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Today, New Jersey Republican State Committee Chairman Bob Hugin released the following statement amid President Joe Biden’s weak response to the ongoing situation in Afghanistan:

“The Biden Administration’s cataclysmic failure in Afghanistan has jeopardized American lives, emboldened our adversaries like Iran, China and Russia, and undermined our allies like Taiwan and Israel.

“It has called into question our support of basic human rights around the globe, and has had and will continue to have a chilling effect on advocates of equality for women.

“The only thing Joe Biden proved yesterday is that he could read a prepared speech written by incompetent, inexperienced progressive operatives who are all too comfortable threatening our national security as well as our standing in the international community.”

Today, New Jersey Republican State Committee Chairman Bob Hugin released the following statement on the heels of Twitter’s decision to suspend Senator Declan O’Scanlon’s Twitter account, after he posted a tweet speaking out against mandatory vaccine passports.

“This appalling suppression of free speech is an assault on our democracy, and is as unacceptable as it is un-American. I call on Twitter to reinstate Senator Declan O’Scanlon’s account immediately.

“In expressing opposition to mandatory vaccine passports, Senator O’Scanlon gave voice to the many New Jerseyans who have legitimate concerns about privacy and civil liberties by being required to show proof of vaccination to participate in everyday activities.”

Trenton, NJ: By meddling in California politics and involving himself in the election for California’s 39th Congressional District, Congressman Andy Kim has shown the wellbeing of his constituents is clearly at the bottom of his priority list. New Jersey Republican State Committee Communications Director Tyler Ladzinski issued the following statement:

“While New Jersey’s economy continues to suffer with the seventh highest unemployment rate in the country and one of the slowest economic recoveries, Andy Kim has apparently decided that rather than help his constituents get back on their feet, the best use of his time is to curry favor with Democratic party leaders in California. Rather than worrying about endorsing candidates for Congress 3,000 miles away, Andy Kim should be focused on helping South Jersey.

“Andy Kim needs to decide if he wants to continue being a henchman of Nancy Pelosi and the radical left or if he’d rather represent the Third Congressional District of New Jersey. He cannot have it both ways.”

New Jersey Republican State Committee Chairman Michael Lavery issued the following statement:

“I am happy to endorse Bob Hugin to be my successor as Chairman of the New Jersey Republican State Committee, and I encourage all of our Committee members to support him not only at our June 15th meeting but in the years to come. I am confident that through Bob’s strong leadership, the Republican Party in New Jersey will continue to build, grow, and expand so that we can provide our candidates with the knowledge, tools and resources to be successful in 2021 and beyond.”

Trenton, NJ: Following a growing amount of pressure from the NJGOP, countless elected officials on both sides of the political aisle, and millions of New Jersey residents, Governor Phil Murphy announced during his afternoon press conference today that he will be lifting the remaining COVID restrictions.

New Jersey Republican State Committee Executive Director Tom Szymanski issued the following statement:

“By lifting the remainder of his self-imposed restrictions, Phil Murphy demonstrated that he could not stand up to the ever-growing amount of pressure being placed on him by countless New Jerseyans who want him to follow the actual science released by the CDC and not the political science being generated by his campaign advisors. 

“Unfortunately, lifting these restrictions is simply too little, too late for the 330,000 unemployed New Jerseyans and the 33 percent of small business owners whose livelihoods have been destroyed due to Murphy’s draconian restrictions. The damage is done and could very well prove to be irreparable. Voters will be sure to make it clear this November that the lack of care Murphy has shown to small businesses and workers will no longer be tolerated when they vote him out at the ballot box.”

Trenton, NJ: After receiving an insurmountable amount of pressure from the New Jersey Republican Party and elected officials from both parties to follow the science released by the Centers for Disease Control and lift the obsolete indoor mask mandate in New Jersey; new reports indicate that New Jersey’s Governor Phil Murphy will lift the mandate on Friday, May 28th before the Memorial Day holiday weekend.

New Jersey Republican State Committee Executive Director Tom Szymanski issued the following statement:

“It’s about time Phil Murphy has decided to stop following political science, and to follow the actual science released by the CDC. Murphy’s inaction on lifting the indoor mask mandate was unfortunately par for the course for him on his handling of this pandemic.

