Republican Josh Duvall Withdraws From Congressional Race

A Republican candidate who prided himself on being able to represent the middle class with practical common sense solutions has withdrawn his bid from this year’s First Congressional District race. On Monday, Cherry Hill Republican Committee Member Josh Duvall announced that he is dropping his bid to challenge Rep. Donald Norcross (D-1) in November.

“When I launched my campaign against Donald Norcross for New Jersey’s First Congressional District last May, I knew it was an uphill battle with long odds. Nevertheless, I believed there was at least a small window of opportunity to be a legitimately competitive candidate in one of the toughest Democratic districts in the country,” Duvall said in a statement posted on his campaign’s website. “However, after much thought, prayer, and deliberation, I have decided to drop out of the race.”

Camden County Republican Party Executive Director Tom Crone said the party was disappointed Duvall dropped out of the race.

"We were hoping to have a contest," Crone said. "It's always better when there's a little competition."

He said Duvall hadn't given any indication that he was dropping out of the race when he met with the heads of the Camden and Gloucester county republican parties. A screening meeting involving the candidates was scheduled to take place on Tuesday, Jan. 7.

Duvall was critical of the Republican Party’s approach of “disparaging anyone who doesn’t support every word and decision of President Trump.”

“Instead of talking about issues and solutions, we’ve reduced our ‘outreach’ to name-calling and posting Trump memes on social media,” Duvall said. “There is no pathway for a candidate who puts people above party, and pragmatism above politics.”

Claire Gustafson entered the race late last year on a platform of supporting the president, saying voters don't want someone who is "wishy washy" or "middle-of-the-road." Read more here: Pro-Trump Republican Mulls Congressional Run Against Norcross

Duvall sees an advantage in making broader overtures to what he called “85 percent of non-Republican voters in the district,” particularly at a time when the progressive wing of the Democratic Party has become louder in South Jersey.

“As the minority party in South Jersey, we must reach out to traditional Democrats and Independent voters who feel left behind by today’s radical far-left agenda driven Progressive Democrat party, not push them away,” Duvall said. “We must have a big tent party that is welcoming to people from all walks of life who have come to the realization that this upcoming election represents a choice between individual freedom or government run socialism. We must make the case for applying our timeless principles to the problems of our time, instead of attacking those who don’t pass an arbitrary Republican purity test. We must lead from the front, engaging our constituents with commonsense ideas and practical solutions that make sense to them, instead of agenda driven rhetoric that we’ve all come to abhor.”

Norcross is the only Democrat who has declared his intention to run for the nomination as of Monday. Read more here: Congressional Election On Tap For South Jersey Voters In 2020

The deadline to file petitions to run in the primaries is March 30, while the deadline for third-party candidates to file petitions to run in the general election is June 2.

The deadline to register to vote is May 12. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is 3 p.m. on June 1, and the deadline to return an absentee ballot is 8 p.m. on June 2. Election Day is Nov. 3.

For more on how to register and how to find your polling location, visit the state's website.

Read Duvall’s full statement on his withdrawal from the race on his campaign website.

See related: Prominent Dem Endorses Norcross; Republican Formally Enters Race