TOMS RIVER, NJ – It was standing room only in Toms River as Mike Crispi, the Donald J. Trump-aligned America First candidate at a restaurant and bar in Toms River Wednesday night. An estimated 300 people packed the restaurant and bar as Crispi hosted former Trump campaign advisor Roger Stone.
Crispi and his full slate of America First candidates are challenging the Ocean County GOP establishment in June’s primary election. Last year, former President Donald J. Trump issued a challenge to primary moderate Republican Chris Smith after Smith lined up with President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats to pass the Pelosi-Biden-Schumer back infrastructure bill.
“Any interest from good and SMART America First Republican Patriots to run primary campaigns against Representative Chris Smith?” Trump said”. You will have my backing! [Smith] must go. There is “almost” nobody worse!”
Mike Crispi, a former commentator with Right Side Broadcasting answered Trump’s call and is now running under Trump’s America First banner.
Crispi has sharp words for incumbent Congressman Chris Smith, who has been in office since 1980. In 2022, congressional redistricting moved Smith’s 4th district south into Toms River, sending Democrat Congressman Andy Kim to Burlington and Mercer Counties.
“We’re in the most conservative congressional district in the northeast, and we need somebody in the seat who’s going to act like it and stand for bold conservative values because we need it now more than ever,” Crispi said. “Congressman Chris Smith has been in office for 42 years, who does anything for that amount of time…maybe your marriage, but that’s about it.”
“Congressman Chris Smith has sold out the people of Toms River, the people of Ocean County and every single person in the America First movement who boldly embraces what President Trump started in 2015 and that is returning power back to we, the people,” Crispi said.
During his speech, Crispi criticized Smith for voting in favor of the Biden infrastructure bill, saying his vote handed President Joe Biden a political win in a time when he was on the ropes fighting off multiple failed agenda problems.
Crispi railed Smith’s control policies, including the congressman’s support for a national gun registry.
“That is what they do in Australia,” Crispi said. “We can’t have it.”
In 2019, Smith voted to cut funding for Trump’s border wall between Mexico and the U.S. and regularly votes with D.C. Democrats when it comes to immigration policies.
“It’s unacceptable,” Crispi added. “Chris Smith says he’s fighting for human rights in these third world countries we’ve never heard of, but when it comes to January 6th prisoners, they are sitting in cells without due process and students are sitting in school with masks on, learning critical race theory which Chris Smith also voted for.”
“Chris Smith is out of touch with the men and women of this district,” Crispi said.
He added that Ocean County now has a chance to send a message to Smith and the anti-Trump Republican political establishment in Ocean County in June.
