New Jersey
GOP has golden opportunity in NJ governor’s race. But will they pick a winner? | Stile
Republican State Sen. Jon Bramnick announces 2025 run for NJ governor
State Sen. Jon Bramnick, a Republican, announces his run for NJ governor at The Stress Factory in New Brunswick on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024.
In the past two weeks, Donald Trump tightened his MAGA grip on the Republican Party and dispatched the nation’s loudest Never Trumper, ex-New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to the dustbin of failed presidential hopefuls.
Yet Republican Jon Bramnick, the veteran state legislator from Union County, ignored the recent past on Saturday as he announced his bid for governor in 2025 at a comedy club in New Brunswick. He declared himself an avowed Never Trumper moderate, but without the bare-knuckled vehemence of Christie.
That’s not surprising. Bramnick, after all, moonlights as a standup comedian. He’s known to test out some of his Borscht Belt-flavored jokes on politicians in the hallways of the Statehouse where he’s served for nearly two decades. His affability has won him friends on both sides of the aisle, ranging from Christie to the current governor, Democrat Phil Murphy.
Christie went right at Trump’s character, calling him a coward and a reckless narcissist who places his own ego ahead of the interests of the nation. In Bramnick’s kickoff ceremony in front of close to 300 friends and supporters, the state senator took aim at the ethos of the Trump cult, but not so much at its leader.
Yet at its heart, the 70-year-old personal injury lawyer’s anti-Trump message was identical to Christie’s And it is this: There is no way that the New Jersey GOP can regain relevance as long as its brand is wedded to the “hateful” rhetoric of the Trump era.
Bramnick defends elections − including Biden’s
“We’ve been losing election after election after election,’’ he told the crowd. “We have always been a party of law and order. But we cannot continue to be the party of law and order if we make excuses for the rioters of Jan. 6 who were beating police officers over the head with sticks.”
The crowd erupted in thunderous applause. He continued on this theme, arguing that close to 60 court rulings rejected challenges to the 2020 presidential election.
Respecting the court, he said, is also an essential requirement for a party that once prided itself on its orderly reputation. Bramnick asserted that the party must “call out” those railing against the courts, “even if it’s Donald Trump.”
It was his only mention of the Bedminster golf club owner’s name. Still, Bramnick immediately drew a sharp contrast with former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, another Republican more closely aligned with the party’s moderate wing and who is planning his third run for governor in 2025. Ciattarelli, who once labeled Trump a “charlatan,’’ refuses to criticize him, saying that if elected governor, he may need to work with Trump if he returns to the White House.
Ciattarelli is staring out at a Republican Party now in the throes of MAGA fever. Bramnick is betting that the fever may break by 2025, and the party will un-yoke itself from a figure dragged down by 91 felony counts.
Moderate manifesto
Bramnick’s kickoff was a defiant manifesto of Republican moderation. Instead of retreating from the pillars of the GOP establishment of the past, Bramnick reverentially summoned the hallowed names of Eisenhower and the Bush family, names that make the MAGA crowd fume with fury.
In fact, the campaign shared video endorsements of George P. Bush, the grandson of President George H.W. Bush and a former Texas state official, and former U.S. House Speaker John Boehner, an Ohio moderate who was run out of Washington by the Tea Party activists, the pro-MAGA right wing faction of the GOP.
“The history of my Republican Party has always been defined by humility and service to our country, virtues and concepts that I was proud,’’ he said. “The voters we need no longer view our party that way.”
Bramnick also vowed to restore “balance’’ to Trenton, where the Democrats have ruled the legislature for two decades. He promised compromise and enactment of tough-on-crime measures that he believes appeal to the Main Street centrism of New Jersey. (One position he championed, however – a return to mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines for judges – has long been discredited as a failed policy that sent generations of low-risk offenders to prison and into the endless treadmill of the state’s criminal justice system.)
The question now looming for Bramnick: Is his moderate manifesto a legitimate strategy or just wishful thinking?
Column: Has ‘Gold Bar Bob’ really ‘always been a patriot’? Don’t buy it | Stile
Some believe Bramnick could make a formidable general election candidate in 2025. His vow to restore bipartisanship and compromise could appeal to a New Jersey electorate that normally takes a chance with the opposition party after a governor has held the office for two consecutive terms.
Micah Rasmussen, director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University, believes Bramnick could actually draw some encouragement from the recent New Hampshire primary performance of former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who finished in second place.
Why 2025 could be Republicans’ year
Even though Trump beat her by 11 points, she captured 58% of independents. Exit polls also found that four out of 10 Haley voters declared that they would vote for Biden rather than Trump in November.
“It would be very unusual, historically, for us to have a third Democratic term in a row,’’ Rasmussen said of the coming governor’s race. “So I think he can probably make the case for balance and for giving the Republican side a chance.”
