TOMS RIVER, NJ – Congressman Andy Kim may no longer represent Toms River in the U.S. Congress, but one of the ultra-progressive Democrat’s key staffers is considering a run for mayor.
Kim, who once ran a radical progressive organization called Rise Stronger, is an affiliate of the ‘Squad’ in Congress, along with the likes of Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Talib.
Kim, who used to represent the Third Congressional District in New Jersey is part of the ultra-progressive movement in Toms River.
Now, a top aide on his staff, Director Ben Giovine is preparing a possible run for mayor against Councilman Dan Rodrick.
Democrats in Toms River are scrambling. First, they announced and endorsed local businessman John Furey. Furey bowed out of the race earlier this month. Attempts to replace Furey with Lakewood Banker John Crisafulli then fell short. Democrats just last week began pushing Rhetta Jackson-Fair, who made news earlier in the year for an anti-homosexual rant on social media.
Now, they are looking to Ben Giovine, a former school board member who served as President of the Toms River Regional School Board as taxes increased, but services in the district declined.
Giovine, an ultra-progressive who endorsed a letter penned by Kim calling Rodrick an anti-Semite for his anti-development stance in Toms River, hopes to secure the Democrat party’s endorsement for mayor.
Ocean County Democrat Chairman Wyatt Earp is courting Giovine to run against Rodrick.
Insiders today said Giovine was reaching to Mo Hill-backed Republicans and Democrats to test the waters against Rodrick.
Rodrick had no comment on today’s news, stating that whoever the Democrats run against him if anyone, he will easily defeat them in November.
If Giovine runs, he and the Democrat party are banking heavily on getting the Orthodox Jewish bloc vote, which went against Rodrick in June. The Democrats are hoping Rodrick’s anti-development message can be the driving force behind uniting Democrats with the growing bloc vote in order to defeat Rodrick in November.
Kim and Giovine blasted Rodrick, calling him anti-semitic for using the term “Lakewood Style Development” in campaign mailers in the June GOP primary.
“I strongly and forcefully reject the use of anti-semitic language or imagery in our public debate,” Kim said, calling on Republicans and Democrats to unite against Rodrick’s anti-development messaging.
Rodrick’s messaging and mailers never mentioned religion, just “Lakewood Style Development”, which Kim and Giovine felt were ‘dog whistles’ to mean Jewish. Rodrick has vehemently denied that his messaging targeted anyone of any race, only high-density overdevelopment.
Giovine later confirmed the statement against Rodrick was a political one intended to hurt him int he 2021 election, which he won in a landslide.
“They approached the congressman about their concerns,” Giovine said. “It was just in line for us to come out against this language and rhetoric.”