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'Forever Trumper' ex-mayor enters GOP race for New Jersey governor • New Jersey Monitor

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'Forever Trumper' ex-mayor enters GOP race for New Jersey governor • New Jersey Monitor


Former Englewood Cliffs mayor Mario Kranjac has entered the crowded race for the Republican nomination to become New Jersey’s next governor.

Kranjac, who announced his candidacy Sunday, told the New Jersey Monitor he’s a “forever Trumper” with unwavering views and a track record of winning over Democratic voters.

“As a person who’s always supported President Trump, I’m not a politician who’s going to look at how the wind is blowing and decide what my values and beliefs are,” he said.

A venture capitalist and attorney, Kranjac was elected Englewood Cliffs mayor in 2016 — the first Republican in 40 years to win the seat in the blue-leaning borough.

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“I self-imposed a two-term limit,” he said. “Given the shape that New Jersey’s in, I think any elected office should have a term (limit) attached to it. The terms may vary, but we have people who have just outstayed their welcome and not done a good job. It’s good to have new people come in with new ideas.”

New Jersey doesn’t set term or age limits for any elected office besides the governor’s office, even though such limits are popular with voters.

Kranjac, making his first bid for statewide office, joins a race where nine other Republicans already have staked a claim on the seat Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, has held since 2018. Murphy’s second term ends in January 2026; he’s barred from seeking a third term this November.

Kranjac said his top priority, if elected, would be to cut taxes 2% for each year he’s governor by cutting waste, as Trump has tasked Elon Musk to do under a new, controversial Department of Government Efficiency.

“It’s possible. You just got to get all the fluff out of local, county, and state government. You’re seeing that happen at the federal level right now, where there’s a recapture of money. We need to do the same. I’ll call it the New Jersey DOGE,” he said.

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Such efforts are already underway in many red states.

Other priorities listed on his campaign website echo policy positions of Trump and other conservatives, including securing the border, fighting crime, protecting life “from conception until natural death,” and educating “not indoctrinat(ing) students.”

He’s also not keen on state government and judges “usurping the authority of mayors and councils and planning boards,” pointing to affordable housing requirements as an example.

As Englewood Cliffs mayor, Kranjac sought to block affordable housing in his borough, which is one of the wealthiest statewide. That earned him a critical 2019 editorial in which the Star-Ledger called him a “Trumpy mayor.” He embraced that nickname in his gubernatorial announcement, while also taking a swipe at the news outlet as “fake news,” one of Trump’s favorite insults.

He doubled down on the issue during an interview with the New Jersey Monitor Monday.

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“These are unfunded state mandates on municipalities to mandate an explosion of their population just under the guise of affordable housing,” he said. “We need to make the whole state affordable and stop basically with the sham, with so much money being thrown back at developers who put it back into the politicians’ hands who appoint judges who keep the whole sham going.”

Kranjac pointed to a January poll that showed 47% of registered Republicans and 56% of Democrats in New Jersey remain undecided on who they’ll support in the June primary, even after the declared candidates have “spent millions of dollars and have been at this for a year or two.”

As governor, Kranjac said, he would follow Trump’s approach to policymaking.

“(He’s) a guy who basically looked at a problem and says, ‘Well, what’s the best things for everyone, not just for that 1 or 2% of very vocal protest group that has the media behind them, because they just want to stir the pot?’” he said.

He added: “I align with the values and beliefs that he’s espousing, which is basically that we’re going to return to normal. The whole country is going to return to normal. The state of New Jersey should return to normal.”

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New Jersey

On June 1, electricity bills for most New Jersey residents will go up

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On June 1, electricity bills for most New Jersey residents will go up


From Camden and Cherry Hill to Trenton and the Jersey Shore, what about life in New Jersey do you want WHYY News to cover? Let us know.

Most New Jersey residents will spend more on electricity starting June 1. The state’s annual electricity auction for basic generation service, or BGS, is driving the uptick. According to the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, electric bills for most residents and small to medium-sized businesses served by the four electric distribution companies will increase on an average by at least $20.

Why is there an auction?

Per state law, electric companies are required to buy at market rate the energy they need to serve customers, who do not switch to a third-party supplier.

The companies submit proposals on how they will buy electricity through the auction. Unlike the online marketplace eBay, the prices at the auction start high and decrease with each bid until suppliers are no longer willing to offer a lower bid at which they can provide adequate service.

