Free Republic

The bitter war of words between Democrats that could lead to another state government shutdown in New Jersey raged into the night during the year's longest day. The state's Democrat-controlled Legislature defied Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy by passing their own state budget Thursday night, despite the new governor's vow to veto it. And the body's top lawmaker accused Murphy of being dishonest and dictatorial. That came hours after closed-door negotiations broke down, with Murphy standing by his tax hike proposals and alleging his fellow Democrats are foolishly following in the footsteps of the state's previous -- unpopular -- governor, Republican...

While Republican candidates across the country are proclaiming their fealty to President Donald Trump, New Jersey's Bob Hugin is going against the grain. Hugin, who is taking on Democratic U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, is proclaiming himself "a different kind of Republican," in a new television ad, where he identifies himself as supporting abortion rights, same-sex marriage and equal pay for equal work. He also backs federal funding for the Gateway Tunnel project and calls for changes to the Republican tax law that singled out New Jersey by capping the federal deduction for state and local taxes, taking positions at odds...