SOMERSET – The immovable statehouse objects otherwise known as state Senator Bob Smith (D-17) and state Senator Mike Doherty (R-23) respectively don’t overly impress Daryl Kipnis and Christine Lui Chen, who share at least one thing across the divide of party and political persuasion: a belief that the iconic incumbents in LD17 and LD23 can indeed be moved.

And Kipnis and Chen can move them.

Kipnis and Chen attended Monday’s Affordability Summit at Lincoln Gardens Baptist Church, as they try to build arguments for ways to take down two gerrymandered – and popular – opponents. Each has a message crafted around the concession that his or her district claims a bulk of voters in the other party who appear to be happy with Doherty or Smith.

“He’s had his chance,” Chen said of Doherty. “What we need to be doing is growing the economy, and he’s had his chance.” Doherty served as Donald J. Trump’s 2016 state director, but Chen doesn’t see that as a negative unto itself. “I have a lot of Trump supporters who like us because they like folks who are going to challenge the system,” she told InsiderNJ.

Then there was Kipnis.

“I’m having an extremely positive reception to my message,” said the attorney. “A lot of people are concerned with cost of living and affordability. As the Reverend Pastor Buster Soaries said this morning, solutions come to government not from government. Solutions are not going to come unless there’s real change.”

Is he able to effectively shoehorn his message in over all the Murphy tax talk?

“All politics is local,” Kipnis said. “Every door I’ve knocked on, they’ve been very receptive. I don’t have a partisan message. Let’s unite. We’ve got to bring the civility back. People are burned out on the adversarial nature of politics right now.”

InsiderNJ called Smith and Doherty.

Both got on the phone right away.

“My experience with the voters of the district is they’re feeling fear right now,” said the veteran senator. “Their fear relates to the new administration. Donald Trump spends every day trying to take away the healthcare of New Jersey citizens, and they want to see the New Jersey State Legislature stand up on healthcare, the environment and other issues. I’m getting a totally different impression. The voters want fighters.”

Smith said he’s taking the election seriously, and pounding on doors every night.

He put a mail piece out that features the tagline: “One fighting Bob, Two Tough Joes,” reference the three-man Democratic Party unit in LD17.

“The state of New Jersey has to resist Trump’s version of reality,” said Smith.

As for Doherty, “I’m running on my record,” said the movement conservative Republican.

“I’ve been independent,” he added. “I’ve taken on my own party at times. Folks think property taxes are too high, and I have a record of supporting working families and small businesses. I’m the guy who opposed the gas tax and sued the governor on the issue of statehouse renovation. This is a local election, and I’ve been a consistent voice and we have had progress here.”

Like Smith, Doherty said he too is going door to door and taking the election for real.