TOMS RIVER, NJ – New Jersey Congressman Chris Smith has been a permanent fixture in the Washington, D.C. swamp lands since 1981. Smith usually wins his re-election bids unchallenged, but this year, after an edict by President Donald J. Trump, was issued to remove Smith, one young Republican is starting to raise some eyebrows.
Mike Crispi’s campaign is gaining steam and momentum and now, he has nearly full slates of candidates under his Trump-inspired “America First” party line. In Monmouth and Ocean Counties, Crispi is battling Smith off the Republican line, which against a weak candidate is a large mountain to climb, but voters in June will have to decide.
Are they ready to send the forty-year Congressman into retirement or will Smith’s political career live to see another election in two years?
Crispi has embraced Trump’s America first platform and in a district that heavily supported the former President in 2020, Crispi could turn that momentum into an off-line victory.
Smith’s campaign is starting to get worried about the increase in Crispi’s stock. Smith has been reaching out to large donors to secure campaign contributions in a primary election and he’s sending out official congressional mailers touting his successes and achievements. His campaign team is trying to make inroads in portions of Ocean County newly added to the district who aren’t familiar with the Smith brand.
Smith’s campaign has $776,000 in the bank heading into the primary where it’s expected that Crispi will have to raise at least $200,000 just to stay competitive against the cash flow ready Smith campaign.
So far, according to the Federal Election Commission, Crispi hasn’t begun any real fundraising efforts. In order to defeat Smith, Crispi has to strike first, cutting off Smith’s marketing campaign before it starts and putting the incumbent into defensive mode over the next two months.
Without that first strike ability, and considering two other challengers to the Smith campaign, at this point Smith’s campaign can breathe easy, but that can change at a moment’s notice.
Last week, Crispi got some press attention after hosting former Trump campaign strategist Roger Stone. He made an appearance on Fox News when he attended the grand opening of the Let’s Go Brandon store in Toms River.
But right-place, right-time appearances aren’t going to reach Ocean County’s large population of senior citizens who still need to be swayed with printed mailers, television commercials, and even radio spots.
If can wiggle some prime-time coverage on Fox News, he could also start to cut into Smith’s numbers, but that doesn’t seem likely. It also doesn’t seem likely that Crispi has the funds needed to secure an official endorsement from former President Trump or the Trump kids.
Typically those endorsements have financial strings attached to them, even though the President made the call to primary Smith, his endorsement of those who stepped up may never actually come.
What’s not helping Smith are the political divisions in both Monmouth and Ocean Counties where cloak and dagger political assassinations have been carried out by party leaders against longtime members. In Ocean County, his running mate Virginia Haines has firmly sowed division and animosity in her own party, pushing many Republicans into the open arms of the Crispi America First line.
If Chris Smith can beat Crispi to the messaging punch, he could hold onto his seat, but if Crispi can come out of the gates firing on all cylinders, appealing to the Trump base in Ocean County, he could create a path to victory in June.