Having long enjoyed a placid dominion over New Jersey’s First Congressional District, the gleaming machine George E. Norcross 3d built was initially dismissive of June 7 Democratic primary challenger Alex Law and his provocations.
But lately the 25-year-old political neophyte’s earnest, if at times amateurish, campaign seems to have annoyed the mighty machine. Camp Norcross has unleashed an unbecomingly venomous fusillade against the boy who would dare covet the seat George hath set aside for his brother Donald, the incumbent.
Expertly and no doubt expensively crafted to inflict maximum damage upon Law’s chief asset – he lacks experience, but is fresh-faced and young – the Norcross campaign mailers paint the cheeky challenger as soft on terrorism. Or rather, as a trigger-happy extremist. Or worse.
Words culled mainly from what appear to be Law’s own Facebook posts have been cut-and-pasted along with unflatteringly colorized (if not distorted) images and jagged graphics that give the boyish candidate the look of a dangerous, if not deranged, juvenile delinquent.
But at least these missives from Camp Norcross are more deftly done than a memorably inane newspaper ad earlier this year, showing a very young Donald wearing a hamentashen costume. That bit of silliness -- the candidate as an ethnic dessert -- was revealing, however: Law grew up in the Jewish community, and the machine pays attention to demographics.
The machine also knows how to do research and crunch data, so I bet it picked up on the widespread dissatisfaction I've detected in the district, particularly among younger voters and others weary of life in a one-party fiefdom.
Where, it must be said, Donald Norcross has been campaigning hard. I shook hands with him Saturday at the Collingswood May Fair, where despite the heat he strode the street, pressing the flesh and looking for votes. The way Alex Law has been doing.
The Associated Press, Associated Press
Alex Horton and Tara Copp, Washington Post
Ian Duncan, Isaac Arnsdorf, Nancy Cook, and Riley Beggin, Washington Post
Joel L. Naroff, For The Inquirer
Konstantin Toropin, Associated Press
Tiffany Jasmin González, Made By History
Patrick Marley and Maegan Vazquez, Washington Post
Ana Swanson, Tripp Mickle, Maggie Haberman, and Jonathan Swan, New York Times
Dylan Johnson
Marcus Hayes | Columnist
