From Wildwood to Morris County, from CD3 to CD11, here are the Insider NJ key must-read pieces from the past week:

Insider NJ’s 2020 Advance Publication

Heading into 2020, the thought was President Donald J. Trump – whatever his national eventualities – would simply drag Democratic incumbents back into office in New Jersey while perhaps even giving them a shot at the ever-elusive 4th Congressional District. But New Jersey decided to hatch a little surrealistic surprise…

InsiderNJ’s Who’s Up and Who’s Down: Week of the Trump Rally

See where the players stand in Jersey politics over the past week.

Insider NJ’s Presidential War Room: Donald Trump Rallies In Jersey

Insider NJ’s live-blog of President Trump’s rally – before, during, and after.

Trump Attempts to Establish Nationally Symbolic Beachhead in NJ

An ocean of red MAGA hats at the Wildwood Convention Center in Wildwood welcomed the president to a packed house.

Trump Backers Take the Boardwalk in Wildwood

All up and down the boardwalk vendors behind tables laid out with wares urged the frigid Trump troops to further arm themselves for the developing circus.

McClellan Thrilled to have Trump in Wildwood

Assemblyman Antwan McClellan (R-1) was on his way down to Wildwood for this evening’s rally when InsiderNJ gave him a call.

Wildwood 2020: A View from the Bar

The bartender had a t-shirt reading, “Trump, finally a President with balls.”

Wildwood Zero Hour: a DCCC Anti-Van Drew Truck and a Prayer for Trump

It’s the grandmotherly face that shows up amid the madness that stops people in their tracks, and so it was this evening that a gentle voice accompanied a matronly tug at the sleeve of someone slung over the beach railing.

Opposing Forces Stage Dueling Events in Wildwood Ahead of Trump Rally

Pro-Trump troops stood on the boardwalk and looked down into the parking lot where the anti-Trump forces gathered.

Ciattarelli Shows up in Wildwood for Trump Rally

The crowd was lining up to get into the Trump rally and there was Jack Ciattarelli, a Republican candidate for governor, greeting those arriving.

Man Attacks, Deflates Trump Balloon, is Subdued

A man broke from the railing where the supporters of President Donald J. Trump congregated as they exchanged catcalls and insults with the anti-Trump forces in the parking lot below.

Harrison Says Trump Doesn’t Have the Guts to Rally in Atlantic City

President Donald Trump can’t come to Atlantic City because he doesn’t have the guts to face the workers he stiffed there before he beat it out of town, said Brigid Harrison, the Montclair University Political Science professor who’s running for a CD-2 seat against incumbent U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-2).

King Backs up Kennedy with Call for Civil Discourse

Democrats leaned on the pillars of history tonight as they pushed back against what they see as Jeff Van Drew’s cynical seaside storyline at the side of President Donald J. Trump.

Defiant Kennedy Tells Protesters that ‘The Dream Goes on”

Speaking at tonight’s Indivisible rally in a parking lot adjacent to the boardwalk, Democrat Amy Kennedy stood with Martin Luther King III as she channeled a variation on the words of her late father-in-law in defiance of the developing rally for President Donald J. Trump a block away.

Kennedy Campaigns with King in Defiance of Trump and Van Drew

The crowds of people wearing red hats may have been gathering Tuesday about 30 miles to the south, but Amy Kennedy and Martin Luther King III welcomed quite a different crowd for a “unity lunch” at Gilchrists restaurant in this city’s historic Gardner’s Basin section.

King Meets with Kennedy; while Kennedy Meets with Holley

The Honorable Robert F. Kennedy JR. arrived in NJ stumping for Assemblyman Jamel Holley raising $100k for the the Union County Assemblyman’s campaign.

The Morris County Selen Scene: He Wins

As voting began at Saturday’s Republican convention to select a new Morris County freeholder, candidate Tayfun Selen was working the room, talking to voters.

Unpacking Brower’s Attack on Selen

While a number of Morris County Republicans were in Wildwood having fun with the president this week, crazy stuff was happening back home.

Morris Freeholder Tilt: And Then There were Six…

No one would call county freeholder a prestige job.

In Quad-Centered Passaic, Murphy Walks out as GOP Walks in

It proved an interesting last night at the Brownstone in Paterson, Passaic County, with both party organizations – Democrat and Republican – trying to occupy the same iconic space.

