NJ6 Congress Candidate Blasts Murphy's Sending Nat'l Guard To DC

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — On Monday, one of the four Republicans running for Congress in New Jersey's Sixth District criticized Gov. Phil Murphy's decision to send the New Jersey National Guard to Washington, D.C. for the trucker convoy protest.

Gregg Mele, a lawyer running for Congress, called the move "a dramatic overreaction" by Gov. Murphy and "an effort to restrict freedom of speech and the right to assemble."

Last Thursday, Murphy announced he is sending 100 members of the New Jersey National Guard to Washington this week in anticipation of a large trucker protest expected there. Similar to the trucker protest disbanded by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Ottawa, truckers are grouping up across the country, protesting coronavirus vaccine requirements and mandates to get the shot.

There are a number of similar trucker convoys that are supposed to happen in New Jersey this week, and all the convoys are supposed to converge in D.C.

"This is a peaceful protest," said Mele. "This is clearly an attempt by Governor Murphy to re-characterize the responsible way conservative protesters have conducted themselves time and time again by pretending there is any sort of threat."

"While American businesses and cities were burned and looted by left-wing extremist Antifa, these same liberals, concerned about peaceful truckers, were silent," he added.

Mele echoed remarks from South Jersey state Sen. Ed Durr (R-Swedesboro) who over the weekend blasted Murphy for sending the National Guard to D.C.

“A peaceful truck rally in Washington is where Governor Murphy thinks he should dedicate state resources while unemployment offices remain closed, the [Motor Vehicle Commission] is still a mess, and thousands of corrections officers and healthcare professionals are on the verge of losing their jobs due to unnecessary vaccine mandates,” said Durr, who is himself a truck driver. “It’s another example of Governor Murphy focusing on Washington instead of helping people here in New Jersey. It’s beyond offensive.”

Mele is one of four Republicans challenging Democratic Congressman Frank Pallone in the 2022 midterms this November. Pallone has been NJ 6's congressman for the past 34 years.

Mele, Tom Toomey, Sue Kiley and Rik Mehta are the Republicans running against Pallone. The Republican primary will be in June. Mehta is a businessman who relocated to Woodbridge to run in this Congress race; he unsuccessfully ran in the past for New Jersey Senate. Kiley is the former Hazlet mayor and a Monmouth County Commissioner.

The Sixth District stretches from Carteret and Woodbridge into Edison, New Brunswick and down to Asbury Park. It includes many Raritan Bay towns, including Aberdeen, Matawan, Hazlet, Union Beach, Keansburg, North Middletown and Sea Bright.

For decades, this area was considered a blue-collar district, with most of its residents working in factories. However, as the factories closed, those jobs have been replaced by IT industries, with a surge of new immigrants moving in in the past 20 years, particularly Asian and Indian residents.

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