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DAVID: Welcome to "Chatbox."

DAVID: Heading into the final month for the governor race and assembly and one hour "Chatbox" with the Republicans.

We are doing one-on-one chats.

And talk to josh got I'mer in our second half.

We begin with Republican Jack.

Great to see you.

>> Always great to help with the ratings.

[LAUGHTER] DAVID: Questions for you over the years, are you a trump Republican?

And your answer always used to be I'm a jersey Republican.

Being a jersey Republican seems to me you are a trump Republican.

A, is that true.

>> I supported the President back in 2024 and was with him in promises made and kept.

He put a halt on the wind farms on the jersey shore and beaten up on congestion pricing which is a money grb.

I support the President and what he is doing to keep America and in partnership with me as governor, New Jersey safe.

DAVID: Jack agrees with all Democrats?

[LAUGHTER] DAVID: On congestion pricing.

You talked about your thoughts on the President, this is you on 2015 and quoting, Mr. Trump preys upon our worst extinct and fierce.

He is out of step with American values.

Are you looking to get an endorsement from that guy in this primary?

>> You have a Joe DiMaggio streak going and you brought up comments like that from 2015.

J.D.

vance said a lot of things harsh.

I support President Trump and I did so in 2020 and 2024 and I think what he is doing what needs to be done to hit the reset button and keep the country and in partnership with me, keep New Jersey safe.

DAVID: Can you explain how that opinion has evolved?

>> He was very successful in his first term and successful on the border and successful on the economy and won the wore on ISIS.

Peace in the middle east and greater peace around the world and after four years of Joe Biden, we need a change.

And he told us there could be pain incorrecting the trade imbalance.

He kept his promises, no offshore wind off our jersey shore and stopping the congestion pricing plan in New York.

DAVID: Have you seen any change in the Republican party in New Jersey?

>> I have because of the closeness of my race in 2021 and David, you are a student of history.

Politically speaking, we have never been a deep blue State when it comes to governor elections.

The last one who won was George Herbert bush.

And we are going 7 7-12 with me as the nominee.

DAVID: You once told a reporter and it's weird and I feel like you said this to me, you once told a reporter that your last campaign was too white.

I think you were trying to make a point but got criticized especially from one of your opponents calling it race baiting.

What do you say to those who criticize you for that?

>> Our campaign has greater access and New Jersey's African-American community and Asia-American community, we didn't have that access last time and that's a lesson learned.

But I'm happy to say we have been well received in minority communities who are thinking like Republicans their values are more consistent with Republicans when it comes to public safety, public education and economic opportunity and I'm looking for greater participation.

DAVID: Not been the reputation of your party in this State to have a lot of that -- >> Let me say this, I won seven rates.

Two at the -- and Democrats significantly outnumbed Republicans.

Not that because I'm conservative or compromised on my PRINCIPLES.

I have gone places that other Republicans don't or want.

When you do, they like our commonsense approach to governance.

DAVID: Do the other candidates in this race have that openmindness?

>> I don't see that.

I don't expect people to follow me on social media.

You see where I go.

I make a point to be all 21 counties and 600 diners as often as I can.

DAVID: Is there 600 diners?

You just made that up.

>> Don't start the fact checking, David, you'll get me in trouble.

DAVID: Everyone seems to be in agreement that affordability is top of mind for voters, what is driving affordability concerns and where can a governor have an impact?

>> New Jersey individuals and businesses face the highest overall tax burden.

We can fix that with the reforms.

We need a new school funding formula and State aid to schools in low property districts all around the State.

I have an idea and pass muster with the State Supreme Court.

And then also I think we should never tax retirement income in New Jersey.

They don't do it in Pennsylvania.

Why do we do it here.

W-2 wages for a college graduate, tax-free.

Let's help people get a start.

First-time home buyers cap it at 1% for the first five years and get up on their feet.

On seniors, let's freeze property taxes at age 70.

Those are fiscal proposals that will change the perception of New Jersey and make things more affordable.

DAVID: Should State Government ensure access to affordable housing?

>> I believe we need more affordable housing if we put it in the right places, in suburban communities no infrastructure, no jobs, flies in the stays of sustainability which is how hypocritical that Murphy has been.

And just makes no sense.

We have to revitalize our urban centers and build affordable housing and letting people live there again.

The urban centers are great.

Thriving vibrant cities are the engines and use it as a means to get people.

Good schools, recreational opportunities and people will live in our cities again.

DAVID: Government should play a role to expedite that?

>> They worked back then and will work again.

