The wisdom of the south Jersey Democratic political machine is open to question.
Maybe that’s the wrong way to put it because there is no question: its wisdom has been proved wrong again in glorious fashion.
When Amy Kennedy ran away with the vote in this month’s Democratic primary in the Second Congressional District, she did more than upset the party-anointed candidate, Brigid Callahan Harrison. Kennedy embarrassed the party machine and revealed the Democratic county leaders as little more than nodding heads eager to go along with what they’re told.
How could the party leaders have been so wrong?
Hmmm. Maybe because they were so wrong to choose Democratic state Sen. Jeff Van Drew to run for Congress two years ago. We all know how that turned out. Van Drew turned his back on his party and became a Republican when it was obvious he wasn’t going to get a second term.
The Van Drew fiasco drew national attention – and not in a good way – for south Jersey’s Democratic leaders. Those leaders were able to promote him to Congress, but they were powerless to keep him in the party.
Van Drew turning tail and running to hide behind President Donald Trump cemented the longtime Democrat’s place in the Republican Party. Vowing “undying support” to the president sits well among the district’s conservatives, who barely glanced at Van Drew’s primary opponent, even though that opponent, Bob Patterson, is a real Republican, a real conservative and a big Trump fan to boot.
Van Drew, however, has Trump’s stamp of approval, and that’s all GOP party leaders and party faithful need.
The question is what will Kennedy need to beat Van Drew?
Democratic voters don’t give a fig about the south Jersey political machine or their county leaders. They gave Kennedy nearly three times as many votes as Harrison.
We’re sure the Democratic machine is going to line up behind Kennedy now because they want this district back … after only having it blue for half of Van Drew’s term.
Kennedy, however, should be wary of the leadership, even though she’ll be happy to have its support. She is going to need all the support she can get to knock off Van Drew, who goes into November far better known than her in this district, which had a Republican congressman for nearly a quarter-century before Van Drew was elected.
Kennedy ran a positive race in the primary, focusing on what she will do for the district. Harrison, by contrast, spent much of her time on the attack. That didn’t play well with Democratic voters.
So, what will play well with the other voters in this district where Republicans outnumber Democrats, but Democrats and independents together outnumber Republicans?
In her primary run, Kennedy rans ads showing her connection, by marriage, to the famous Kennedy clan, including the late JFK, Bobby and Ted, the “liberal lion” of the Senate. With Trump barraging the airwaves with negative attacks on his opponent, Joe Biden, we are curious if Van Drew is going to follow suit and whether this will shape up as a liberal versus conservative fight too.