Trump Hosting D.C. Fundraiser For NJ-11 GOP Candidate Webber

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — President Donald Trump will host a fundraiser to benefit Jay Webber, the Republican candidate for New Jersey's 11th congressional district ahead of the November election.

This is not the first time Webber, who is facing Democrat Mikie Sherrill, has earned support from the White House. Vice President Mike Pence rallied for him earlier this fall, and Trump tweeted out an endorsement in September.

"I am thankful to have the support of the President for our campaign," said Webber. "The economy is booming, the nation is moving forward, and Americans are confident about our future. Our goal is to continue the prosperity and success with policies that work to make New Jersey's 11th district better for everyone, and the President will help us achieve that goal."

Trump's support of Webber was a talking point at a recent debate. Webber welcomed the endorsement, saying, "If the leader of the free world wants to get involved with my campaign, I welcome it."

Sherrill said if Trump was excited about New Jersey's 11th district, she hoped he would fund infrastructure, healthcare, and work hard to move things forward.

It's not clear if Trump's involvement will help or hurt the Webber campaign. Twenty-eight percent of voters say Trump's endorsement makes them less likely to support Webber, while only 11 percent say it makes them more likely, a recent Monmouth University poll found.

Sherrill decried the fundraiser in a statement as another example of partisanship.

"This is what partisanship looks like in its purest form, and Assemblyman Webber is once again telegraphing to the people of this community that he will always put Washington interests over serving the people of New Jersey. In one breath, he says he will stand up for our state, yet in the next, he embraces policies and politicians that hurt New Jersey time and again. ... New leadership requires standing up for more than party, and Assemblyman Webber is either unwilling or unable to move beyond his long history of putting his own partisan agenda before the needs of the people of New Jersey," Sherrill said.

Sherrill has also garnered some high-profile endorsements recently, including from former Vice President Joe Biden.

This is the first time in over two decades that the race for New Jersey's 11th district has been truly competitive. Retiring Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen has held the seat since 1995, and oftentimes faced no serious challengers. Before that, another Republican held the seat since the mid-1980s.

This race is being closely watched by the national political scene because it's one of two New Jersey districts with the serious chance of flipping (the other being NJ-02). The Democratic party is hoping to see a lot of these flips nationwide to gain control of the House.

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