NJ’s Craziest Primary Battle Heats Up; Assemblyman Embracing Trump

Two-term Republican State Assemblyman Joe Howarth supports President Donald Trump – a fact that has some scratching their heads.

It wasn’t that long ago that Howarth had the support of his local Republican bigwigs withdrawn due to rumors of his switching to the Democratic Party, which he denied.

Indeed, Howarth wants to hold onto his seat in South Jersey’s 8th legislative district. Though his voting records shows moderation, he is campaigning with a red hat on his head and the phrase “Make America Great Again” on his lips. He has also written bills that would make it harder for illegal aliens to remain in the country. And he is asking why his opponents haven’t affixed their signatures to a pledge of loyalty to the president.

“Howarth’s top opponents are his former ticket mate, freshman Assemblyman Ryan Peters, and former Burlington County Sheriff Jean Stanfield, both of whom are supported by the local GOP. A fourth Republican, attorney Jason Huf, is also running,” NJ.com reported. “Howarth defends his abrupt embrace of Trump by saying he’s finally speaking his mind, despite polls that show a majority of New Jerseyans dislike the Republican president and Democrats threatening to flip this swing district in November.”

Some doubt Howarth’s sincerity in adopting the MAGA banner. “The question is: How much do the Republican voters who show up on Tuesday know about Joe Howarth and that he’s new to the Trump fold?” Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth Polling Institute, told NJ.com. “We really don’t know. It’s gonna be fun to watch.”

The race has heated up. Last week, one-time Burlington County Sheriff Jean Stanfield responded to statements by Howarth in direct mail pieces alleging that she failed to comply with a request to hold an immigrant in the country illegally submitted to the county by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“In Burlington County the sheriff is not in charge of the jail,” Stanfield, who is running for Assembly, told newjerseyglobe.com. “As a former freeholder, Joe should know this. They have a warden appointed by the freeholder board so I had nothing to do with the decision to let that individual go. I never even heard about it until I saw Joe’s flyer.”

As with anything that carries the Trump name, the race has drawn national attention. As the Philadelphia Inquirer recently noted, President Trump “seems to pervade all levels of politics, and he is the main point of contention in the Republican primary for Assembly in this district, which lies mostly in Burlington County, with several Camden County towns and one in Atlantic County. And it’s also about local frictions. Incumbent Republican Joe Howarth lost the imprimatur of the powerful Burlington County GOP when leaders suspected he was about to bolt to the Democrats, as the district’s state Sen. Dawn Addiego did last year. So the party gave its endorsement — along with the valuable first column on the ballot — to retiring county Sheriff Jean Stanfield and first-term Assemblyman Ryan Peters. Howarth, who’d had a moderate record, rebranded himself as a Trump acolyte and qualified for the ballot under the “MAGA Republican” label. He says his opponents are disloyal to the president. Attorney R. Jason Huf, a Lumberton resident, is running alone in the primary under the “Fresh Leadership” banner.”