But getting through a Republican primary will be the key challenge. Right now, Bramnick and Ciattarelli are likely fighting for the middle, but right-wing radio host Bill Spadea has been raising money. He’s forged ties with influential Ocean County GOP leader George Gilmore (who was at Saturday’s event.)
Bramnick may hope the fever breaks, but right now, the GOP remains in the grips of MAGA voters, who have no patience for Never Trump attacks.
The senator’s moderate pitch is “not going to fly up here,’’ said Robert Kovic, executive secretary of the Sussex County Republican Party, where Trump is overwhelmingly popular.
Some officials say the race is light years away, and that Bramnick’s skills and experience and Jersey guy amiability might just work. It’s too early to worry about the dynamics of the primary.
“Eighteen years ago, I started in the state Assembly and made a few friends on both sides,’’ Bramnick said. “And I think I know the process pretty well.”
But he is also new to the process of running for governor. And he’s an untested candidate testing a Never Trump message that seems out of step with his party.
New Jersey
Monmouth County hospital among World’s Best Hospitals for 2026
Ranney School student plays music for Monmouth Medical Center patients
Ava Silva Costa, a sophomore at the Ranney School in Tinton Falls, has started Arturo Healing Hearts, bringing her violin music to area hospitals.
Hospitals are an important need in the world.
And finding a facility with high-quality medical care that’s reliable is also important.
Newsweek, the premier news magazine and website, has partnered with Statista to release a dependable guidance list of the World’s Best Hospitals – United States for 2026.
In it’s eight year, these ranking highlights the leading hospitals around the globe so readers can find information tailored to their needs and location the report stated.
Each hospital was reviewed and given a score based on four data sources: recommendations from medical experts; hospital quality metrics, existing patient experience data and Statista’s Patient-Reported Outcome Measures Implementation Survey.
In typical New Jersey fashion, the Garden State makes the list among the 2,500 hospitals that were evaluated this year.
Nine hospitals from the Garden State made the list with one representing Monmouth County. With an overall score of 61.79% and the Infection Prevention Award, Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch made the top 9 list for roster in World’s Best Hospitals 2026 from Newsweek.
World’s Best Hospitals 2026 in New Jersey
- No. 53: Atlantic Health Morristown Medical Center in Morristown; overall score: 70.74%
- No. 56: Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack; overall score: 70.07%
- No. 134: The Valley Hospital in Paramus; overall score: 65.36%
- No. 186: Atlantic Health Overlook Medical Center in Summit; overall score: 64.42%
- No. 254: Englewood Hospital and Medical Center in Englewood; overall score: 63.13%
- No. 320: Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick; overall score: 62.26%
- No. 364: Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark; overall score: 61.82%
- No. 366: Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center in Plainsboro; overall score: 61.80%
- No. 367: Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch; overall score: 61.79%
New Jersey
Newly released body cam footage shows response to massive industrial explosion in Gloucester County
LOGAN TWP., N.J. (WPVI) — Newly released body camera footage gives us a first look at the heroic actions of first responders on the scene of a massive industrial explosion in Gloucester County earlier this month.
The explosion happened at an industrial facility in Logan Township, New Jersey, on March 4 and left several workers injured.
The initial blast could be heard miles away.
Now, we are getting a look at the frantic rush to help in the moments after it happened.
New details released after massive explosion at Logan Twp., New Jersey factory
In the footage, you can hear the police officers frantically trying to locate people who were injured by the blast at Savita Naturals.
Large propane tanks burned in the background as rescuers tried to account for any survivors.
At one point, first responders are seen running inside the building to look for people. You can see damaged walls and debris everywhere.
Four people were injured in the blast, with one of them being thrown off the roof and into the woods near the water tower.
Amazingly, the worker was found alive by a fence. He was badly burned, but able to talk.
First responders had to load him in a truck and get him to the road, where a Logan Township officer tried to keep him calm as they waited for an ambulance.
Body cam video shows an officer calling the man’s wife to let her know he was alive.
That officer stayed by his side until he was finally loaded into a police car and rushed to the hospital.
The cause of the explosion remains under investigation.
Copyright © 2026 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.
New Jersey
How hunters are helping to feed those in need throughout New Jersey
How hunters in NJ are helping feed the hungry, food pantries
See how hunters in New Jersey are working with food pantries to help feed the hungry in the state.
For more than 25 years, hunters around the Garden State have been making a difference by working with Hunters Helping the Hungry, a nonprofit organization that raises money and coordinates the efforts of hunters, butchers, and food banks throughout New Jersey to help put food on the table for those in need.
The program began during the 1997/1998 hunting season, a result of the efforts of three Hunterdon County hunters along with help from a butcher named John Person and Kathy Rummel, the director at the time of Norwescap.
