By Stephen Appezzato
In New Jersey’s 4th Congressional District (NJ-04), three candidates are running against incumbent U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, one of the longest-serving members of the House of Representatives in history.
NJ-04 is comprised of 19 Monmouth County communities and 21 in Ocean County. In The Two River Times’ (TRT) coverage area, Colts Neck, Shrewsbury, Tinton Falls and most of Middletown are in the district.
With the 2024 general election just under two weeks away, The Two River Times asked each candidate the same two questions. Their candidate profiles and comments follow.
Editor’s note: Matt Jenkins and John Morrison were interviewed; U.S. Rep. Chris Smith provided a written statement. Green Party candidate Barry Bendar did not respond to repeated requests for an interview. Candidates are listed in alphabetical order.
Matt Jenkins (Democrat)
Challenging Smith from the Democratic Party is Matt Jenkins. Jenkins was born in New Jersey and raised in Toms River. After attending Ocean County Community College, he completed his degree in biochemistry and molecular biology at Rutgers University.
Jenkins worked in the biomedical research field before starting a custom furniture shop, which eventually grew into a general contracting business.
Jenkins ran against Smith in 2022, receiving 31.4% of the votes.
TRT: Why are you seeking election? If elected, what issues and policies would you like to focus on in your term and which are most important to you?
Jenkins: “The biggest reason would be to protect women’s rights. Chris Smith is the absolute most extreme in Congress. He wants no abortion, no exceptions – not even to protect a woman’s health – criminalized contraception (and) he’s actually tried to alter the definition of rape in legislation. So, if I have to give you one reason, that would be it.”
(Editor’s note: In 2011, Smith sponsored Bill H.R. 3 (112th) known as the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, which would prohibit the use of federal funds for abortions or for health care coverage that includes abortions, and would ban federal health care facilities and federal employees from providing abortions, among other restrictions. When the bill was introduced, it contained an exception for pregnancies that “occurred because the pregnant female was the subject of an act of forcible rape or, if a minor, an act of incest.” After a large outcry, the bill was amended to remove the term “forcible rape,” and ultimately died.)
“Without our rights, the rest almost don’t matter.
Second one would be the economy – bringing prices down for the everyday person, not just for the super-wealthy. Immigration – I want to fix our immigration system. I have some plans to do that. Those are my big ones,” Jenkins said.
Regarding the economy, according to his campaign website, Jenkins believes corporate consolidation is driving high prices. He advocates for supporting small businesses and working to bring more jobs to New Jersey.
Highlighted in his campaign, Jenkins’ views on immigration include working “with the people we already have here” and deporting criminals and those ineligible to stay. For individuals who are legally eligible to live in the U.S., Jenkins advocates for providing “a process for immigrants to move to legal status allowing for work and faster processing of cases through our legal system.”
“I get a lot of questions on the Second Amendment, you know, where do I stand on banning assault weapons? The same as I do when taking away women’s rights. That’s not my first thing to take away people’s rights,” he said.
“I think there’s a lot that can be done in gun safety. A lot of these mass shootings that have happened were easy lifts as far as getting a gun out of that person’s hands,” he said.
In his campaign, Jenkins highlights raising the age of acquiring a semi-automatic weapon to 21, closing loopholes that allow domestic abusers, convicted felons and fugitives to skip background checks when purchasing a firearm, using red flag laws as a tool to restrict someone who is dangerous from accessing a weapon, supporting safe storage laws and expanding mental health and support services in schools “to not only support children with post-traumatic events from violence but act as preventatives to stop them from recurring.”
Jenkins is also an advocate for LGBTQ rights, creating a single-payer health care option alongside private insurance and lowering prescription drug prices, tackling climate change and moving toward renewable energy.
John Morrison (Libertarian)
John Morrison is running for the U.S. House of Representatives under the Libertarian Party. Morrison was born and raised in Edison and currently lives in Red Bank. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Penn State University and a master’s degree in teaching from Monmouth
University. Since 2013, Morrison has taught history and journalism in the Carteret School District, and is an active member of New Jersey’s Libertarian Party.
TRT: Why are you seeking election? If elected, what issues and policies would you like to focus on in your term and which are most important to you?
Morrison: “I ran a year ago for General Assembly and I really got the bug to do it again because I actually had a lot of fun doing the campaign, speaking to as many people as I possibly can,” he said.
“It kind of started as a bucket list thing to run for office, and I did much better than I was told I was going to do. One thing led into the next and I saw the Congressional district was up in 2024, so that was just my next logical step to continue my progression in running for public office,” he explained.
“I’m a U.S. history teacher. I have a long love and passion for civics and history and political science. And this was something that was kind of like a next logical step, by experiencing it firsthand, this process, doing it from the candidate’s point of view and going through this process. (It’s) something that I’ll be able to speak on for years to come, just exactly what this is from the perspective of somebody running,” Morrison said.
Addressing the issues which matter most to him, Morrison said his “first order of business” is to implement term limits for members of Congress.
