Crypto wants in on the NJ primary

Politico

5 days ago

Good Thursday morning!
We haven't talked much about crypto in the gubernatorial primary, one exception being Steve Fulop pledging to invest a portion of Jersey City's pension into an exchange-traded fund. But the advocacy group Stand with Crypto is trying to change that.
The group helped sponsor the last Democratic and Republican debates, and on Wednesday it announced a June 5 rally at Jersey City's White Eagle Hall featuring rappers Soulja Boy and 070 Shake, a Hudson County native.
'We are fighting for clear, sensible crypto policy that fosters innovation and empowers New Jersey's crypto entrepreneurs. Our investment in turning out the crypto voter in this election has elevated cryptocurrency policy as a key election issue that candidates must address in order to win,' said Carlos Ivan Merino, president of the group's New Jersey chapter, said in a statement.
The group said all candidates are invited. But it is interesting that it chose Jersey City for this location. Fulop told Bloomberg that he'd also expose the state's pension fund to crypto investments.
Still, I'm not sure the group's choice of entertainment is the best way to get candidates to line up to speak at its rally. A jury last month ordered Soulja Boy to pay $4 million to an ex-assistant who accused him of assault and sexual battery. Just days before a primary, it's hard to imagine most candidates would want to be seen in the same room.
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WHERE'S MURPHY —
QUOTE OF THE DAY: 'People in your group dressed up in freakish costumes with signs, and you are cursing at people. I got the video. 'You f------ this. You are an f------ traitor. You f------ that.' You are the one disrupting businesses and causing havoc in the township.' — Galloway Councilmember Tom Bassford to Atlantic County Indivisible founder Kim Grieser, whose group he said protested a fundraiser for Rep. Jeff Van Drew at the mayor's business. Grieser had wanted the council to denounce the far-right Proud Boys, who she said were harassing them at other protests.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Mila Jasey, Chapman Vai
WHAT TRENTON MADE
HAPPENING TODAY — It's a weed day in Trenton, where the Senate Judiciary Committee is set to vote on or discuss several weed-related measures, including a fast-tracked bill designed to clean up the intoxicating hemp law Gov. Murphy signed in September that was partially overturned in federal court. Up for discussion only is this controversial proposal by Senate President Nick Scutari to crack down on illegal weed sales, including by making it a crime to buy from an unlicensed source and up penalties for selling a small amount. The fact that it's discussion only, though, suggests to me this bill will change quite a bit before it's passed, if it ever is.
The Senate State Government Committee has a long agenda. Also for discussion only is state Sen. Andrew Zwicker's legislation that would speed up the process of filling U.S. House vacancies. It was introduced after U.S. Rep. Donald Payne Jr. died but before U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell died. And it's only taken a year to get to this point.
AND THEY'RE PLANNING TO MAKE MORE PEOPLE WALK TO THE STATEHOUSE. COINCIDENCE? — 'After NJ's deadliest year for pedestrians in decades, state plans to cut safety money,' by The Record's Colleen Wilson: 'After New Jersey recorded the deadliest year for pedestrians in 36 years, Gov. Phil Murphy has proposed a budget for the 2026 fiscal year that reduces funding for local pedestrian safety projects. The decision to cut this funding comes after Murphy emphasized in his State of the State address earlier this year that he was making road and pedestrian safety a priority … Francis O'Connor, commissioner of the state Department of Transportation, acknowledged the cuts at the annual budget hearings in May when asked about them by Assemblyman Michael Venezia. 'Yes, the grants were reduced, but I don't think it's going to affect our way of helping the cities and helping the safety of the pedestrians and the cyclists,' O'Connor said … Money for local aid and economic development grants — which fund Transit Villages, Safe Streets to Transit and Bikeways grant programs — would get slashed to just $8 million. Last year, the budget was $16 million, and the year before that it was $20 million.'
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SHERRILL VS. EVERYONE — 'Congresswoman running for N.J. governor is target of escalating attacks on campaign trail,' by New Jersey Monitor's Dana DiFilippo: 'With less than two weeks to go before the June 10 primary, Democrats vying to become New Jersey's next governor have stepped up their attacks on Rep. Mikie Sherrill, who election observers and pollsters consider to be the race's front-runner. In new television ads and mailers, Sherrill's rivals have bashed her wealth, her establishment ties, and past campaign contributions she accepted from a PAC associated with SpaceX, the spaceflight company helmed by Elon Musk. The grievances aren't new, but they're escalating as the primary approaches. And they're coming from candidates like Steve Fulop and Ras Baraka, who are running as anti-establishment insurgents, as well as party darlings like Steve Sweeney as they look to erode Sherrill's support among voters, many of whom remain undecided.'
ANTI-MAGA AG AT DAGA — 'AG Matt Platkin's testimony regarding Democratic fundraising group prompts scrutiny,' by HudPOst's Michael Shurin: 'Questions related to the veracity of Attorney General Matt Platkin's testimony regarding his involvement with a multimillion-dollar Democratic fundraising group have gone unanswered by the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. On April 3, 2025, state Sen. Doug Steinhardt (R-Warren) asked Platkin about his attendance at Democratic Attorneys General Association (DAGA) events during a Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee hearing. 'No, I don't attend political events' Platkin testified. 'I attend conferences that are approved by the appropriate ethics officers.' … When questioned further by Steinhardt about DAGA conferences, Platkin stated 'there's multiple arms of that. I do not attend the political arm functions, if that makes sense.' … Sources that alerted HudPost to potential issues with Platkin's testimony allege the AG's statements about DAGA's activities were dishonest. … A government affairs professional that's attended numerous DAGA events, speaking under the condition of anonymity due to fear of retribution, told HudPost that Platkin attended political functions and meet-and-greets with the group's donors at separate events.'
