The epic book, A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens starts with the words, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”  For the New Jersey Republican Party, the past four years have definitely constituted the worst of times. 

Due to the total political toxicity of Donald Trump in New Jersey, the NJGOP in 2018 lost four of its five members in the US House of Representatives.  The Trump and Christie albatrosses were the major factors in the landslide victories of Phil Murphy for governor in 2017 and Bob Menendez in his 2018 senate reelection campaign.  The Democratic registration edge has widened to approximately a million voters, and Trump toxicity has stimulated the massive exodus from the NJGOP of suburbanite college educated women voters.  If state political parties qualified for federal disaster relief, the NJGOP would be at the top of the list.

And Election Night 2019 appears to be another evening of lamentations for the NJGOP.  Normally, the party that does not control the governorship gains seats in the legislative midterm elections, but in 2019, the Democrats seem poised to register a net gain of two to four Assembly seats.  The Republicans are totally on the defensive in the county elections in the once GOP stronghold counties of Somerset and Burlington.   

Yet the NJGOP will have reason for future hope on Election Night 2019 due to the anticipated reelection victory in the 39th Legislative District of Holly Schepisi. She is seeking her fifth term in the New Jersey Assembly, together with her running mate, Bob Auth who is seeking election to his fourth Assembly term.  The 39th District consists of 20 Bergen County municipalities and three in Passaic County. 

To say Holly Schepisi has star quality is the biggest understatement since Henry Aaron said he thought he could hit.  She has both charisma and excellent communication skills. 

Most importantly, she has the ideal skill set for top level executive branch decision making.  A governmental decision maker must take into account three considerations: 1) the law applicable to the issue; 2) the policy impacts the decision will have; and 3) the political fallout from the decision. 

Holly Schepisi has demonstrated in her years in the Assembly a unique ability to propose solutions that exemplify a remarkable confluence of all three considerations.  She has been one of the most competent lawyers in either legislative house over the past decade.  She has demonstrated superb analytical skills in judging the impact of various policy alternatives.  Finally, her political instincts are top-flight, largely, in my view, an inheritance from her father, John Schepisi, an outstanding Bergen County GOP chair in the early 1990s who knew how to win. 

If current Assembly Republican Leader Jon Bramnick loses in his bid for reelection in the 21st District, Holly Schepisi, currently Assistant Minority Leader, will definitely be on the short list for Assembly Republican Leader.   

Yet an even more exciting prospect for Jersey Republicans would be Holly’s selection by the 2021 Republican Gubernatorial nominee as his Lieutenant Governor running mate.  In fact, a ticket of current GOP gubernatorial front runner Jack Ciattarelli and Holly Schepisi would be by far the most competitive ticket Phil Murphy and Sheila Oliver could face. 

Ciattarelli is from Somerset County, and Holly Schepisi, as mentioned above, is from Bergen County, two counties that were once GOP bastions but have now trended in a decidedly Democratic direction.  In order for a GOP ticket to win a governor’s race, it is absolutely essential that the candidates reverse the Democratic gains in Somerset and Bergen.  And both Ciattarelli and Schepisi are quite capable of doing just that, being highly popular in their respective counties. 

Furthermore, Schepisi could be very effective in reversing the hemorrhaging of suburban educated women voters away from the GOP into the Democratic column.  Both she and Ciattarelli have avoided any identification with Trump, enabling her to be free of the Trump toxicity that dooms any gubernatorial electability prospects of either Doug Steinhardt or Bob Hugin.  

The best issue for the 2021 NJGOP ticket will be the property tax issue, resulting from the inequitable and inadequate state aid to suburban school districts.  Both Ciattarelli and Schepisi have demonstrated their expertise on this issue and the remarkable ability of each to communicate their proposals to voters. 

Finally, both Ciattarelli and Schepisi have compelling personal stories regarding their triumphs over adverse health situations, Ciattarelli in overcoming throat cancer and Schepisi in recovering from brain aneurysm surgery.  These are two winners in both the arenas of politics and life itself. 

I just finished watching my 64th World Series.  The superb right-handed pitching duo of Stephen Strasburg and Max Scherzer enabled the Washington Nationals to overcome prohibitive odds and bring the city of Washington its first World Series championship since 1924.  And for the NJGOP to overcome prohibitive odds and win the governorship in 2021, its dream ticket should be two center-right political pitchers, Jack Ciattarelli for Governor and Holly Schepisi for Lieutenant Governor. 

Indeed, this dream ticket could very well happen. Stay tuned. 

Alan J. Steinberg served as Regional Administrator of Region 2 EPA during the administration of former President George W. Bush and as Executive Director of the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission.