Steinhardt, Ciattarelli, Kean Jr., Smith & Van Drew Continue Denying Reality, Undermining Democracy

TRENTON, NJ — A month after Election Day, the Biden-Harris transition is in full swing, with Cabinet nominee and White House appointments being announced, President-elect Biden receiving the Presidential Daily Briefing, foreign heads of state offering their congratulations to the President-elect, and even Trump loyalist Attorney General Bill Barr saying that there was no evidence of widespread election fraud. But as the rest of the world and country accept the election results, top New Jersey Republican leaders are still refusing to publicly acknowledge the victory of President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris and are instead espousing dangerous, unfounded conspiracies about our democratic system.

New Jersey Republican Party Chairman Doug Steinhardt, gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli, State Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean, Jr., Congressman Chris Smith, and Congressman Jeff Van Drew have not publicly acknowledged that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris won the election, despite there being absolutely no legal or factual basis to the Trump campaign’s wild claims of alleged fraud. All of them remain too afraid of alienating the radical Trump base of their party to speak the truth, and would rather undermine our democracy than risk their political support.

“New Jersey’s leading Republicans are revealing themselves more and more each day as being dramatically out of step with our state and our values,” said NJDSC Executive Director Saily Avelenda. “From refusing to acknowledge the results of the election, to speaking at rallies where attendees proudly display Confederate flags, to undermining faith in our democracy, these Trump enablers are making it clear that they are willing to put party over country and politics over people. They’re being called ‘cowards’ for a reason — because these Republicans won’t tell people if they stand with New Jerseyans and democracy or with Donald Trump and the conspiracy-touting fringe. The people of New Jersey will not give them a pass for supporting such an extreme right wing ideology.”