Union Twp. Dems Select Ricketts as Organization Prez

The Union Twp. Democratic Party gathered last night at the local VFW hall to consider the coming presidential political terrain and recalibrate its leadership.

Richter Backs Van Drew; Launches CD3 Candidacy

Republican businessman David Richter just made it official in CD3. He’s in.

Gibbs: ‘I’m not Stepping Aside for Anybody’

“Anyone who thinks they can push me around doesn’t know anything about South Jersey women. I was raised by a single mom who taught me how to stand up for myself and never back down from a challenge. To our party leaders who like to talk about empowering and supporting young Republican women to run and serve, well, here I am.”

Richter: ‘I Don’t Think I’m Stepping on Anyone’s Toes’

“I don’t think I’m stepping on anyone’s toes,” he said, when asked to consider the existing candidacy of Kate Gibbs, who already has the backing of the Burlington County Republican Committee.

Spotlight on Sherrill: CD11 Star Appears with Bill Maher

Mikie Sherrill is going national. The congresswoman from the 11th District was a guest Friday night on the HBO show, “Real Time with Bill Maher.”

An Impeachment Atmosphere Sherrill Town Hall Without the Word

So much for the divisive topic of impeaching Donald Trump.

Schepisi Will Not Run for Governor in 2021

Governor Phil Murphy can scratch one name off his list of potential gubernatorial rivals.

Diving into Governor Murphy’s Energy Master Plan

Sporting a green pocket square in his suit jacket, with a stroke of a pen—or rather, several pens distributed as souvenirs—Governor Phil Murphy signed Executive Order 100 to enact one of the most sweeping green energy initiatives in the country.

Watterman could Become a Potential Challenger for JC Mayor

The naming of Joyce Watterman as the president of the Jersey Council earlier this year didn’t merely make history – she is the first African American woman to rise to that position – but it also indicated a seismic shift in behind the scenes politics from a year ago when she was supposed to have gotten the post.

Murphy Town Hall Turns into a Pep Rally

It was billed as a “town hall” with Gov. Phil Murphy, but it turned out to be a pep rally.

Richter Hires Tom Bonfonti to Manage CD3 Primary Campaign

David Richter, Republican candidate for Congress in New Jersey’s Third Congressional district, announced today that he has hired seasoned campaign operative Tom Bonfonti to serve as his Campaign Manager.

NJ Footprint Felt in Iowa with Bernie 2020 heading into Monday Ground Zero Game

In addition to Analilia Mejia’s role as Bernie 2020 National Political Director, NJ Bernie organizers are playing a key role in the ground game for Monday’s Iowa Caucus on behalf of Bernie for President 2020.

Abdelaziz Ready to Protect Paterson Sixth Ward Seat

Paterson 6th Ward Councilman Al Abdelaziz submitted his petitions this afternoon to run for re-election in the May council race.

Pelosi Coming to NJ for Norcross Reelection Launch

On February 29, 2020, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will travel to South Jersey to join Congressman Donald Norcross for a Campaign Kickoff with community and local progressive leaders at Camden County College in Blackwood.

New Jersey Faultlines Outline Our Nation’s Enduring Divides

President Trump’s scheduled stumping in Wildwood Tuesday night for former Democrat Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-2) comes as Mr. Trump’s USDA implements its plan to kick 700,000 Americans off of food stamps, including 12,000 New Jersey residents.

New Jersey’s CD2: Ground Zero for Politics Nationwide

It’s a land of casinos and cranberries, beaches and bogs, boardwalks and blueberries, poverty and plenty. It is over 2,000 square miles and Its coastlines are washed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and Delaware Bay.

InsiderNJ’s Friday Political Potpourri. Maps & Double Standards Edition

Redistricting is a once-a-decade opportunity for politicians to redraw NJs political boundaries and it’s right about the corner.

The Joey Novick Wildwood Wawa Interview with President Trump

President Donald Trump spoke to a packed house in Wildwood earlier this week. Amazingly, I ran into him at the Wawa outside the Wildwood Convention Center…

Day of the Wildwood Trump Rally – The Dignified and Heroic Courage of Kate Gibbs

On this day of the arrival of Donald Trump into New Jersey for one of his Nuremberg-style rallies, there are three words to describe the optics of the Republican Party, both inside New Jersey and nationally, a party to which I once devoted my life: Parafascism, oligarchism, and sexism.