New Jerseyans aren’t always civil, but it’s still possible for a liberal Democrat and a conservative Republican to have a rational and pleasant conversation about politics in the state.  Dan Bryan is a former senior advisor to Gov. Phil Murphy and is now the owner of his own public affairs firm, and Alex Wilkes is an attorney and former executive director of America Rising PAC who advises Republican candidates in New Jersey and across the nation, including the New Jersey GOP.  Dan and Alex are both experienced strategists who are currently in the room where high-level decisions are made.  They will get together weekly with New Jersey Globe editor David Wildstein to discuss politics and issues.

More than half of Americans (incorrectly) think the country is in a recession.  Since you’re both advising candidates, how do you tell them to talk about the economy?

Dan Bryan: We’re in a tough atmosphere for incumbents. The economy is strong, but people don’t feel it. And anyone spending their time telling voters they’re wrong about the economy is in for a long campaign. So here’s how I’d advise a candidate (say, one running for reelection to a high office) to talk about the economy:

“Listen, by basic economic markers, we all know America’s economy is strong. Unemployment is down, GDP is up, the stock market is thriving, and people are making more money than they were just four years ago.

“But people don’t *feel* like the economy is strong, and I don’t blame them. It’s never been more expensive to raise a family in this country, and people know it because they live that reality every day. Imagine being a young family today, trying to buy a house in this market, at these interest rates. They’re trying to afford increased childcare and healthcare costs, and try to save for an unsure retirement. Working families are getting squeezed from every angle, and they know it.

“But here’s the difference between me and my opponent: I wake up every day fighting for those families, working to make their lives better. My administration is working to bring down college costs, help families buy their first home, and make childcare more affordable. We work day and night to deliver for working families, and help them afford to build their own American Dream. I’m running for reelection not because I think things are perfect, but because I know that job’s not done.

“Meanwhile, my opponent wakes up every single day disdainful of the middle class in America and desperate to cut taxes for the wealthy and corporations. Don’t take it from me, take it from him – he’s already promising tax cuts for his wealthy donors. He’ll make things worse for working families, and better for corporations and the ultra wealthy.

“While he wakes up every day sucking up to them, I’ll continue to wake up every day fighting for American working families.”

Alex Wilkes: I think Dan would agree with me in principle that if you’re explaining, you’re losing. A vast majority of the people answering pollsters’ questions probably can’t define what a recession is (I offer that as an explanation, not an insult, by the way).

But it’s a rose by any other name for most Americans. The bottom line is that most people recognize that their personal economic situation is worse under Joe Biden than it was four years ago. They understand it because they live it every day. It is truly breathtaking to go into a store and realize how little $100 gets you in groceries. I have 2 children – one born in 2020 and the other born last year. The very same infant formula I have used for both is $15 more expensive today than it was 4 years ago. These are real, appreciable differences that every voter can see in their own bank account. 

So Democrats can act like a schoolmarm and try to Merriam-Webster their way out of this mess, or they can – as other prominent Democrats, like David Axlerod, have done –acknowledge that “Bidenomics” and other attempts at obfuscation on this important issue have been an abysmal failure.

The star witness in the Menendez corruption trial claimed the three-term senator from New Jersey used to ring a bell to summon his wife.  Based on what you’ve read or heard, how is Bob Menendez doing?  

Alex: I just want to tell the young girl getting ridiculed for voting for Romney-Ryan in 2012 because of invented controversies like “binders full of women,” that I would ultimately be vindicated on just so many levels. It’s almost fifteen years later, and now the Democrats don’t just bully women into voting for them, they actually summon them like cattle!

I do, however, want to thank Bob Menendez for just an absolutely spectacular series of news cycles for Republicans here in New Jersey. Bisou bisou, mon amour!

Dan: In the words of Pete Campbell, not great, Bob!

It’s interesting how little chatter there is about this case. My guess – he’s going to lose reelection (if he follows through with it) and is, more or less, already out of public life in New Jersey. People have already moved on, regardless of the outcome of the case.

Donald Trump keeps talking about competing in New Jersey.  Is that real?

Dan: Absolutely. New Jersey is clearly his for the taking. All it’ll take is plenty of time, energy, and tens of millions of dollars spent here by the Trump campaign, and I think they have a real shot! (David – please forward this to the Trump campaign)

Alex: To be realistic, Joe Biden is going to go on an advertising blitz in the fall that will surely reshape the national conversation we are having right now, but I don’t think it’s at all far-fetched to say that Donald Trump will narrow Democrats’ margins in places that have traditionally been strongholds for the party. It may even make some states competitive. Looking at Ann Selzer’s latest Iowa poll, for example, it’s not a stretch to believe that Trump may be not just looking at a repeat performance in states like Michigan and Wisconsin, but that he also may come close to capturing elusive Minnesota.