CASH INTO ME — How New Jersey's candidates for governor are raking in the cash, by POLITICO's Madison Fernandez and Jessica Piper: Money doesn't mean everything. But how much cash candidates rake in can be a sign of momentum — especially when it's anyone's game, like in the Democratic primary for governor of New Jersey. Although Rep. Mikie Sherrill has a lot of establishment support and a narrow lead in the polls, the six-way competition is tight in the final stretch of the election. Some of her opponents have outraised her in a handful of counties where she has been endorsed for the Democratic nomination, according to a POLITICO analysis of campaign finance reports. It's a sign that party boss support doesn't necessarily mean local major donors are. It's a clearer picture on the Republican side, where Jack Ciattarelli has plenty of establishment support and a fundraising advantage over his primary opponents in a majority of counties. The analysis tracked where the prominent candidates for governor are getting their cash based on campaign reports submitted to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission'
HIT EM WHERE IT HURTS — Oregon used to be the only other state that banned its residents from pumping their own gas, but it recently changed that, leaving New Jersey all alone. So now New Jersey is going for Oregon's nuts. A new bill introduced by Assemblymember Sterley Stanley would designate the hazelnut New Jersey's state nut. Oregon grows 99 percent of the hazelnuts in the U.S. But that's because, until recently, you couldn't grow them in New Jersey and the region because of Eastern Filbert Blight. But a Rutgers program has been working for decades to overcome the blight, and in 2020 released the first resistant cultivars to growers. Read more about that here. 'The Assemblyman has an incredible amount of pride that this truly groundbreaking and revolutionary work was achieved not only here in NJ, but here in the 18th Legislative district in East Brunswick, which is he so proud to call home,' Stanley Chief of Staff Alexander P. Krasutsky IV wrote in an email. 'Additionally, we believe that these new blight resistant hazelnut trees could be one of the most potent economic development tools for rural communities in decades.'
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TRUMP ERA
NO ADEEL — 'Trump says he'll nominate Bove to federal appeals court,' by The New York Times' Glenn Thrush and Charlie Savage: 'President Trump announced Wednesday that he would nominate Emil Bove III, the polarizing and widely feared top Justice Department official responsible for strong-arm tactics in enacting Mr. Trump's immigration agenda, to be a federal appeals judge. Mr. Bove, 44, is a former criminal defense lawyer for Mr. Trump. He would fill a vacancy on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, which covers Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. The lifetime appointment requires confirmation in the Senate, where he is expected to face the unanimous opposition of Democrats … A defining episode of his tenure so far was the battle he waged against his former colleagues in the U.S. attorney's office for the Southern District of New York over the administration's request to drop bribery charges against the New York mayor, Mr. Adams … There are two vacancies in the Third Circuit — one based in New Jersey and one in Delaware. It is not clear which seat Mr. Bove is nominated for. He has a property in Pennsylvania, and some conservatives have called for moving the Delaware-based seat to Pennsylvania.'
DON'T WORRY, BBB HAPPY — 'In New Jersey, the political battle over the 'Big Beautiful Bill' is just beginning,' by New Jersey Globe's Joey Fox: 'When Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield) voted last week for his party's enormous tax and health care bill, he said he'd delivered 'a huge win for New Jersey – and his Democratic opponents crowed that he had cast the vote that would cost him his seat. The 'One Big Beautiful Bill,' as the GOP's legislative agenda has been dubbed, covers an extraordinarily large amount of different policy issues, ranging from Medicaid funding to tax deductions to border security funding to green energy to the debt ceiling. And as New Jersey gears up for a competitive 2026 election cycle – at least two districts, one of them Kean's, are likely to be heavily contested – both parties see major political upsides to the bill, which may still change quite a bit in the Senate before it becomes law. In other words, New Jersey Democrats and Republicans alike seem to think they've found a winning issue in the battle for control of Congress. They just have to make sure voters get the message'
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LOCAL
THE SWAMP IN WASHINGTON — 'Washington Township school superintendent who was placed on leave files lawsuit against district,' by The Philadelphia Inquirer's Melanie Burney: 'Washington Township school Superintendent Eric Hibbs has filed a whistleblower lawsuit alleging his suspension was in retaliation for raising questions about a district insurance contract. The lawsuit contends Hibbs was unlawfully placed on administrative leave by the school board in March following his objections to 'conduct that he believed to be both unlawful and unethical' by the board in awarding a contract in 2021, before he was hired by the district … The 35-page civil lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Superior Court in Gloucester County, names school board President Julie Kozempel, unnamed board members, and the district as defendants. Kozempel said she had not seen the lawsuit, but called the allegations ridiculous. ''
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EVERYTHING ELSE
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SOUTH JERSEY GOP SENATOR TO CHANGE NAME TO MIKE TESLA — 'Oh Tesla, my Tesla! Elon Musk has N.J. drivers fearing for their safety — and their image,' by NJ Advance Media's Steven Rodas: 'The cultural in-fighting plaguing Democrats on the national and statewide stage is now playing out in parking lots and at charging ports up and down the Turnpike. And it's not just an identity crisis — it's turned violent and threatening. Own a now backward-minded Tesla? Watch out, your headlights or windows could be at risk, or worse. And all of the escalated (sometimes physical) feuding over Teslas between factions of liberals is seemingly at odds with the party's progressive values. For Jill — who dropped about $60,000 on a brand new Tesla in 2014, when it was cool to do so — she's left with an internal conflict, and a pricey investment sitting in her driveway every night.'
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