A former Newark City Council member and Democratic Party affiliate has declared his intention to vote for Republican candidate Jack Ciattarelli in the pivotal New Jersey gubernatorial election, criticizing Representative Mikie Sherrill for her disconnect with “ordinary citizens.”
Oscar James II, who is African American and served on the City Council from 2006 until 2010, expressed that Sherrill hasn’t connected with “working families” and the historically progressive black population of New Jersey.
“Conversations with average people—those grabbing their kids from school or standing in the grocery line—indicate she does not appeal to Democratic voters,” he remarked.
James criticized Sherrill’s campaign for employing excessive scare tactics to associate Ciattarelli with former President Trump.
“Voters want substance and solutions from her campaign, not mere rhetoric about voting against Trump — she’s not discussing her own proposals,” the ex-councilman stated.
He added, “The ongoing attempts to instill fear through references to Trump are ineffective and failing to resonate.”
“The Democratic Party has portrayed Trump as a menacing figure, especially among many African American voters… [However], the significant changes in their lives since his presidency are not as drastic as presented,” he continued.
As a small business proprietor and community organizer, James criticized Sherrill for not attending enough significant events within the black community.
“Her appearances seem to cater to political insiders,” he remarked. “But the working-class individuals in these African American neighborhoods are absent from those gatherings.”
In August, James wrote an op-ed titled “I’m a Black NJ Democrat. This is why I can’t support Mikie Sherrill for governor,” affirming on Thursday that his opinion remains unchanged.
“They lack proposals that truly benefit the residents; all we see are high taxes,” he commented. “She has not resonated with the electorate. There’s nothing innovative.”
Recent polls have indicated concerning trends of declining support among black and Hispanic voters in urban locales.
In predominantly black areas, for instance, Sherrill only garnered 16% of the Democratic primary vote in June, in contrast to 34% statewide.
Overall, Sherrill narrowly surpassed Ciattarelli with 48.1% to 45.8% among likely voters, according to a recently reported Quantus Insights Poll.
This marks a significant drop from the 10-point lead she held over Ciattarelli in a survey conducted on Labor Day.
