Desperate Guadagno ‘Takes Hard Right Turn’ in NJ-GOV

Guadagno’s Embrace of Trump-Style Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric Seen as a ‘Hail Mary’

NJ Pollster: Tactic ‘Does Smell of Desperation’

Today, Politico highlighted New Jersey Republican Kim Guadagno’s abrupt change in campaign strategy. Guadagno, down by double digits in most polls, has decided to borrow “a page from Donald Trump’s playbook” by running divisive hardline anti-immigrant ads, and detailing gruesome crimes committed by immigrants in her stump speeches:

“The sleepy race to replace New Jersey Gov. Christie Christie, steeped until now in talk of property taxes and job creation, is taking a sudden, hard right turn as the GOP nominee borrows a page from President Donald Trump’s playbook.

Down in the polls by double digits and struggling to raise enough cash to keep her campaign competitive, Kim Guadagno — the state’s two-term lieutenant governor and a former county sheriff — began speaking last week in graphic detail about rapes and murders committed by undocumented immigrants.”

As Monmouth polling director Patrick Murray puts it, the strategy “does smell of desperation.” Guadagno has trailed in the polls throughout the entire campaign, largely due to her record of failure as lieutenant governor in the Christie administration. Christie is the least popular governor in modern political history, and Guadagno is trying anything to distract from her close ties to him.

“Kim Guadagno is desperate to change the subject away from her eight years of failure in the Christie administration,” said DGA Communications Director Jared Leopold. “Guadagno’s sudden turn to the far-right can’t reverse New Jersey’s 11 credit downgrades or rebuild the New Jersey Transit. Kim Guadagno’s campaign is flailing, but embracing Trump-style demagoguery isn’t going to fix anything.”

For more on Guadagno’s record of failure in the Christie administration, visit ChristiesThirdTerm.com.