Ads that are paid by political action committees (PACs) from outside of North Jersey have dominated the airwaves in the 2022 Congressional races—to a tune of $15 million across the state. The race that has seen the biggest influx is the 7th Congressional District rematch between Rep. Tom Malinowski and GOP nominee Tom Kean, Jr. And in the waning days, two Democratic PACs will allocate $600,000 in their efforts to re-elect Malinowski as they attempt to retain the House. The seven groups supporting Malinowski have poured approximately $1.5 million into the race. Most of that money ($965,434) came from the House Majority PAC. But Kean has received nearly $4.0 million in outside help. The Congressional Leadership Fund, which is tied to House Republican leaders, has spent $3.6 million in ads focused on Malinowski while the National Republican Congressional Committee has spent $691,000. North-JerseyNews.com
President Joe Biden issued an impassioned condemnation of his predecessor and other Republicans for encouraging political violence, voter intimidation and “the Big Lie,” framing next week’s elections as a pivotal test of American democracy. “As I stand here today, there are candidates running for every level of office in America — for governor, Congress, attorney general, secretary of state — who won’t commit…to accepting the results of the elections that they’re running in,” President Biden said Nov. 2 at Washington, D.C.’s Union Station, just blocks from where a mob of Donald Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, to disrupt the transfer of power. “This is the path to chaos in America. It’s unprecedented. It’s unlawful. And it’s un-American.” The New York Times
Franklin in Sussex County could become the destination for political extremists vowing to crash a Planned Parenthood benefit organized by local Democrats as members of the Proud Boys, a right-wing group implicated in the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, say they’ll be on hand Nov. 5 for “The Roe Show,” a six-hour concert of live music that bills itself as an LGBTQ-friendly “fem fest.” “We’ll be there!!” promises Proud Boys New Jersey in a social media post Monday. “If you don’t want to see us out in front of your establishment, don’t invite children to your drag show.” The posting appears to have been widely circulated among Proud Boy groups in and out of New Jersey, as well as on various right-wing social media outlets. NJ Spotlight News
Across the country, election workers and voters are growing increasingly concerned about the threats of voter intimidation at the polls, and experts are making sure they’re equipped with the tools and resources necessary to deal with the threats. The Brennan Center for Justice released a guide overviewing federal and state laws that protect against intimidation, focusing on 10 states (Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin) where the risk that intimidation could disrupt the voting process is high. In those states, the amount of anti-voter activity has been high and groups have been organizing to do poll watching. New Jersey Monitor
A candidate running for a school board seat in Hunterdon County said he wore a T-shirt on Saturday saying “Where is Nancy?” for a Halloween party that had a theme of “scary costumes.” Tom Gregor, who is running unopposed for a three-year term on the Bethlehem Township school board, said he dressed as a “home intruder.” And although he did not mention the recent attack on the House Speaker’s husband, he said it referenced “what was in the current event of the week.” NJ.com
New Jersey voters have cast 529,611 votes in advance of the Nov. 8 general election, including 444,983 vote-by-mail ballots and 85,628 in-person early votes, with a total statewide voter turnout so far of 9%. Statewide, registered Democrats lead registered Republicans by a 65%-20% margin on returned VBM ballots, and by a 48%-20% margin on early voting. New Jersey Globe
Rep. Josh Gottheimer is pushing for Senate action on his bipartisan bill that would increase funding for police across the U.S. Gottheimer, with Rep. John Rutherford (R-FL), sent a letter to Senate leadership last month urging them to bring their House-passed bipartisan Invest to Protect Act to the Senate floor for a vote as soon as possible this month. “Across our country, we have seen a rise in crime. This is also at a time when it is harder than ever to hire, recruit, and retain officers,” Gottheimer and Rutherford wrote. “We must ensure that our local police departments have what they need to recruit and retain the finest officers, to provide necessary training, and to invest in providing mental health resources for our officers.” North-JerseyNews.com
Federal authorities took a big crack at catalytic converter thefts, announcing raids and arrests from California to New Jersey on Nov. 2 to break up a network of thieves, dealers and processors that netted hundreds of millions of dollars from the fast-growing crime. Authorities charged 21 defendants from five states in indictments with three locations raided in New Jersey—Holmdel, Freehold and Wrightstown. Authorities said they executed more than 32 search warrants and seized millions of dollars in homes, bank accounts, cash and luxury vehicles. News12 New Jersey
A 30-year-old man accused of shooting and wounding two Newark police officers serving an arrest warrant at a city apartment building was arrested Nov. 2, ending a massive manhunt that spanned two days and forced residents from their homes. Kendall Howard, of East Orange, was taken into custody shortly after 11 a.m. One of the officers was discharged Wednesday and the other remained in the hospital but in stable condition. NJ.com
