept. is surely misguided and not at all in accord with Torah values (according to you). Next: Ban AR-15s and all semi-automatic weapons = no problem (the Torah is just misguided in its admonition to kill the person coming to kill you first. AND we were/are clearly so much better off as defenseless, unarmed, shtetl Jews). Oy, I could go on and on with my “partisan rant” (and I proudly admit that that’s what it is). Tragically, with the devious Dems in power anywhere in this country, there is just so much to worry and rant about! And yeah, with my Masters in education, a Juris Doctorate, and 72 years of living in this world, I’m clearly such a poorly educated, illiterate Jew, that I’m naively susceptible to the onslaught of conservative media propaganda that I foolishly listen to! Mr. Scoop Commenter, your apparent condescension (a noted middah of liberal leftists) is…uh…troublesome, to say the least. P.S. I was a life-long Democrat until the Obama presidency, which was the turning point for me. As the saying goes: “I didn’t leave the Democrat party, the Democrat party left me.” Good Riddance to it (and no, I won’t give up my three firearms without resistance!) END OF RANT NUMBER TWO. Toodles.
Shua, throwing around terms like Torah way of life and Torah values does little to cover your partisan rant once again.
Shua – This reply is a little late, but I agree that many Democrats have beliefs that run contrary to frum Torah beliefs. But so do many Republicans. Abortion and LGBTQ issues aren’t kol hatorah kulo. And I’m sorry, it is comical for you to say we need to vote against Democrats to protect the Torah-given right to an AR-15. Your bias is showing big time on that one. Anyway, my point was that this race is already decided so it really isn’t that important.