Looking up

Under legislative redistricting, Middlesex has been added to the 21st District with the borough now having Republican Jon Bramnick as its state senator.

Bramnick was on the ballot in Middlesex for the first time on Nov. 7 while winning his second Senate term. He previously served two decades in the General Assembly. If political scuttlebutt proves accurate, voters will see his name in the voting booth again two years hence as a gubernatorial candidate.

Speculation is rampant that Bramnick will seek the New Jersey GOP’s gubernatorial nomination in 2025. Two-term Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy won’t be on the general election ballot that year as state law prohibits him from seeking a third consecutive term.

The field is also expected to include former Republican Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, who received 48% of the vote while running against Murphy in the 2021 general election.

Bramnick did nothing to tamp down the talk of a gubernatorial run, telling the website Politico right after this week’s election that he’ll “very likely” run for governor.

More signs of a Bramnick run – he will give a talk at Fairleigh Dickinson University next month as part of its series of “conversations with prospective governors.” The senator also plans a fundraiser for his PAC later this month at the New Jersey League of Municipalities convention.

An active political schmoozer, Bramnick has worked to ingratiate himself with Republicans in Central Jersey where several towns were added to the 21st District from Middlesex and Somerset counties.

He dropped in to the GOP Cigar Night in Middlesex and headlined a comedy night fundraiser in Dunellen. Bramnick has also helped prop up the financially troubled Somerset County Republican Organization.

The Somerset GOP reported only $6,441 on hand as of the close of third quarter 2023, according to a state Election Law Enforcement Commission filing. During the year, Bramnick has contributed $10,400 to the SCRO from his Senate campaign account.

It remains to be seen how Bramnick’s brand of moderate Republicanism will play with GOP voters who might be more oriented to Trumpism and the right-wing extreme.

In Middlesex Borough, Donald Trump outpolled Democratic opponents Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020. Bramnick said Trump is a “disgrace” and “insult to the GOP” during a June interview with NewsChannel 12.

“He’s somebody who is an egomaniac, he’s a narcissist, and he’s a showoff,” Bramnick elaborated during the interview.

Speculation has New Jersey 101.5 radio personality Bill Spadea – an anti-vaxxer and 2020 election denier – also in the Republican gubernatorial field. Bramnick has not held back from Spadea either.

“Most New Jerseyans don’t want hateful rhetoric from a know-it-all radio talking head who has never had to make a decision as an elected official,” Bramnick told Politico. “They also do not want to support candidates who are neutral on Donald Trump’s denial of the election outcome or his support for the January 6th riot at our Capitol.”

Though known for his willingness to reach across the aisle on certain issues, Bramnick has fired away at Murphy and his Democratic allies in Trenton.

A recent campaign flyer touted Bramnick as “unafraid to take on the extreme policies of the Trenton Democrats.”

While known for his straight talk and centrist tendency, Bramnick has gained notoriety for years of comedy club performances. He’s typically billed as the “funniest lawyer in New Jersey” and wrote a 2019 book, “Why People Don’t like You.” He’s performed periodic gigs at The Stress Factory comedy club in nearby New Brunswick.

If speculation proves true, Bramnick will seek to become the nation’s funniest governor in 2025.