We have our first Republican looking for the opportunity to take on Congressman Donald Norcross in 2020. Yesterday, by way of press release, Josh Duvall announced he will launch his campaign on Saturday May 18.

I don’t know Duvall well, I only met him once but, he appears to be motivated by all the recent George Norcross news.

I’ll let his press release speak for him:

CHERRY HILL - On Saturday, May 18 at 3pm at his Cherry Hill home, young professional/business owner Josh Duvall will announce his campaign to unseat incumbent lawmaker, and brother of South Jersey power broker, Donald Norcross.

“Democracy does not exist in South Jersey,” says Duvall. “This campaign isn’t about Democrats versus Republicans, or left versus right. This is about the good people of South Jersey, versus the Norcorss political machine. This is about restoring a voice and a vote to people who have been silenced. Voters in Burlington, Gloucester and especially Camden County are sick of the status quo,” Duvall said.

Recent events have once again brought Camden County into the national spotlight as accusations of fraud and corruption related to the Economic Development Authority tax break scheme make headlines. Coupled with the Democratic primary ballot contest, which saw progressive members of the South Jersey Democratic party pushed out amid rumors of “phantom candidates” filling ballot spots, Duvall believes the movement for political upheaval in South Jersey is gaining momentum.

“Look at what’s transpired in Camden County under the watch of George, Phil and Donald Norcross. Massive tax breaks for the business and political friends of the Norcross machine have starved Camden of much needed revenue for investments in locally owned businesses, infrastructure and schools. Now they are resorting to dirty political tricks to tamp down dissenters within their own party who are fighting for real change for Camden’s residents. It’s politics at its worst - right here in South Jersey,” said Duvall.

While Duvall will seek the GOP nomination to face Norcross in the November 2020 election, he’s running on a platform of solutions for constituents, not the partisan political games we’ve been accustomed to seeing in Washington.

“I am proud that Josh has decided to step forward to help rid South Jersey from the reign of the Norcross Brothers,” Cherry Hill GOP Chairman Jeffrey Land said. “People are starting to see that this band of brothers from Pennsauken have become very rich controlling the wheels of government, and by extension our hard earned tax dollars. Josh has the integrity and drive that this party needs to help lead us out of this dynasty. As a fellow Cherry Hill resident, I am gratified that Josh has committed to run for Congress. The Cherry Hill Republican Organization is united behind his candidacy,” said Land.

Josh Duvall’s platform of solutions for South Jersey involves ambitious ideas, like:

Criminal justice reform to expunge the records of low-level, non-violent offenders from employment background checks, helping people get out of poverty and back working again.
Changing the way we approach public education by removing the zip code barriers to school access, reforming the funding process for public schools and getting students out of the classroom and into the real world learning and applying their skills, instead of focusing on non-productive standardized testing.
Simplifying the tax code to remove the loopholes, deductions, exemptions and carve-outs that force the middle class to shoulder the tax burden while big businesses get the benefit of special treatment that saves them money.

While there's no sugar-coating the reality of an over 40 year establishment Democrat hold on this seat, Duvall is confident that he can build a diverse coalition of support to challenge, and unseat the incumbent next November.

RSVP for launch party here.

Duvall received his bachelors in Management, concentrating in Finance and Marketing from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa and his Executive Degree in Financial Planning from the Fischer School of Business at The Ohio State University. Duvall currently runs his own financial planning and accounting business, and works with other organizations managing their marketing and online content. He also works with several non-profits, sits on the Cherry Hill GOP committee, volunteers with youth sports, and is actively involved in his local church. Duvall is a cancer survivor and is married with two young children.

For more information visit www.duvallforcongress.com.