Democrats in the 13th District: Vote for Joshua Leinsdorf for Senate in the Primary

By Art Gallagher

Over the Memorial Day weekend I noticed that Sean Byrnes, the establishment candidate for State Senate in the 13th District Democratic Primary, has put up lawn signs to get people to vote for him on Tuesday, June 6.   Byrnes is being challenged for the nomination to compete with Republican Declan O’Scanlon in November by Joshua Leinsdorf of Atlantic Highlands.   The winner of the LD 13 Senate election will replace Senator Joe Kyrillos in the Senate.

Given that Byrnes is taking the primary challenge from Leinsdorf seriously, I thought I should too.  I invited Mr. Leinsdorf to sit with me for an interview.  He surprised me. I thought Leinsdorf was an attention seeking gadfly perennial candidate.  I found him to be a sincere, smart and thoughtful man who has common sense ideas on how to solve New Jersey’s many fiscal problems.  Win or lose, he wants to influence public policy. He claims that even his losing campaigns have made a difference.

From the looks of his facebook page, Byrnes intends to make his campaign about national issues. He is running against Donald Trump instead of Declan O’Scanlon.   Leinsdorf pledged to not even mention Trump’s name during his campaign and to debate O’Scanlon on the issues facing New Jersey and the 13th district.

In particular, Leinsdorf wants to debate O’Scanlon over the Red Light Camera Program that O’Scanlon effectively killed in New Jersey.  Leinsdorf thinks the program was saving pedestrians lives.  He pledges to work for its restoration should be be elected in November.

What most impressed me about Leinsdorf is his willingness to me to moderate a debate between him and O’Scanlon should he be the nominee.  I doubt Byrnes would have the guts to do that.

O’Scanlon has agreed to a MMM moderated debate regardless of who his Democratic opponent is.

For the sake of a substantive campaign on the issues that face New Jersey and for the sake of MoreMonmouthMusings’ web traffic this fall, MoreMonmouthMusings hereby endorses Joshua Leinsdorf of Atlantic Highlands for the Democratic nomination for Senate in the 13th district.

The 13th is comprised of Aberdeen, Atlantic Highlands, Fair Haven, Hazlet, Holmdel, Keansburg, Keyport, Little Silver, Marlboro, Middletown, Monmouth Beach, Oceanport, Rumson, Sea Bright and Union Beach.

Middletown Democrats are urged to fill the vacancy for the Township Committee nomination by writing in Michael Morris.