Sorry for the lack of blogging lately, but I was on the road working.

I’m back and the first thing I learned is that Democrats in competitive South Jersey Legislative District completely lack courage.

The issue is a bill (A5207/S3361) that passed both houses back in June. The bill, according to NJ.com, bans local and private jails “from signing contracts to hold federal immigration detainees.”

According to the NJ.com piece Governor Phil Murphy unceremoniously signed the bill Friday:

Murphy, a Democrat who is running for re-election in November, quietly signed the bill the day after he returned from his trip. He did not release a statement about why he signed it.

I can only guess at the reason Murphy quietly signed the bill – my guess is that Murphy already has enough problems with possible illegal immigrants given his women’s professional soccer team’s involvement in an alleged visa fraud scheme.

Murphy obviously has a reason to be sneaky about signing the bill. His lack of courage in supporting this bill can easily be explained.

What really jumped out at me is the South Jersey Democrats in competitive races who didn’t even have the courage to vote on the bill.

According to the roll call LD8 state Senator Dawn Addiego is listed as “Not Voting,” on the Assembly side Assemblyman Ryan Peters and Assemblywoman Jean Stanfield both voted “No.”

In the competitive LD2 race Assemblyman John Armato and Assemblyman Vince Mazzeo each showed a complete lack of courage and are listed as “Not Voting.”

In LD8, where Stanfield voted no to the bill in the Assembly, she is challenging Addiego for the Seante seat. Stanfield’s Assembly runningmates are Brandon Umbra and Mike Torrissi. In LD2 Armato is running for reelection and his runningmate is Caren Fitzpatrick, an Atlantic County Commissioner. They are being challenged by former Atlantic City Mayor Don Guardian and Claire Swift, a former NJ Deputy Attorney General. On the Senate side Mazzeo is running against former Assemblyman Vince Polistina.

I can only guess the reason Addiego, Armato and Mazzeo did not have the courage to vote on a bill banning local and private jails “from signing contracts to hold federal immigration detainees,” is they feared taking a stand when it comes to illegal immigrants.

It is time for Addiego, Armato and Mazzeo to tell South Jersey voters where they stand on illegal immigration. Not voting is unacceptable!

We know where their opponents, Stanfield, Umbra and Torrissi, stand, and that’s on the side of the rule of law. If you want a better, safer South Jersey, the choices in LD8 and LD2 are clear.

Just when I was getting ready to complain that outside of the insurgent Democrats in Camden County this primary season was boring things are starting to heat up on the GOP side of the aisle in the South and the North.

By now readers of the blog and listeners of the radio show are familiar with the battle in LD8 where one of the incumbent Assemblymen, Joe Howarth, has been forced to run off the line after being accused of trying to switch parties. He denies he ever tried to flip. In fact, Howarth came on the radio show and denied the claim. (We’ve said on the show Assemblyman Ryan Peters, former Sheriff Jean Stanfield are welcome to come on. They haven’t, but a fourth LD8 candidate, Jason Huf, has.)

Based on reporting by InsiderNJ and New Jersey Globe, it appears that the screaming about attempted party switching has stopped and Howarth has launched an assault via direct mail. See the pieces at InsiderNJ here and New Jersey Globe here.

Howarth’s mailers have been savage: He’s attacked Stanfield for failing to comply with an ICE request to hold an illegal alien who “was originally charged with sexual assault of a minor.” Howarth’s mailers basically attack Peters over who is more pro-President Trump.

On the line Republicans responded with an email sent by party Chairman Sean Earlen attacking Howarth for allegedly attempting to switch parties.

Then there’s the primary battle for freeholder in Morris County. In that race the incumbents have made an issue of a “mystery consultant” being used by challenger Donald Dinsmore. New Jersey Globe outed the ‘mystery consultant” as King Penna. For what it’s worth, I have it on good authority New Jersey Globe got the information correct, King Penna is the “mystery consultant.”

To be clear, I have no dog in the Morris County fight, but in the interest of full disclosure, I am NOT a fan of one of the incumbents, Freeholder Tom Mastrangelo.

Several sources have confirmed to me Mastrangelo is the leaker of information coming out of Morris County GOP meetings which was a contentious issue earlier this year.

I believe those sources because Mastrangelo is a big enough scumbag that he once threw his own son under the bus by denying he sent him to video an event hosted by his opponents. His son admitted to police he was sent by his father.

And, of course, there’s the time Mastrangelo filed criminal charges against me, as well as my clients, for publishing allegedly expunged police records. The charges were eventually dismissed because even the judge knew Mastrangelo was full of crap.

I mention the allegedly expunged police records because apparently those records have resurfaced in the Morris County fight. Apparently, and this is a guess on my part, Dinsmore’s “mystery consultant” has the same records I had years ago because sources have sent me this beautiful mailer:

Though I think it’s cowardly to use a phony paid for by line, I think it’s funny at least one of the allegedly expunged police records has resurfaced in Morris.

I guess all that’s left is to see if Mastrangelo files criminal charges against someone else this time. Glad I’m out of it! Happy primary election!