PARSIPPANY - Democratic socialists have recently grabbed the mayor's chair in New York City and Jersey City.

"Now they're coming for CD-11," Joe Hathaway warned Saturday.

But that's where it stops, Hathaway proclaimed, as he formally kicked off his congressional campaign before more than a hundred supporters at Morris County Republican headquarters.

"Who's ready to flip this district to red?" is how he began.

All this is for the April 16 special election to replace Mikie Sherrill in Congress. The district, which ranges over parts of Essex, Morris and Passaic counties, leans Democratic, but Hathaway, a Randolph councilman and former mayor, sees opportunity.

That's because of Analilia Mejia, the Democratic candidate and former director of the left wing New Jersey Working Families Alliance.

Hathaway said Mejia is "out of touch."

Hathaway said affordability is a big issue in the district and that "sending more Democrats down to Washington" is not going to solve it.

Mejia by the way was in the neighborhood, although not the district.

She addressed a rally in Roxbury to oppose a planned ICE detention center in the township. Roxbury, just west of Randolph, is in CD-7.

Mejia condemned the "violence and chaos" of ICE activities, and she said more people need to "wake up."
Many are awake.

Opposition to ICE seems to be growing among the populace. There have been a few opposition rallies, but this one at township hall appeared to be the largest.

The town hall parking lot was filled at 10:30 a.m., a half-hour before the rally's official start. The lot at a nearby motel was also filled, prompting many attendees to seek parking along the highway when possible or on side streets.

While Roxbury officials oppose the ICE center, some have noted that many of the protesters are from out of town. Whether that's relevant, one supposes, is a personal view.

One of those striding to the rally site this morning was indeed, an out of towner. He was Ravi Bhalla, a state assemblyman from Hudson County.

"People in Hudson County care about this," said Bhalla, a former mayor of Hoboken. He also spoke to the crowd.

Mejia said simply that ICE is a "police force of an authoritarian" government.

Back in Parsippany, Hathaway, who played nose tackle at Yale, ended his rally by calling his supporters to crowd around - like players huddling around a football coach.

He gave some high-fives and exhorted all to work hard.

"We have a huge opportunity," he said.

The point was that a Republican win in CD-11 would reverberate across not only New Jersey, but the nation.