Democrats Hungry For Monmouth Republican Chris Smith's Seat

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — Primary election day is Tuesday, June 5, and two Democrats will be facing off against each other, both of them eager to unseat longtime Rep. Chris Smith, R-Monmouth, Mercer.

While Josh Welle (right) is running against Jim Keady (pictured at left), election watchers say it's going to be very difficult for any Democrat to unseat Smith come the general election in November.

But given the current political climate in New Jersey, where the Trump administration is currently unpopular, you never know.

Democrats Welle and Keady are battling against each other to win the Democratic nomination to run for the 4th District congressional seat. It's a seat Smith has held — incredibly — for the past 38 years, since he was first elected as the area's congressman in 1981. The 4th District includes nearly all of Monmouth County, including parts of Middletown, part of northern Ocean County and a small sliver (Hamilton) of Mercer County.

Smith is running unopposed in Tuesday's race; he has no Republican challenger to the seat. Republican Felicia Stohler briefly tried to challenge him, but she dropped out and said she will run as an independent.

“Incumbency is the kryptonite that will bring him down,” Welle, 38, told NJ Spotlight of Smith. “His constituents know he’s mailing it in and that he’s out of touch. We need a new generation of leaders at a time when our country is at a crossroads.”

But good luck flipping the 4th District, say New Jersey election watchers. With Democrats nationwide eager for a "blue tide" in an anti-Trump backlash, the 4th District was initially targeted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee as a potentially competitive race. But the Cook Political Report, Sabato’s Crystal Ball and Inside Elections all predict the district will remain in Smith's Republican control in the general election on Nov. 6, NJ Spotlight reported.

That isn't stopping Welle and Keady from duking it out.

Of the two Democrats in the June 5 primary, Welle is running with the support of New Jersey's Democratic party.

Josh Welle in a nutshell:

Welle, 38, is a Democrat with a military background. He grew up in Wall Township and attended the U.S. Naval Academy. He was deployed four times, serving in the Middle East, Asia and Africa. He returned to the U.S. to launch a software company. He also edited a bestselling nonfiction book, “In the Shadow of Greatness,” which Tom Brokaw called, “A must-read for all Americans,” according to his candidate website. He used to live outside Washington, D.C., but now lives in Rumson. He describes himself as a centrist.

Jim Keady in a nutshell:

Keady is a well-known Monmouth County liberal activist; he ran for New Jersey's 3rd congressional district before and lost. He's a former teacher, Asbury Park councilman and owns his family's tavern in Waretown. Keady garnered statewide and national fame when he was the man famously told by then-Gov. Chris Christie to "sit down and shut up" when they started arguing at a town hall meeting after Superstorm Sandy. Two days ago, Keady dismissed opponent Welle as not liberal enough. "Democrats need fighters down in Washington right now. We don't need people who are milquetoast center-right Republican-light," he told The Trentonian.

Congressman Chris Smith in a nutshell:

Smith is a staunch Republican, and usually backs fiscally conservative policies meant to lower taxes. However, he was one of the few Republicans to vote against Trump's tax reform bill, saying it would hurt New Jersey property owners. He takes his Catholic faith seriously, which he says is the main reason why he is against abortion. It was Smith who introduced one of the nation's most controversial abortion bills to date in 2017, which would prohibit the use of federal funds for abortion or health plans that cover abortion, except in cases of rape, incest, or when the life of the mother is in danger. Smith has advocated for defunding Planned Parenthood and was also in favor of repealing the Affordable Care Act.

Throughout his long career in Washington, Smith has authored many pieces of legislation that became laws with wide bipartisan support, such as the International Megan’s Law to Prevent Child Exploitation and Other Sexual Crimes Through Advanced Notification of Traveling Sex Offenders and the Sean and David Goldman International Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act of 2014, according to The Trentonian.

One longstanding criticism of Smith is that he doesn't technically live in the district he represents: Smith bought a townhome in the D.C. suburbs years ago and that's where he and his wife raised their four children. He rents an apartment in Hamilton Township, has a New Jersey driver's license, pays state taxes and votes here. Smith has said he has to live in Virginia so he can be close to Washington for congressional duties, and said he moved his family down there because it was difficult for him not seeing his wife and children often.

The 4th Congressional District has also voted for a Republican in the past four presidential elections by comfortable margins: Trump, Romney, McCain and Bush.

Watch Christie tell Jim Keady to "sit down and shut up:"

Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, June 5. Are you voting?

Editor's Note: Patch previously reported that Jim Keady ran for the 4th Congressional District before, and lost. That is incorrect. He ran for the 3rd District. We regret the error.