Let's bring them back.

DAVID: We are rapidly running out of time.

60% or so more than the last Republican governors.

What should it cost to run State Government?

And what are you going to do to get to that number?

>> We have to get to our core mission.

Government was about hub health and safety, public education and infrastructure.

If we turn the spotlight on those three areas there is a lot of room in our State budget.

You can tell that phil Murphy has failed why is he putting fees on batting cages, massages.

This is just as bad as there were taxes on toilet paper and tires.

We need fiscal responsibility.

DAVID: Are you concerned about shortfalls that come with Federal budget cuts?

>> I'm not just yet and I'm hearing about the elimination of Federal departments but I have not heard that that will be a decrease in funding to the States and to school districts.

Until then, we are listening keenly but I will be work with President Trump to best serve the interests of the people of New Jersey.

DAVID: Will you stop lawmakers on packing the pork?

>> You bet we will.

No more French art museums in jersey cities.

We have homeless veterans and school districts that are cutting back on sports programs and closing schools and senior citizens can't afford their homes.

We have to put the money and take our citizens.

DAVID: Is New Jersey transit better and what are you going to make noticeable improvements?

>> What I'm going to do.

I'm going to form the garden State transportation authority.

The Atlantic expressway, turnpike and New Jersey transit and put the gas tax revenues in there, too.

Greater for accountability and transparency and with the right people serchg on the board, I think we can change things around for our mass transit systems.

It's all about the leadership, David.

DAVID: On parental noirvetion, should parents know everything about their child's behavior in school whether they are smoking, wearing Magga hats or identifying as a different gender.

>> The notion of a district keeping things from parents it is immoral and dangerous.

Our school districts work in partnership with parents and not in secret.

There will be no policy 5746.

We will respect the role of parents and parents have a job to do and work in partnership with school districts not in secret.

DAVID: Should parents have veto power over textbooks they object to?

>> Outside the critical skills, they should have a say.

And that's why we have local boards of education.

DAVID: How does that manifest?

>> Through the State board of education.

And we should establish what textbooks is best achieved.

And once we get outside those skills, parents should have a say at local school board meetings.

DAVID: Republican running for governor.

Man.

Talk to you soon.

Other side of the coin Democrat Congressman josh gottheimer.

Welcome back.

You transferred about $10 million from your congressional campaign into a super P.A.C.

You are not coordinating with them but you don't have coordinate much if you are forking over # $10 million.

What should voters think about that?

>> Playing by the rules and doing what others are doing in the race and what voters should focus on.

What I'm talking about and what I'm going to do as governor and my focus since day one is about getting taxes down and making life more affordable and I go to diners pretty much every day and people are getting crushed.

They feel like they are getting nickeled and dimed everywhere.

I'm doing to get those costs down.

That's the focus on this campaign.

DAVID: Can you explain your plan for affordability in terms that John queu voter can understand?

>> I'm the only one with a tax reduction plan.

I have put together a plan that actually will do a few major things, one cuts property taxes by about 15% for everyone.

And helps folks with a tax cut and we will help you out and seniors who are on fixed incomes and gives them a bonus if they stay in jersey when they hit 70 and we want people to stay.

And it is all paid for, which is what I'm focused on the most and live here as a State and you can see my plans, 40 pages of how we are paying for this but saying to New York and I can't stand because they stick it to us, it says to us, you work in New Jersey, they take the income tax.

$4 billion.

We don't run the most efficient State in America with 564 towns, more superintendents than mayors and we have to run the place more efficiently and other States have done reviews without messing with any of their programs, 5% to 8%.

We -- our towns buy salt for the roads.

Instead of saying it buy it as one big State.

Instead of paying Costco it's like buying a roll of toilet paper at w Arch wa and then figuring out ways.

How do we do this better and smarter.

DAVID: 15% off the top up front.

That's for all property taxpayers?

>> Everyone who has property, 15% tax cut as well as any renters is a rebate.

Rent went up 33%.

Kids can't afford to stay when they graduate and seniors can't afford to stay and retire here.

We have to figure out to make this more affordable and these other States have figured out and what the politicians have said in jersey, we can't make it more affordable.

DAVID: We should say to people local real estate taxes are set by the municipality, right S&P.

>> We are going to reimburse.

We'll reimburse the towns for those tax cuts.

DAVID: Affordable housing, two dozen towns who went to court to stop the latest affordable housing bill and uncertainty is how much property is development.

It will be decades before we get to the goal of 200,000 units.

How are you going to expedite building affordable housing?

