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Sen Michael Doherty: Gas Tax Sunk NJ Assembly Republicans

In an email to his Republican colleagues in the NJ Senate on Monday, Senator Michael Doherty said that the Assembly Mike DohertyRepublican leadership’s support of increasing the gas tax is what led to the loss of four seats in the lower chamber in last week’s election.

Rutgers-Eagleton conducted a poll in October on the gas tax.  See attachment and an extract of the results below.

Why did Republican Assembly leadership come out in support of a gas tax increase?

R Assembly candidates should have all come out 100% against a gas tax increase.

66% of voters oppose a gas tax increase.

We had 69% of Independent voters and 73% of Republican voters on our side.

Even 57% of Democrat voters oppose the gas tax increase.

We wouldn’t have lost any seats if R’s campaigned on being 100% against a gas tax increase.

“We didn’t have to lose any seats and could have picked up a few,” Doherty said told  MoreMonmouthMusings, “We had no message.”

Doherty said that he has not heard back from any of his Senate colleagues.

Doherty is not advocating letting the Transportation Trust Fund go broke or letting New Jersey’s roads crumble further. “We need to look at revenues and expenditures,” the Warren County conservative said. Referring to the Reason Foundation’s Annual Highway Report, he said “New Jersey spends $2 million per mile on road construction, twelve times the national average. We spend four times more per mile than Massachusetts, another northeastern state with a similar climate.  We spend more than New York and California.”

Doherty criticized the Republicans attempt to link an increase in the gas tax to a reduction of in the estate tax.  “We’ll lose our leverage to reform the cost of our roads.   We need to determine why we’re spending so much more than other states on our roads and correct that situation.”

Doherty said that he is hopeful that Governor Chris Christie will use the conditional veto to re-write the gas tax increase if it gets to his desk by eliminating prevailing wage and other cost drivers of New Jersey’s roads.

 

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Posted: November 10th, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: 2015 Legislative Races, Eagleton Poll, Gas Tax, New Jersey, NJ GOP, NJ Senate Republicans, NJ State Legislature | Tags: , , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

4 Comments on “Sen Michael Doherty: Gas Tax Sunk NJ Assembly Republicans”

  1. Wrong Mr. Doherty! said at 8:30 am on November 10th, 2015:

    Mr. Doherty claims the lower chamber (Assembly) lost seats due to their support for the gas tax. If that was the case, wouldn’t more seats have been lost?

    Let’s be clear: Casagrande and Angelini lost in the 11th District, because many of their constitutents: middle-class workers, unionized workers, are getting fed up with being the scapegoat as to what ills this state’s economy. Another reason: their blind following to the tune of this unethical governor. Furthermore, their cowardice skipping out on debates, was indeed noticed.

    I hear that the two-thirds trio of “The All Female Delegation from Monmouth County” is planning a “comeback” like the “Jersey Shore Comeback.” Puhleeze! Go away already. You lost! Time to move on with your lives.

  2. Bob said at 12:26 pm on November 10th, 2015:

    The 11th District GOP opposed over 115 tax increases presented by the Dems in the last 10 years. The gas tax, not even voted on, had nothing to do with it. The 11th was only won by 350 votes. You think the MILLION DOLLARS that the General Majority PAC from DC had anything to do with it? They aired lies that swayed voters on prime time tv saying Aswm Angelini “took” a million dollars from her non-profit. They slung mud and that worked. They even said something like, “We need to change Trenton.” Which appealed to people that don’t realize Trenton has been run by Democrats for the last 15 years. Gas tax? If voters hated taxes the GOP would have control. The majority of these voters must LOVE big government, taxes, failing schools, union thuggery and handouts because they stuck with the Democrats. Otherwise, they were just swayed by lies or are misinformed. Puuuuhleeease!

  3. @Bob said at 2:21 pm on November 10th, 2015:

    Bob, I noticed you didn’t address the issue about the unethical governor nor the missed debates issue. You think that too had something to do with the loss of Angelini and Casagrande?

    I think if you take the totality of cirucumstances, the issues of missed debates and having an unethical governor certainly did not help their cause to get re-elected.

  4. People with brains said at 12:35 pm on November 11th, 2015:

    are simply sick of the usual NJ solution to any overspending/ squandering of purposed funds: find another fine, fee, penalty or tax to rob us, to plug the hole: or, any dribbling combination of these, spaced-out, so they think we are too dumb to notice. The reason we have crumbling infrastructure in this state and this nation is simple: too many promises,of pots of taxpayer money to voting blocs,to stay in office: usually in the form of ever- increasing social program spending increases, (never with any review as to accountability, transparency, or whether their intended purpose is actually working!) Without continual review and re- assessment, this catchword of continual “funding” for every group or ill that shouts/ begs / lobbies the loudest, is why all we pay is never enough. No doubt, now that gas is down for the moment, this bunch will slap on 10,12,14 cents per gallon, that will stick forever, ( taxes here never sunset!) with sll the ensuing blabber about hie “we” must do it-and,maybe a few bridges and roads will get propped up for show, but, guarranteed, by the next legislative/ gubernatorial election in 2017, all the freebies and promises that are breaking us, will continue and multiply: there is no will, no demand, no chance, that NJ will ever be better or cheaper, or fixed!