“I’m running against Congressman Smith, who has been in the House of Representatives since 1980 – just seven years before I was even born.”
Morrison said he wouldn’t stoop to personal attacks against Smith or his legislation during his campaign since the voters of the district have elected Smith to Congress 22 times.
“Clearly the people of the area aren’t voting him out. I don’t want to go about attacking him, because then I think it kind of attacks the people of the district who have voted for him so many times,” he said.
“But, we can’t have people in positions of power for that long. If we have term limits for our president, that has to be something that trickles down to everybody in public office,” he said.
Members of the House are elected to two-year terms while members of the U.S. Senate serve six-year terms. Neither have term limits.
“I’m up against a juggernaut of a congressman. He’s been there longer than anybody else has. (But) the American people need to see that people aren’t just getting elected or reelected without really much effort.”
“People check a box because they’re used to the name,” he said. “We need a fresh set of faces, we need fresh ideas. You’re only going to get that if you continue to allow new people to run and win and implement these things. It’s going to be more of the same unless we have term limits. So that is something I’m incredibly passionate about,” Morrison said.
According to his campaign website, Morrison also advocates for reclaiming personal liberties, fiscal responsibility and the free market and reigning in the United States’ national debt. Morrison is also a noninterventionist, believes in shifting power away from the federal government and toward local control, the Second Amendment and addressing the climate crisis through incentivizing clean energy businesses and personal responsibility.
U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (Republican)
Smith was born in Rahway and currently lives in Manchester. He received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from The College of New Jersey and was elected to the House of Representatives in 1980. Currently, Smith is serving his 22nd two-year term in the House and is the longest-standing member of Congress from New Jersey. His unedited statement follows.
TRT: Why are you seeking reelection? If reelected, what issues and policies would you like to focus on in your next term and which are most important to you?
Smith: America is truly at a crossroads.
Skyrocketing inflation, chaos at our border, crime, threats to parental rights, and America’s perceived weakness on the international stage have put us at grave risk.
I am seeking re-election to continue using my knowledge and experience to help the people of the 4th Congressional District through this most difficult time and to keep fighting to stop – and reverse – the Biden-Harris Administration’s extreme agenda.
I am grateful for the opportunity I have been given to serve in Congress. Representing the people of the 4th Congressional District is an honor and privilege I have not, and will never, take for granted.
I have been fighting to curb wasteful, inflationary spending; secure our border; hold the Biden-Harris Administration accountable; and restore American energy independence and greatness on the international stage.
I voted against the inflationary tax-and-spend bills rammed through Congress, and I opposed the policies that have exacerbated the ever-increasing cost of daily necessities from food, to fuel to heat homes and run cars, to health care and housing, all of which are smothering families and hitting those on a fixed income – including seniors – especially hard.
The National Federation of Independent Business, the AFL-CIO, and several building trade unions have all endorsed me for reelection because they know I am working hard to restore our economy and create a business climate that will enhance our manufacturing base, increase domestic production and supplies and secure good paying jobs.
Crime has become especially challenging to combat due to bias against police, widespread defunding efforts, inadequate prosecutions, and permissive bail arrangements. This has put us all in danger, and I continue to advocate for funding and training for law enforcement.
I am honored to have been endorsed by the NJ Police Benevolent Association (NJPBA), the NJ Fraternal Order of Police (NJFOP), the State Troopers Fraternal Association of NJ (STFA) and the Professional Firefighters Association (NJPFA)—all of whom represent New Jersey’s brave and remarkable first responders.
The explosion of illegal immigration and open-door policies advanced on Biden-Harris watch has undermined our national security. I have voted over 90 times for secure fencing and the wall and I support other efforts to prevent illegal crossings, human trafficking, and the flow of the deadly drug fentanyl and other dangerous drugs across our border.
Part of the job in Congress includes helping people who have been wronged by bad policies or government red tape. It’s a responsibility I take very seriously.
To that end, I have assisted more than 105,000 people with individual casework problems they have experienced with federal, state, and local agencies. And, I often take lessons learned from these casework matters and turn them into legislation to help others facing similar problems.
I thrive on the rigors of debate and securing the details needed for good lawmaking. And I know how to get things done. According to data from the Library of Congress, I rank first among all 435 Members of the House of Representatives in successfully turning bills into law.
My latest comprehensive anti-human trafficking legislation – the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2023 passed the House in February and is pending in the Senate. If enacted into law, it will be my sixth major anti-human trafficking public law – including the historic Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 – designed to mitigate and end the exploitation and commodification of the vulnerable, especially women and children.
I am also the author of 14 veterans’ laws including the landmark Homeless Veterans Comprehensive Assistance Act, which established the first federal, coordinated effort to combat homelessness and offer housing and shelter for vets needing assistance.
As we look to the coming election, much has been accomplished but there remains much to do – so many unmet needs. You can be sure I will continue to pour every ounce of my energy into finding solutions and to continuing to help the people of the Fourth Congressional District. I respectfully request the voters’ support for my re-election to Congress.
The article originally appeared in the October 24 – October 30, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