>> You are talking about empty office parks and Government lots that State governments own a lot of property.

There are plenty of places to build stuff.

How do we get stuff built that is affordable and get more of it built that is affordable.

You are trying to build something in New Jersey and takes 5-7 years and other States are 2-3 years.

We are going to do things that will be done faster and get them done and protect the environment and get everyone at one table one time to approve stuff to get things built that is more affordable.

We have to change the way we do this and plenty of places whether it is in transit or the office parks that we can build stuff.

It's getting it done.

We are down to $200,000.

DAVID: Jack says he is in favor of affordable housing but not in the suburbs.

Should this be spread across suburban and urban areas?

>> And rural areas.

We need more of it everywhere.

One of the biggest problems is people can't find a place that is affordable.

Not enough senior housing.

It's what our kids are telling us why they are leaving.

AARP put out a new survey 41% of seniors said they can't afford to live here.

We have a problem on all ends of the spectrum and make life more affordable and not impossible.

People told me things that I did and we got it.

DAVID: 20 plus increases in our electric bills.

Who can we blame here?

The bpu or the Murphy administration?

What's going on?

How do you as governor fix this?

>> In June when people get their June bill.

It's worst.

Over the last year, on average, utility prices went up 40% for electric bills.

The 20%.

Talking about 40% overall.

This is why people feel crushed This is why people feel crus %ed because you look at a bill like that.

We don't have enough supply and demand has gone up.

And two people I'm looking to.

One, you probably know is a consortium that runs the electric grid and called pgm and since 2021 haven't added more energy sources to the grid.

Nothing new.

The demand has gone up and no supply and electric companies are monopolies and never done anything to help and improve things.

There are a lot of things that could make things more efficient and better.

DAVID: What do you have at your disposal, is it the bully pulpit?

>> B.P.U.

is the State board and you go after like I'm doing now and the governor of Pennsylvania, you can't do business this way and can't Jack prices up this quickly but you have to get more supply on and need an all of the aabove approach and ai surging and that takes a ton of like that and we are going to need more and more and keep up.

And not only all of the above approach but I have gone into FERC and said investigate P.G.M.

and they get a minus rating and complete mess and we shouldn't allow 40% increase and call for the utility companies to roll that back because you can't do it.

DAVID: Let's talk about the State budget, $58 billion, highest in history, too much, about right?

How do you address potential shortfalls come when Federal budget kicks?

>> I'm not happy with the fact we are up since 201946% in the State budget.

That is in spending.

That is a significant increase and we have to talk about one of the things more efficiently, the way we buy our health insurance and do our prescription drugs.

None of this is negotiated hard.

You asked not just about the budget but the Federal piece of this.

And you have to fight on tariff and other issues.

As a State, we have to fight when he screws with us.

When anyone screws with jersey, we have to stand up.

I'm not buying into some of these things he said.

He is messing with Social Security and medicate piece.

There are too many red States that will be decimated if he went through with these plans.

But we are going to fight him and if he does, we'll take care of it.

DAVID: Immigrant trust act is a bill that governor would sign or not sign?

>> The current administration has a trust directive which says if trump comes in and I have said this publicly, comes in here and tries to round up undocumented people in schools and restaurants the trust directive says we are going to stand there and prevent it.

If you are a violent criminal, you shouldn't be here.

And right now you have to make sure whatever law we do pass allows for a vote.

DAVID: I hear you say that is covered and no need for an immigrant trust act.

>> I'll read and look at.

Make sure it allows for both and governor Murphy's bill currently allows.

DAVID: You don't think New Jersey transit and does it include fare hikes in perpetuity.

>> You have to stop nickel and diming people you can't even buy a paper bag.

And but New Jersey transit, David, I have been pretty clear it's where we are is not OK and hurting our economy and we have rail cars and buses because ours are old.

You should get refund if your tran is canceled.

a.m. truck, we use their rails and but nothing to improve and keep breaking and shouldn't pay the $200 million.

Who pays for a service that suction.

DAVID: Great to see you, man.

Thanks it.

That's "Chatbox" for this week and thanks and we are on blue sky and follow us there and stay up to date what the news team is doing and screubing to the news.

For all the crew here.

Thank you for watching.

>> Major funding for "Chatbox" with David cruz is provided by the members of the New Jersey education association making public schools great for every child.

Promotional support for "Chatbox" with David cruise is provided by insider nj dedicated to New Jersey political news.

Insider nj is committed to giving serious political players for a forum discussion and insight.

Online at insidernj.

Com.