“Murphy has constantly lagged behind every other state on a myriad of issues throughout this pandemic which has led New Jersey to receive the lowest score in the entire nation for how quickly we are recovering from this devastating pandemic, and it’s forced one in three small businesses to close for good.

“New Jersey deserves a Governor who will always take swift action to move New Jersey’s economy forward into a post COVID world, and voters will certainly not lag in their removal of Murphy from the Governor’s Mansion this November.”

Trenton, NJ: Recent reports indicate that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) will announce that fully vaccinated individuals no longer have to wear a mask indoors. This news comes as COVID numbers in New Jersey have consistently trended downward, and multiple Democrat controlled states, such as California and Minnesota, have already announced plans to lift their mask mandates. While the CDC and other blue states have announced the end to mask mandates, Governor Phil Murphy has repeatedly dodged and punted on the issue and has gone as far to say New Jersey “was not there yet.” 

New Jersey Republican State Committee Chairman Michael Lavery issued the following statement:

“Our message to Governor Murphy is clear: The time is here to ‘follow the science,’ backed by even President Biden’s CDC and his fellow radically liberal governors in other states, and lift New Jersey’s mask mandate immediately. Murphy has demonstrated that he is clearly grasping at straws to keep his dictatorial powers alive.

“It makes no sense why Governor Murphy has followed the CDC and other Democrat Governors on enacting restrictions, but has consistently dragged his feet on lifting them.

“New Jersey will be able to move forward from this devastating pandemic and government-imposed lockdowns quicker when we remove Phil Murphy from the Governor’s office in November, but we can certainly start our path forward today by lifting this obsolete mask restriction.”

Trenton, NJ: In light of Governor Murphy’s recent announcement on lifting COVID restrictions, New Jersey Republican State Committee Chairman Michael Lavery issued the following statement:

“If the Governor is willing to acknowledge the waning threat of the pandemic by paring back many of his self-conceived onerous lockdown measures, then he must also realize it is time to surrender his ‘emergency powers’ as well.

“Co-equal branches of government exist to protect the State from one person over-extending their power, and Governor Murphy’s dangerous pandemic maneuvering is a perfect example of that. For the last year, he has consistently acted unilaterally, circumvented the two other branches of government via self-granted, never-ending emergency powers, and it must stop immediately.”

Trenton, NJ: Today the Monmouth University Polling Institute released new numbers on Governor Phil Murphy’s re-election prospects, showing Murphy garnering 48% support for his re-election, compared with 43% who believe it’s time for someone new. 

New Jersey Republican State Committee Executive Director Tom Szymanski issued the following statement:

“Governor Murphy is in deep trouble considering he’s already spent millions of dollars on television ads and dedicated a huge amount of his time to daily press conferences and media appearances, and yet support for his re-election is well under 50%.

“Bad decisions come with consequences, and today’s numbers clearly show New Jerseyans are recoiling at the Governor’s directive to lock COVID-positive patients in nursing homes which caused New Jersey to have the highest COVID death rate on the planet, just as they are also recoiling at his never-ending lockdowns, which killed one-in-three small businesses and gave New Jersey the 7th worst unemployment rate in the country. 

Getting New Jersey back on track and back to work starts with changing governors in November, and New Jerseyans are realizing that more and more with each passing day.”

Trenton, NJ: Following the NJGOP’s call for Governor Phil Murphy to fully lift his unilateral economic restrictions, today he announced a return to 100% capacity for businesses, provided that patrons are distanced at least six feet apart from one another (which will undoubtedly still have an adverse effect on small businesses with limited capacity). 

New Jersey Republican State Committee Executive Director Tom Szymanski issued the following statement:

“It’s shameful that in order for Governor Murphy to lift many of his dictatorial economic restrictions, it took shaming and goading from both the New Jersey Republican Party and neighboring states. 

“However, the fact remains that Murphy’s rule requiring six feet of distance between patrons is a de facto capacity restriction which will continue to strangle countless small businesses. 

“For the one in three small business owners who were forced by Murphy to close their doors for good, and for the nearly 350,000 New Jerseyans currently out of work, the Governor’s actions today to lift his own cruel and arbitrary restrictions are far too little, too late.”