Austin Bogues

@AustinBogues

DNC Chairman Tom Perez and Deputy Chairman Keith Ellison visited Asbury Park Friday

The two fought a contentious race for the chairmanship, but now are attempting to unite the party

ASBURY PARK - Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez and Deputy Chairman Keith Ellison, venturing into the Republican hotbed of Monmouth County, called President Donald Trump and Gov. Chris Christie bullies and vowed to rebuild the Democratic Party.

Ellison and Perez appeared in Asbury Park alongside New Jersey State Democratic Committee Chairman John Currie, and Assembly members Eric Houghtaling and Joann Downey, and 11th District state Senate candidate Vin Gopal, all Monmouth Democrats.

"We were trying to figure out what's the best formula for combating a bully. And we called Chairman Currie and we said, 'What's the best formula for combating a bully?' and he said, 'Come here, we'll tell you what we've done to combat a bully in our governor's mansion'."

A spokesman for Christie could not immediately be reached on Friday. Both the governor, in his two gubernatorial races, and Trump won in Monmouth County.

"The first step we've gotta start with is New Jersey," Ellison said. "We can find a governor who won't use his power to mess with the traffic," told the more than 400 supporters, referring to the Bridgegate scandal.

MORE: Former Christie aides get prison time for roles in Bridgegate scandal

At the rally at the VFW Hall on Lake Avenue for the Monmouth County Democrats, with a portrait of George Washington overlooking the room, Perez and Ellison said grassroots activism would be necessary to put the party back in power. Earlier in the day, the duo attended a rally in Newark.

Here are 3 things to know about their visit:

1. Can Ellison and Perez unite the party?

Ellison, of Minnesota, is the first Muslim to serve in Congress. He was first elected in 2006 to represent Minnesota's 5th District. Perez served as secretary of labor in the Obama administration, and also served as assistant attorney general under Attorney General Eric Holder.

During the race for the DNC chairmanship earlier this year, Perez received strong backing from the party's establishment, including its most recent presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton, and former President Obama. Ellison had strong backing from progressive and liberal activists and was supported by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Clinton's chief Democratic rival, and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.

Some of the same divisions between Clinton and Sanders were showcased in the contest between Ellison and Perez.

After Perez picked up the necessary votes to clinch the chairman position, he immediately offered the deputy chairmanship to Ellison. On Friday the pair were all smiles, Perez dressed in a dark suit and red tie, Ellison in blue jeans and a blazer.

"It doesn't matter who you backed in the primary, we're all in the same boat together now," Ellison said.

2. New Jersey races are a bellwether.

New Jersey and Virginia are the only states to host gubernatorial races the year, ahead of next year's mid-term Congressional elections.

The results typically are a measure of where the parties stand. In 2009, after Democrats won both houses of Congress and the presidency the previous year, Republicans were able to unseat incumbent Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine, toppled by Christie, and also seized the governor's mansion in Virginia with Republican Bob McDonnell.

In 2010, the GOP rode that momentum to historic gains in the U.S. House of Representatives, and also picked up seats in the Senate.

"With Gov. Christie’s dismal approval rating and inability to run again (due to term limits), Democrats are eager to turn New Jersey’s highest office from red to blue," said Brookdale Community College Political Science Professor Jonathan Moschberger, in an email to the Press. "Interestingly, both of the presumptive nominees, (Republican Lt. Gov. Kim) Guadagno and (Democrat Phil) Murphy, hail from Monmouth County. Hence, that’s partly why Perez and Ellison are here today seeking to show unity and bring together the various factions of the Democratic Party for a convincing win this November."

But that may be a challenge with local voters.

Several localities in Monmouth and Ocean counties had among the highest turnover rates of voters who supported Obama in 2012 and switched to Trump in 2016.

"What we will communicate is the betrayal of Donald Trump," Perez said, in an interview with reporters after the rally. "We see betrayal day in and day out. I know the voters who voted for Obama and then Trump, they wanted change. They saw Barack Obama as a change agent and they saw Donald Trump as a change agent. … What they're seeing now is the change he's bringing about is not the change that makes their life better."

3. Democrats have lost many legislative seats nationwide.

While they control both houses of the Legislature in New Jersey, the picture has been far less rosy for Democrats in statehouses across the U.S.

The party lost more than 900 seats in state legislatures during Obama's tenure in office, according to an analysis by the Washington Post.

The GOP holds the governor's office in 33 states, compared with 16 for Democrats and one state held by an independent.

On Friday, Ellison and Perez appeared alongside Gopal, who is vying for the competitive 11th District state Senate seat against incumbent state Sen. Jennifer Beck, R-Monmouth. In 2015, Houghtaling and Downey defeated her Republican running mates in the Assembly, Caroline Casagrande and Mary Pat Angelini.

Earlier this week, Beck decried Gopal for campaigning along with the national Democrats, and also criticized Ellison for some of his critical views on Israel, which she said are out of step with the district.

Austin Bogues 732-643-4009; abogues@gannettnj.com.

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