A state judge has dismissed the corruption charges against suspended Saddle Brook Police Chief Robert Kugler, a former candidate for Bergen County sheriff whose campaign was derailed by allegations that he illegally ordered his officers to escort processions leaving his privately owned funeral home. In a 56-page decision issued Nov. 2, State Superior Court Judge Marilyn C. Clark said the township ordinance the chief allegedly broke did not apply to funeral processions, as state investigators alleged. Clark added prosecutors left out key pieces of information favorable to Kugler when they made their case to the grand jury, whose indictment led the state attorney general to charge Kugler with conspiracy, misconduct and corruption of public resources in March 2021. The Record
The Justice Department reportedly offered to allow Kash Patel, a close adviser to former President Donald Trump, to testify to a federal grand jury under a grant of immunity about Trump’s handling of highly sensitive presidential records. The offer of immunity came about a month after Patel invoked his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination in front of the grand jury and refused to answer questions from prosecutors investigating whether Trump improperly took national security documents with him when he left the White House and subsequently obstructed attempts by the government to retrieve them. The New York Times
The Federal Reserve lifted interest rates by another 0.75 percentage point to in their attempt to combat inflation and signaled plans to keep raising them, in smaller increments but to higher levels than previously anticipated. The increase approved Nov. 3, the Fed’s fourth consecutive 0.75-point rate rise, lifts the central bank’s benchmark federal-funds to a range between 3.75% and 4%. After the decision, Chairman Jerome Powell said officials would contemplate a smaller hike at their next meeting in December. But he cautioned that they might raise borrowing costs next year more than they have projected. The Wall Street Journal
As energy prices rise, New Jersey residents will get $336 million worth of help from the federal government. The state will receive $153.3 million for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program to help pay Winter heating bills, and $183.1 million in rebates for homeowners buying energy-efficient appliances making their buildings more energy-efficient, the White House announced Nov. 2. NJ.com
New Jersey lawmakers may take a second look at raising some car insurance coverage minimums after most bills in a reform package championed by State Senate President Nicholas Scutari failed to advance this Summer. State Sen. Joe Lagana (D-38) this week introduced a bill that would require auto insurance policies to include at least $50,000 in personal injury protection coverage, up from the $15,000 mandated under existing law. Lagana said the aim is to protect people injured in automobile accidents who can’t afford to pay their medical bills. Scutari has previously said New Jersey’s current requirements are so low they force taxpayers to subsidize victims’ unpaid medical bills. New Jersey Monitor
Bergen County will form a committee to determine a final plan for a section of Overpeck Park that has become a source of contention among environmental advocates and officials in adjacent Leonia. County administrator Thomas Duch said the county will continue to do the environmental cleanup of the area, site of a former landfill. But once capping is complete, County Executive James Tedesco will “form a committee to determine the ultimate course of park development.” The Record
A state appellate panel has upheld Jersey City approvals to designate a downtown site as a condemnation area in need of redevelopment, clearing the way for a project that may include a much-needed school. The court ruling rejected the bid by one of the 38 property owners at the Saddlewood Court/Laurel Court development to overturn the approvals by the Jersey City Planning Board and City Council that gives the city the power of eminent domain. The city sees the development as including affordable housing, flood mitigation, a public park, and a new 50,000 square-foot public school for Pre K-5 students to help alleviate the school system’s overcrowding. The Jersey Journal
After five months, Story Dispensary received the approval by the Hoboken Planning Board for their retail cannabis application after a six hour meeting on Nov. 1. Story Dispensary application has lasted nearly a year since initially appearing before the Cannabis Review Board in February, subject to criticism over how a cannabis dispensary would affect the neighborhood, their transparency, and political connections in Hudson County. Hudson Reporter
Through its Business Action Center, New Jersey plans to establish a Cannabis Training Academy to help small businesses break into the industry. The initiative is being funded by the state Cannabis Regulatory Commission, through a portion of the sales tax revenue generated by recreational marijuana sales. It will roll out in the first half of 2023. It will have a 10-week core curriculum, consisting of prerecorded webinars followed by live question-and-answer sessions twice a month. NJ1015.com
And finally…Taylor Swift announced two MetLife Shows for her Eras Tour in 2023. NJ.com
