Instead of Giving Residents Hope, this Message Shows the Governor’s Policies are Controlled by Fear

Senator Joe Pennacchio today called the right to vote one of our most paramount rights, and once again criticized Governor Murphy’s governing by edict.

Murphy declared the July 7 primary, delayed from the original June 2 date, will “mostly be vote-by-mail.”

“Residents have made sacrifices to do everything the Governor asked us to do to flatten the curve and prevent the spread of the virus,” Pennacchio said. “The curve has flattened and continues to flatten, but Murphy has given up on moving the state forward and returning to normalcy. He is a governor of executive orders and emergency declarations.”

Pennacchio noted that the state and nation has held elections during crises before without impact on the polls.

“Instead of giving our residents hope, this is a message of despair. July 7 is more than 50 days away, but in Murphy’s mind, the virus will still be controlling us and we will not have any semblance of normalcy returning to the state,” said Pennacchio (R-26).

Pennacchio said he hopes politics isn’t playing a role in today’s announcement.

“The governor needs to answer this question: Has he had conversations with federal or state officials of his political party, and did that impact this decision in any way? That is a question that needs to be answered.

“This is why we need a Senate Select Committee to analyze, in real time, the Governor’s edicts during the coronavirus crisis,” concluded Pennacchio.