President Donald Trump gave his first State of the Union address Tuesday night, but it’s unlikely a lot of residents in the Garden State were applauding, according to a new Gallup poll that found 61 percent of residents disapproved of the president.
NJ.com reports that Trump fared worse in only eight other states. Vermont, where the president has a 69 percent disapproval rating, topped the list.
Republicans in Congress might have done away with the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate, but the state legislature might restore it—at least in New Jersey.
ROI-NJ reports on hearings Monday by the Assembly Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee that discussed implementing a state mandate in hopes of holding down premiums.
But those testifying warned that requiring more people to participate in insurance pools won’t bring down prices alone and that similar attention must be paid to what sort of coverage insurance companies are mandated to provide.
It’s early days for the effort, and as the report notes, “it remains to be seen what steps the legislature will take.”
And Gov. Phil Murphy might have won the election in November, but New Jersey residents in January don’t seem all that enamored of their new leader. A new Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind poll shows Murphy with only a 35 percent approval rating, about double what Chris Christie managed in his final months in office, but hardly a strong show of support from New Jerseyeans.
The good news is that a full 40 percent are undecided on Murphy, which indicates the poll results could be viewed more as a statement on the pragmatic skepticism of tax- and politician-weary Garden State residents and less on their appraisal of Murphy’s early weeks in office.
Quote of the Day: “What eight states gave him lower approval ratings than us? That is what surprises me most,” — Seton Hall Political Science Professor Matthew Hale, on President Donald Trump’s low approval ratings in New Jersey.
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Only a handful of states can match Jersey’s disdain for President Trump
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President Donald Trump shouldn’t make any mention of the Russia investigation in tonight’s State of the Union speech, the Republican Party needs to end its war against the FBI and it was the agency’s new director—not Trump—who cut loose the FBI’s deputy director.
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Advocates, Interest Groups Edge Toward Agreement on Out-of-Network Legislation
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N.J. Gas Prices Highest in 3 Years
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4-Year-Old First to Die in N.J. This Flu Season
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New Lease on Life For UEZs?
State lawmakers tried in vain to get former Gov. Chris Christie to agree to extend a longstanding economic-development program that helps boost struggling cities and downtowns with a special sales-tax break and other incentives. But with a new governor now in office who is emphasizing economic growth and a bigger role for small businesses, lawmakers have decided to go for it again.
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High-Profile Immigration Activist Battles to Set Aside N.J. Fraud Conviction
A high-profile New York immigration rights activist released this week by a federal judge has been waging a legal battle in New Jersey to set aside the criminal conviction that first led to the order for his deportation.
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Trenton to Pay $1.3 Million to Solve Trenton
The city is paying a New York-based civil engineering firm up to $1.3 million to help the
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N.J. Town Wants to Fine You For Texting in Crosswalk
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Mahwah Council Delays Decision on Eruv Lawsuit
After nearly three hours of private discussions with attorneys Monday night, the Township Council opted to resume settlement talks for the eruv lawsuit on Tuesday.
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Lakewood Schools Need State to Fix Funding, Experts Say
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Morristown’s Mary Dougherty Eyeing Run as Democrat for Freeholder
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Judge Makes Key Ruling Against Jersey City School Board President
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Mulshine: State of the Union’s Fine, Says Donald Trump’s First Suppporter in Jersey
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Menendez: Gang of 60 Needed on Immigration in Senate
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Editorial: Decrying MS-13 Thugs, While Deporting Decent N.J. Dads
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