New Jersey’s Education Rebellion Was A Long Time Coming

New Jersey’s Education Rebellion Was A Long Time Coming



News media revealed that Phil Murphy had been reelected governor of New Jersey on Wednesday night, 24 hours later than predicted. The state's Democrats, who went into the election with the drink-clinking tranquillity of the ensemble in the first act of the Poseidon Adventure, were stunned by the slim triumph. The surveys all showed Murphy winning by eight or more points, with the exception of one or two outliers. Instead, a Republican wave slammed his party. Thanks to late-arriving results from machine-run North Jersey counties, Murphy was able to win by a hair. However, there were some startling outcomes farther down the ballot. In South Jersey, a truck driver who spent $153 on his campaign, much of it at Dunkin' Donuts, defeated the state senate president, a close associate of the state's most powerful political boss.

What went wrong? Political analysts are like weathermen: once they've had a chance to sift the statistics, they'll be able to tell us why it rained yesterday. However, even in the lack of concrete data, a consensus is forming: It has something to do with the schools. Despite the fact that culture-war controversies over race and curriculum are less rife in New Jersey than in Virginia, Republican candidate Jack Ciattarelli, a former state legislator, campaigned as a Regular Jersey Guy, attacking high property taxes, Murphy's mask and vaccine mandates, and the way schools teach about race. However, to suggest there was a cultural reaction is an oversimplification. Or, come to think of it, an unnecessary complexity. It was straightforward for many parents. The public schools were closed for much longer than necessary, and Murphy did little to open them.