If you can’t dream, why bother running?

With the Nov. 7 election a mere eight days away,  let’s focus on LD-25, which covers northern and eastern Morris County and one town in Passaic County, West Milford.

Anthony M. Bucco is the Republican incumbent here, but it’s more than that. He’s also the Senate Minority Leader, which makes him one of the top Republicans in the state.

As he hops around New Jersey to various GOP events, local Republicans enjoy saying how great it would be if Bucco becomes Senate President.

That’s a long shot. To make it happen, Republicans would need to run the table and win every competitive race.

Doable?

In theory, yes.

But in reality probably not, although Bucco said Monday what he has been saying all fall – Republicans have the momentum on their side.

That, of course, remains to be seen, but you can’t blame Republicans for dreaming.

However, back in Bucco’s home turf, Democrats are dreaming too – of beating Bucco.

Take that “Senate President.”

The district is long-time Republican terrain, but the numbers are not that far apart. The GOP’s registration lead is about 2,500, which is not overwhelming.

Then again, that can be misleading. Bucco and his late father, Anthony R. Bucco, have represented the district in the Legislature for close to 30 years. It’s safe to say that voters in LD-25 are accustomed to supporting a candidate named Bucco.

The Dems, however, are hardly in the mood to concede.

Democrat Christine Clarke is very much an environmental activist. But she now seems almost entirely focused on women’s rights.

Her campaign circulated a poll awhile back that said voters in the district are not enamored of Bucco’s pro-life stance. They just doubled down with a mailing and a website devoted to “Extremist Anthony Biucco.”

Featuring a clip of a distraught woman, the point is simple:

“Extremist Anthony Bucco doesn’t care about women, because he thinks he knows better than them about their own healthcare decisions” is how the website puts it.

This is the Democrats’ playbook, and more so as Election Day gets closer, – condemn Republicans for opposing abortion rights.

It’s a good strategy.

Women’s rights have motivated the Democratic base all over the country since the overturning of Roe v. Wade. This figures to be a low turnout election, so voter motivation is critical.

Abortion rights are law in New Jersey, but the Dems argue that if Republicans get control of the Legislature, they will seek to chip away piecemeal – like cutting off family planning funding.

This is a legitimate point. State funding for Planned Parenthood was vetoed every year during the eight years Chris Christie was governor.

Bucco shrugs off the suggestion he’s some radical.

His point is that there are issues other than abortion.

And he says it is his work on such things as supporting services for the homeless, education and preservation efforts that have earned him endorsements from many groups that do not normally endorse Republicans, most prominently the state teachers’ union. He includes in that category, the Humane Society and a local weekly newspaper group.

With that support in his back pocket, Bucco dismissed his critics and the Dems’ attacks as not believable.

“It’s really hard for them to say (I’m) a crazy radical extremist.”