A top New Jersey Democrat, George Norcross, sounded off on the recent surge of Republican voters that disrupted the Democratic Party’s grips on power in the Garden State.
“It was just a tsunami,” Norcross told Politico for a piece published Monday. “Nobody saw this coming. Nobody. Including me, and I like to think I’m pretty astute about this.”
Norcross, a prolific fundraiser and head of numerous Democratic organizations in New Jersey, attributes the Republican wave to President Joe Biden’s poor performance in the Oval Office and tanking poll numbers, Politico reported.
Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy won by less than 100,000 votes over Republican candidate Jack Ciattarelli, despite the fact that polls indicated Murphy had a double-digit lead over Ciattarelli, and that Democrats had approximately one million more registered voters than Republicans, Politico reported. (RELATED: Murphy Narrowly Wins Re-Election In Nail-Biter New Jersey Governor’s Race)
Meanwhile, a hitherto unknown truck driver named Ed Durr beat out State Senate President Steve Sweeney in a surprise victory for Republicans.
This is the New Jersey truck driver who is beating the NJ Senate President after spending only $153 on his campaign – Go Ed Durr!!
pic.twitter.com/OoqysjYprb— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) November 3, 2021
Norcross maintains that Democrats need to change voter perceptions quickly in order to stay in power at the federal level, warning that “if this mood maintains itself, that’s trouble,” according to Politico.
The report also noted that when, for example, a left-wing politician such as Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders campaigns with Democrats, many voters might feel alienated from the party, even in a blue state such as New Jersey.
“The Democratic Party today, because of a lack of prominent leaders, has largely become defined by the progressive faces in our country,” Norcross said, according to Politico.
With midterm elections one year away, Biden’s cratering approval rating might play a crucial role in how the Democrats fare against Republicans.