“We started out 25 years ago just as hunters, you know, wanting to go out and get some extra deer. New Jersey had very liberal deer quotas and bag limits. You could get unlimited does,” said Lester Giese, one of the founders of Hunters Helping the Hungry. “I was on a trip, and I was going through West Virginia, and I saw at one of the gas stations a brochure for Hunters Helping the Hungry. I picked up the brochure and looked at it and said, ‘What a great idea.’ When I got back, as it turned out, the state legislature just recently passed a law to allow venison donations.”
Five deer were donated during that first season, according to Giese. Today, the organization averages about 1,000 donations per year, which amounts to between 23,000 and 28,000 pounds of venison, he said.
Overall, since the program’s inception, Hunters Helping the Hungry has facilitated the donation of nearly 2.5 million servings of venison.
While the program originally started as a way to assist hunters who could harvest more deer than they could use, the organization’s mission has expanded. According to its website, Hunters Helping the Hungry currently aims to:
- Continue paying butchering costs for hunters who are able to take more deer than they can use;
- Support municipal and private property owners that pay for the butchering process directly while they attempt to reduce the deer population on their property;
- And set aside a portion of grants from the state Department of Agriculture to support and pay for the butchering of deer taken by farmers and their agents during depredation hunts.
These efforts ultimately help New Jersey’s food bank system and provide a source of protein to those in need, while also keeping the state’s deer herd in check
“So, kind of a nutshell, we started out just a small group of us with a small focus,” Giese said. “And now we’re trying to do a lot of things for a lot of people.”
The process: From forest to food pantry
In New Jersey the deer hunting season runs from the second week of September through the second week of February. According to Hunters Helping the Hungry board member Mark Charbonneau, this is one of the longest hunting seasons in the United States.
Hunters who want to make a donation bring their legally harvested deer to one of the state-inspected butchers that partner with the organization. Processing fees are paid to the butcher by Hunters Helping the Hungry from a fund consisting of donations and grants.
The butcher processes the deer at no cost to the hunter and gives it to one of the participating food banks, such as Norwescap, which partners with pantries in Warren, Sussex, and Hunterdon counties.
Venison issued to the food banks is distributed to over 400 charities around the state.
Although New Jersey’s deer hunting season starts in the fall, Charbonneau, a board member of about 20 years and a hunter of about 40, says that the process starts well beforehand.
“The process actually starts before hunting season starts. What I mean by that is hunters will start scouting certain locations to be able to know where deer are, to be able to prepare to harvest them legally and as ethically and quickly as possible,” said Charbonneau, adding that less than 2% of the New Jersey population are deer hunters.
Charbonneau continued, “So when you start that process of scouting areas, setting up your locations, then going afield, then harvesting your game, then removing your game from the field, then field dressing it properly, then bringing it to a butcher, then making that donation, there’s a lot of steps involved and there’s a lot of time involved.”
JB Person, an Hunters Helping the Hungry board member and the owner of GameButcher in Lebanon, is one of several participating butchers that process the donated deer.
“What the hunters do is come here, they have to fill out some paperwork, and along with the paperwork we request they also fill out a donation slip. They donate the whole deer,” Person said. “What we do is skin it and process it into various cuts – roast, steak, chops, and ground meat. Everything is cut, wrapped, and frozen and then when we have a bunch ready to go, I get in touch with Norwescap and then they come and pick it up.”
Game Butchers averages between 150 and 200 donated deer per year, according to Person, who added that Hunters Helping the hungry is “in desperate need of butchers.”
How to donate deer to Hunters Helping the Hungry
Hunters looking to make a donation can take their legally harvested deer to any of the participating butchers listed on the Hunters Helping the Hungry website.
Once the required forms have been filled out, the butcher will process the deer. The food bank will then pick up the processed deer from the butcher and distribute the frozen venison to various food pantries, emergency shelters, churches, etc.
If the dressed weight of the deer is more than 50 pounds, Hunters Helping the Hungry will pay the entire processing fee, according to the organization’s website. If the dressed weight of the deer is less than 50 pounds, the hunter will be required to pay the first $50 of the processing fee.
Throughout the 2025/2026 hunting season, a total of 802 deer were donated to Hunters Helping the Hungry. This amounts to 26,846 pounds of venison which yields 107,384 servings.
“The number one thing that people need to know about our organization is that the hunters of the great state of New Jersey are the reason for our success,” Charbonneau said. “The hunters have taken it upon themselves in the great state of New Jersey to go afield every year and harvest game to help those not as fortunate as most.”
For additional information about Hunters Helping the Hungry and how you can donate and/or get involved as a hunter or a butcher, visit the organization’s website at https://www.huntershelpingthehungry.org/.
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