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The cost decided at auction is sent directly to ratepayers.

Who is PJM Interconnection and how much of a factor are they?

PJM Interconnection is a regional transmission organization, or RTO, that coordinates the movement of electricity in 13 states and the District of Columbia. They are also charged with maintaining the electrical grid.

The grid operator held a capacity auction last July that saw record totals, which BPU President Christine Guhl-Sadovy said was the main driver behind the auction results.

“[The] results are the culmination of several issues: rapidly increasing demand for electricity, coupled with limited supply growth due to lagging new generation interconnection, and flawed market dynamics in the PJM region,” she said.



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New Jersey

These NJ grocery stores are making it harder to buy eggs; see why

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These NJ grocery stores are making it harder to buy eggs; see why


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Grocery stores across New Jersey are making it harder to snag extra eggs by enacting a purchase limit as a deadly outbreak of avian flu has caused a strain in supply, leaving grocery store shelves empty and driving up prices.

Walmart, Trader Joe’s and Costco, which have several locations across the Garden State, are the latest in a handful of retailers scrambling to keep eggs in stock while limiting purchases to curb customer hoarding.

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Trader Joe’s is limiting egg purchases to one carton per customer, per day, to ensure shoppers who need eggs are able to purchase them when they shop, the grocery store said in a Monday statement to USA TODAY.

The egg crisis has been documented heavily on social media, with customers disheartened by empty shelves and skyrocketing prices. Here’s a list of the stores that are limiting their customers’ purchasing powers, or enacting slightly different rules.

Are there egg limits at Trader Joe’s?

Trader Joe’s is limiting egg purchases to one dozen per customer per day in all stores across the U.S., the grocer confirmed with USA TODAY.

Are there eggs limits at Costco?

Costco, which has over 20 locations in New Jersey, said it is limiting customers to three cartons of eggs per visit, aiming to prevent individuals from buying excessive amounts to ensure others have access to eggs, CNN reported. The store typically sells two- and four-dozen cartons.

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Are there egg limits at Walmart?

Walmart said they are not imposing purchase limits nationally, except on 60-count cartons, which have been limited to two per purchase, a spokesperson for the retailer told USA TODAY on Tuesday.

Are there egg limits at Whole Foods?

Several media outlets including Tasting Table have reported Whole Foods is limiting customers to three cartons per customer.

Are there egg limits at Aldi?

Aldi, which has 63 locations in New Jersey, has not announced a company-wide policy regarding egg shortages, although egg availability appears to affect certain stores. For example, a customer turned to Reddit on Sunday to share a sign at the Aldi in Edison that limited customers to two cartons.

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Why is there an egg shortage?

Eggs are becoming difficult to find due to the rise in highly pathogenic avian influenza, a strain of what is known as the bird flu. The strain has decimated the supply of egg-laying poultry since January 2022.

That, combined with factors including inflation, has directly impacted the average price of eggs. As of the end of January, the wholesale price of a large carton on eggs in the New York market rose to an average an average of $7.63 per dozen, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.

Lori Comstock is a New Jersey-based journalist with the Mid-Atlantic Connect Team.



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New Jersey

Track school closings, delays in NY and NJ for Wednesday, Feb. 11

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Track school closings, delays in NY and NJ for Wednesday, Feb. 11


Schools across New York and New Jersey announced delayed openings for Wednesday morning as a winter storm is expected to bring 1 to 3 inches of snow to the Tri-State area.

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JUMP TO: NEW YORK l NEW JERSEY

 

School closings and delays

New York

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  • Central Islip School District: 2 Hour Delay
  • Deer Park School District: 2 Hour Delay
  • East Islip School District: 2 Hour Delay
  • Half Hollow Hills School Dist.: 2 Hour Delay
  • Huntington School District: 2 Hour Delay
  • Islip School District: 2 Hour Delay
  • L.I. School For The Gifted: 2 Hour Delay
  • Marlboro Central School District: 2 Hour Delay
  • Wyandanch School District: 2 Hour Delay
  •  

New Jersey

  • Barnegat Township School District: 2 Hour Delay
  • Middletown Township School District: 2 Hour Delay
  • Somerset Co. Educational Svcs. Comm. Sch. Dist.: 90 Minute Delay
  • The Children’s Center Of Monmouth County: 2 Hour Delay
  • Totowa School District: 1 Hour Delay

Track real-time closings and delays below:

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