PhotoBy Lbiswim

John Migueis is an Editor for NJ21st

No angels, no illusions — just a platform that meets the moment.

Steve Sweeney’s campaign recently responded to our questions — and a week later, I’m endorsing him. The two events are unrelated, except for this: the issues I’ve spent the last few years covering happen to align with what Sweeney is actually proposing.

Sweeney’s ties to George Norcross aren’t a selling point -but “reformer” Fulop, as an example, already has his own political baggage (I love the Jersey City Times) — despite half the tenure. Sweeney’s history is longer — not necessarily dirtier

So let’s stop pretending there are any angels in NJ Politics and move on to platform and policy.

Labor and Housing

One issue that hasn’t gotten nearly enough attention this election is AI — and the labor crisis already underway. Both white- and blue-collar jobs are under siege. And when those jobs disappear, so does the tax base that funds schools, municipal services, and infrastructure. Every family knocked out of the workforce by automation is another blow to classrooms, town halls, and public life.

What’s coming for our kids isn’t theoretical. It’s already happening.

No other candidate — not one — has the kind of experience or track record standing up for working families. What we need right now isn’t another round of polished messaging and clever policy language. Nuance and a pretty face aren’t going to stop what will likely be a kind of economic death spiral if left unchallenged. We need someone with practical experience, someone who came up through the unions and understands how policy hits real people.

Sweeney’s housing plan is balanced and realistic. Developers wouldn’t get blank checks to build whatever they want, wherever they want, while working families are left fighting over scraps of real estate. The focus shifts to housing that actually serves communities — and the profits wouldn’t all go to the top. Developers will be required to give workers their fair share and create housing for the families who built our state. His plan recognizes something too few politicians are willing to admit: we’re turning every town into a version of the Short Hills Mall — glossy, high-end, culturally hollow and out of reach.

His approach centers on real people.

Republicans and Democrats should look very closely at what his plan offers. It addresses both affordability and accountability. His plan builds more housing in a way that benefits communities and working people — not just developers.

That said, Sweeney could and should do more to sound the alarm on AI and automation. He has a platform that could unite white- and blue-collar workers against a common threat — and he’s the candidate best positioned to lead that fight.

Education

I don’t love any of the candidates on either side of the aisle on education.

Republicans can’t even say the word “inequity.” We have one of the most segregated school systems in the country — economically and racially — and it’s by design. That side of the aisle either has no plan or wants to fight national culture wars that have nothing to do with fixing schools.

Democrats aren’t much better. They’re tangled in the other side of the same war while touting “the best educational system in the country.” Never mind that most of that success comes from wealthy towns that can privately prop up what’s rapidly becoming a crumbling statewide system.

The willful ignorance around the crisis in New Jersey education — especially in non-wealthy communities — is criminal. One candidate is practically owned by the teachers union that just this year lobbied to eliminate the last statewide proficiency metric we have — the one tool left for parents to get a straight answer. And God forbid you bring up school choice for families whose Districts are just blatantly failing — there is no clearer example of political solidarity in placing special interests above the needs of students.

And while I agree with Ras Baraka on the broader need for systemic change, that doesn’t mean we can’t also treat proficiency — especially in literacy — as a key tool in the fight against poverty. It’s not a perfect solution, but it’s measurable, evidence-based, and one of the few areas where real progress can be made, tracked and agreed upon across the political spectrum.

Sweeney’s education approach and plan? It’s decent and, in my opinion, better than what the other candidates on both sides have to offer. It doesn’t directly emphasize proficiency, but based on his language around performance and outcomes, he seems unlikely to back eliminating metrics. He has supported expanding school choice within the Inter District School Choice Program and pushed back on caps to the program. His approach to school consolidation is pragmatic. It involves financial incentives with a focus on Districts that would benefit from consolidation anyway due to declining enrollment. By some estimates, his plan would reduce the number of school districts by over 250. Consider the money saved on administration and how that could be put back into the classroom.

Rounding out his approach to education: increased funding for colleges and support for vocational training.

His platform connects to an unchanging reality that the Democratic Party has largely forgotten — the best pathway out of poverty isn’t wealth distribution per-se but a degree or proficiency in a skill. Hope resides in the idea that one can change their station in life through a good education. And while his party has lost focus on this by obsessing over initiatives and ideas that offer very little in the way of real economic movement — the groups they have historically represented haven’t. The best pathway to equity is economic opportunity and better wages and that comes with a degree or a trade.

Do you really want to help immigrants and communities of color? Fix the education problem in their communities and offer children who live there real economic mobility while making sure their jobs aren’t replaced by robots.

Again, something Voters belonging to both major parties will support because it connects to their real world anxieties about their children’s futures.

He could strengthen his platform by expanding school choice to include private options in high-need areas and by committing to keep standardized proficiency tests as a central accountability measure for school districts.

Given his track record on standing up to the NJEA and winning, he is the one candidate who can see it through.

Steve Sweeney is throwback to what the Democratic party used to stand for and his substantial approach to these three core issues will appeal to NJ Republicans who voted for Trump — those who feel the Democratic Party no longer represents them.

Before making any decisions, research every candidate’s platform and track record. Watch the debates yourself. It would be hard to imagine coming to any other conclusion on who would best lead this state.

-John Migueis

The views expressed in this endorsement are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of other NJ21st editors or contributors.

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