ELECTION/GOP/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The New Jersey Republican congressman who has stood closest to President Trump on some of his most divisive issues was sounding a familiar refrain as he tried to make his case to voters…As he seeks a third term, Mr. MacArthur embodies the challenge facing many suburban Republicans across the country who have remained staunch allies of the president. Their wealthy and once-reliably Republican districts have become battlegrounds since Mr. Trump’s triumph in 2016 galvanized an angry Democratic electorate. Mr. MacArthur has been forced to walk a fine line in a polarized district. He helped lead an effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which has helped drive down or contain health care costs for many residents, and voted in favor of the federal tax plan, which imposed a limit on local tax deductions and is deeply unpopular in New Jersey. At the same time, Mr. MacArthur likes to tout his bipartisan record, citing his work on the opioid epidemic and his opposition to offshore drilling.”
–Nick Corasaniti, “How a Republican in a Blue State Is Trying to Stay Close to Trump and Still Win,” The New York Times online, October 29, 2018