For years, we’ve been warned about the Democrats’ strong performance with white, wealthy, college-educated voters, but their myopic focus on the coastal elite has come at a price. Traditional parts of the Democratic coalition like working class voters, and even percentages of black and Hispanic voters that should make them nervous, are leaving the party in droves. Is it any wonder when that same party drives up the costs of household goods for the people who can afford it the least and treats illegal immigrants better than veterans and first responders?

Trump may not win New Jersey, but if he narrows Biden’s margin of victory here slightly, that will have the potential for huge ramifications in the down-ballot races.

Governor Murphy’s latest — and possibly last — nomination to the New Jersey Supreme Court is John Hoffman, a former acting attorney general and now the counsel to Rutgers University.  He’s an independent with close ties to members of Gov. Chris Christie’s administration.  Is this an easy confirmation?

Alex: Most likely. Too bad for everyone else waiting for a divorce or custody hearing that Murphy and Scutari couldn’t find as agreeable of a solution on lower court nominees.

Dan: I’ve seen a few surprised X (sigh) reactions to this nomination by those that may be less familiar with New Jersey politics. So as a reminder, there is a tradition in New Jersey for Governors to alternate Supreme Court nominations between the Democratic and Republican parties, to maintain balance.

I don’t know much about Hoffman himself, but I’m glad Governor Murphy is committed to maintaining balance on the court.

A conservative New Jersey radio host and the head of the state’s biggest teachers union launched campaigns for next year’s gubernatorial election.

Bill Spadea, who hosts a morning radio show for 101.5 FM, said in a video posted Monday that he’s running for the Republican nomination next year. Spadea cast his candidacy as conservative, anti-abortion, pro-Second Amendment and strongly in favor of former President Donald Trump, this year’s presumed Republican presidential nominee.

Sean Spiller, the president of the New Jersey Education Association and mayor of Montclair, announced his bid for the Democratic nomination, joining a crowded field. Spiller said in his launch video that he’s running to help residents get “their fair share.”

Spadea joins state Sen. Jon Bramnick, a moderate who’s been critical of Trump, and former Assembly member Jack Ciattarelli in the GOP contest. Ciattarelli ran unsuccessfully in the prior two gubernatorial contests, but in 2021, he came within several points of defeating Murphy.

The New York/New Jersey metro area ranks No. 1 across the nation for life sciences manufacturing talent, which includes drug manufacturing as well as cell and gene therapy, according to CBRE’s annual U.S. Life Sciences Talent Trends report, which was recently released.

The new study analyzes life sciences employment by subsector, mapping out the top markets and employment trends across the research & development, manufacturing and medical technology fields.

New York/New Jersey leads the nation in the number of new biology, biological and biomedical sciences graduates, contributing to the region’s ranking as a top life science hub.

“Emerging biotechnologies and gene therapies require increasingly skilled manufacturing employees to meet the growing need,” CBRE Vice Chair Bill Hartman said. “New York/New Jersey holds the advantage as an historic leader in pharmaceutical, medicine and chemical manufacturing. We have a well-established base of manufacturing and distribution labor.”

“Identifying the appropriate talent pool for a company’s manufacturing needs can be complex, with a variety of extremely specific needs and skills,” Tom Sullivan, executive vice president, CBRE, said. “For example, a large pharmaceutical company’s high-volume production facility might have different needs compared to a smaller cell and gene therapy organization.”

According to the CBRE report, the life sciences research & development subsector in New York/New Jersey ranks No. 4 nationally with a total of 43,290 occupations, mostly as data scientists (16,330) and medical scientists (8,883).

The life sciences manufacturing subsector boasts New York/New Jersey as its largest market, with a talent pool of 57,650 led by inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers and weighers (17,640) and packaging and filling machine setters, operators and tenders (14,630).

New York/New Jersey’s medtech subsector, which includes designing and producing medical devices, ranks No. 5 with 37,960 occupations, anchored by big companies. Electrical, electronic and electromechanical assemblers were the largest portion of the talent pool (8,860), followed by industrial engineers (8,630).

The report, now in its third year, evaluates the largest 100 U.S. life sciences labor markets against multiple criteria for each of the three specialties. For the R&D subsector, that included the number and concentration of life sciences researchers; number of new graduates, and specifically with doctorates in that field; concentration of all doctorate holders; and concentration of jobs in the broader professional, scientific and technical services professions.