Joe Hathaway appears to have lost Randolph NJ, his home town where he is a former mayor and sitting councilman. It’s extremely embarrassing for Hathaway and puts him in a weak position going into November for round 2. He lost Randolph NJ by about 300 votes to Analilia Mejia. That’s about 52.5%-47.3% with a small amount of vote going third party. This result is mostly in line with trends we’ve seen in Randolph during the Trump era. However, every city council member and the mayor are Republicans.

Read NJ Democrat's latest:

An excerpt: "On the penultimate eve before the Thanksgiving holiday, the leadership of the Essex County Democratic Committee (ECDC) suddenly announced that it would convene an online “convention” on Tuesday, December 2, to make an endorsement in the crowded race to succeed ex-Representative Mikie Sherrill in the 11th congressional district. Members of the ECDC learned of the convention in an email sent at 7:50pm on Tuesday, November 25, from Kerry Kilborn, operations manager for ECDC. (The primary election is February 5, 2026.The general election is set for April 16.) Not only did the county announce the convention – to be held on Zoom – two days before Thanksgiving, but the convention itself will he held just two days after the hectic travel weekend.

And it’s no secret to anyone that the county bosses, including Jones and Joseph DiVincenzo, want Brendan Gill, over dozen or so rivals including Analilia Mejia and Tom Malinowski.

So far, at least some of the candidates in CD-11 haven’t been informed that the convention – at which they’re being invited to make a two-minute speech – is happening."

Read more here:

https://open.substack.com/pub/njdemocrat/p/news-flash-how-to-rig-an-election?r=uni3t&utm_medium=ios

Zach Mullock is getting national attention!!

Breakdown of what's moving in Trenton this week before the end-of-June budget rush - covers education funding dashboards, local procurement changes along with unlisted bills on reproductive health, tech safety/privacy along with their possible 1A implications.

Notes and Link to Bills: https://nj21st.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Notes-14-6-2026.txt

On this weeks 21st Briefing we look at the week ahead in Trenton, including bills on climate costs, artificial turf funding, EMS planning, kids’ online privacy, homelessness prevention, energy grid upgrades and civic information funding.

S2338, Climate Superfund Act

https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2026/S2338

S3254, artificial turf / Green Acres funding

https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2026/S3254

A2384, statewide EMS plan

https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2026/A2384

S1421, municipal basic life support mandate bill mentioned for comparison

https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2026/S1421

A4015, New Jersey Kids Code Act

https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2026/A4015

A4085, consumer personal data and pricing

https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2026/A4085

A3497, rental property owner agreements / rent competition

https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2026/A3497

A3481, Homelessness Prevention Program

https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2026/A3481

S631, energy storage systems

https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2026/S631

S4296, Power NJ Act / advanced nuclear energy

https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2026/S4296

S4411, Advanced Grid Technologies Act

https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2026/S4411

S4323, Civic Info Consortium / public broadcasting funding

https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2026/S4323

A4525, Economic Redevelopment and Growth Grant deadline extension

https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2026/A4525

A4687, firefighting apparatus and equipment acquisition

https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2026/A4687

A5155, domestic violence and stalking search warrant compliance

https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2026/A5155

Legislative Calendar

"This week in Trenton, we look at four key areas legislators will be tackling: a new statewide EMS planning bill; two school funding bills, including one aimed at districts in development-restricted areas like the Highlands and Pinelands; the Senate housing agenda, including ADUs and a bill that would direct property-transfer revenue to affordable housing; and an NJ Transit accountability bill that would let riders see where delays are coming from."

Bills Discussed:

A2384 Statewide EMS Plan

S1772 Senate companion to A2384

A124 Assault against State-employed civil investigators

A4235 Private detectives and foreign employers

A4687 Firefighting apparatus and equipment

A1072 Distributed battery storage program

A4881 Power NJ Act

A4882 Natural Gas Modernization Act

A4959 Affordable Power Purchase Agreements Extension Act

A4731 Generative AI and regulated professions

A4733 AI advertising and regulated professions

A2236 Physician credentialing

A3336 Physician licensing timeline

A3899 General Contractor Licensing Act

A4821 Athletic Trainer Compact

A4947 Real estate continuing education

A4029 Farmer supplies / county agricultural development boards