"Just Say Nay" Jay Webber? We Say Nay.

Today I finally received my first response from my assemblyman, Jay Webber. I live in New Jersey’s 26th district and have been trying to reach my representative about his votes for eight weeks. I even hand delivered letters to his (mostly closed) legislative office. It appears that Mr. Webber is more concerned with waging a divisive campaign against his opponent in the race for the 11th Congressional District, Mikie Sherrill, than with the actual governance of his district.

This will come as no surprise to those of us in the NJ’s 26th who are familiar with his voting history. According to votesmart.org, from 2008 to 2018 he voted “nay” 135 times out of 165 total votes and logged “no vote” 10 times. Over those 10 years, Webber sponsored only 2 bills A quick internet search reveals that the thing “Just Say Nay” Jay is most known for is grandstanding on the floor of the Assembly.

And now he’s taking this playbook to the campaign trail. Between August 1st and August 6th, Webber’s public Facebook page published four separate anti-immigration posts attempting to paint Mikie Sherrill as an anti-law and order candidate. Yes, you read that right. These lies are being spun against Mikie Sherrill, the former Navy helicopter pilot. Mikie Sherrill, the former federal prosecutor. In a recent press release, Webber even went so far as to say that “Immigration and protecting the integrity of the Law Enforcement agents serving within ICE have become some of the most important issues in this campaign,” while challenging Sherrill to a single issue debate on immigration.

Does Webber really think that the single most important thing affecting the lives of most voters in CD11 is immigration? Does he really think that aligning himself with Trump’s hard-right immigration policies and rhetoric will win him the moderate, independent-minded voters of the 11th? I would love to see a debate, but let’s make it about all the things we care about here. Let’s find out where he stands on the caps on our SALT deductions. Mikie Sherrill advocates for true tax reform and the removal of SALT deduction caps. Where does Webber stand on common sense gun legislation? Mikie Sherrill supports universal background checks and keeping guns out of the hands of people on the “No Fly” list and domestic abusers with temporary restraining orders. Where does Webber stand on public education? All but one of Webber’s seven children attend private school. All of Sherrill’s four children attend public school, plus she calls for expanded support of vocational/technical schools and making college more affordable. Debate climate, health care, debate it all.

Mr. Webber, we in the 11th congressional district are not looking for a no-show, “nay” voting, single-issue representative to send to Washington. This is what has gotten our outgoing Congressman such negative attention over the past year and a half. We need a change. We need an advocate in Washington. We need Mikie Sherrill.