for more on George Helmy's appointment to the US Senate and what it means for the general election I'm joined by Democratic strategist Julie Roginsky and Republican strategist Mike DuHaime, Mike and Julie thanks it's really good to see both of you okay so uh big news of the day of course is Governor Murphy officially appointing George helmy to the US senate seat Julie it mirrors uh what Chris Christie did when he was in office and he appointed Jeff k an ally uh good move though for the Democrats there were concerted efforts on sort of both sides uh to either keep Andy Kim out and not give Democrats a leg up for November and of course the case was made to put him in well let's start with the premise that of course if Tammy Murphy were the nominee is there any doubt in the world that Phil Murphy would not be giving her a leg up to get some seniority in the set it uh of course he would and he should have done the same thing for Andy Kim because it's not about Phil Murphy's feelings it's really about New Jersey what's best for New Jersey and presumably if Andy Kim wins in November and he's widely expected to um that he will have gotten some seniority if you were to go in now so for the state of New Jersey this is a horrible move by Governor Murphy it's also really puzzling because the entire raison Detra of Tammy Murphy's campaign from what I heard from the Murphy's was that we needed a woman in the Senate we needed a woman in the Senate New Jersey's never had a women in the Senate New York Times reported that he had plenty of qualified women under consideration he had had Nana Wells the former Secretary of State and African-American woman he had Bonnie Watson Coleman uh the first black congresswoman in the state's history he had tah way um his lieutenant governor and other black women um and then if you want to talk about men he had Jay Johnson who's a former Obama cabinet official as a possibility for Monclair and yet who does he choose he chooses one of his cronies George helmy who is entirely unqualified uh has never served in public office before but of course is qualified in the sense that he's always done the governor's dirty work for him uh it's an incredibly puzzling decision and I would also go so far as to say it's it's really not great for the Democrats who are trying in the next 80 days to draw a contrast between how Donald Trump treats women and how KLA Harris treats women because I can tell you that George hel treated at least this woman awfully uh and prevented me or tried to intimidate me from helping Katie Brennan during her um travails with the governor and and you know has had credible allegations of racial discrimination lodged against him in a lawsuit retaliation from a different law suit lodged against him um but there's I mean there's not not what the Democrats need right now well there's I mean and and Mike I'll have you jump in on this I mean but there's no arguing George helmy has been in politics he is a veteran political operative I mean he worked with Frank lenberg he worked with Senator Booker a lowlevel staffer listen I work with Frank lenberg he was a low-level staffer with lenberg look he's not there because he's qualified he's there because he's qualified to do Phil Murphy's Dirty Laundry which is what he's been doing you can't compare his experience to Bonnie Watson Coleman or to although then her seat would be I mean these votes right were are critical right now with such a razor thin majority you take her and put her in the Senate and now she's not voting for her Congressional okay then then then then then what about the hundred other qualified women he could could have put Loretta Weinberg in there I mean you want to talk about people who are qualified to be in there I mean there are plenty of women out there both women of color and just women who could have done this and become the first female senator for New Jersey which something the mer made a big point about when Tammy was running it's not Mike it's not necessarily A prescrip prescriptive process right I mean we saw Governor Chris Christie do something similar appointing his attorney general also a very close Ally Jeff Kiza so in some respects does it make sense the governor wants to point someone that he can trust and has some experience Jeff was the Attorney General at the time so obviously had great public sector experience and also been seven years in the as an assistant us attorney uh very successful in there and in terms of George hel me he has worked for a long time for Corey Booker and Governor Murphy and ultimately Governor Murphy's putting in someone that he can trust I think really most importantly in this decision was frankly not to give it to to Andy Kim or Curtis basaw not to give a leg up I think historically Governor Kane and Governor Christie appointed someone who was a placeholder and that's what governor Murphy has done here the last time we appointed somebody who was running it was Bob Mendez to give Bob Mendez a leg up like that's not what we need in New Jersey to give Bob Menendez a leg up um in 2018 all the Democrats got behind him after they already knew he was corrupt and barely surviv survived a mistrial and they all got behind him anyway listen just because Andy Kim's a Democrat and a democratic State doesn't mean you know you should take the choice out of the voters hands in this case I think by appointing a placeholder Governor Murphy did the right thing let the voters decide who the next US senator should be so Andy Kim says he never even made a play for this seat he never called Governor Murphy never asked for it Mike good move or bad move oh I think it's a you know I don't think it's a great move politically I think politically you would love to get uh the leg up you'd love to be appointed you get to go around the state you get to start you you're the US senator already it helps you from an earn media perspective uh so certainly it would have given him some momentum I think that says more about his relationship with Governor Murphy than it does about anything else not to have the uh not to at least have this kind of conversation uh about it uh Julie let me have you way in there because from a political standpoint um I think he was trying to make a point that he wasn't trying to leverage that with the Murphy's or is it because his relationship is still fractured the relationship is deeply fractured um because Governor Murphy can't get over the fact that who is Andy Kim to have pushed Tammy Murphy out of this race I mean that's where Governor Murphy's head is it's not really about Governor Murphy's Peak at Andy Kim it's not really about their relationship it's about what's best for the state and the truth of the matter is by putting Bob Menendez in there you would like him or not like him but he did get seniority as a result and it helped him and right now you have somebody coming in from California Adam Schiff who will be appointed by Gavin newsum before this Congress the next Congress convenes which means that California will have a leg up on New Jersey um because their are Senators coming in early with seniority this is about chairmanships this is about real money coming back to the state it's not about Governor Murphy's hurt feelings it's not about the fact that Andy Kim had the tarity to run against Tammy Murphy um it's about what's best for the constituents who Governor Murphy pledged to represent almost eight years ago now and I think he's giving the back of the hand to those constituents by effectively saying it doesn't matter what's good for the state it doesn't matter what kind of seniority he's going to have and by the way Mike by some miracle if Curtis Bashaw wins this year no harm no foul but if Andy Kim happens to win this year he will have had seniority so why not just put him in now I think the soon to be Senator helmy could also resign the day after the election and give the winner um seniority that's what's happened in other states and that's what's being talked about right I mean but but that's what's sort of the the rumor right now that that might happen but if Andy Kim's not allow the to get a couple months senority but if but if Andy Kim's not having those discussions with Phil Murphy and if Governor Murphy has not said that which you should have said that I don't see that happening I mean maybe but we're pro we're speculating about something it would be helpful if the governor were to come out and say hey by the way if Curtis B basa or Andy Kim wins I'm gon to point them to the Senate the day after the election that would be very helpful for him to say but we're sitting here kind of try to Divine what's in Governor Murphy's head he could just come out and say it right now let's take him at his word George serving until the next Congress convenes which means that whoever the next Senator is going to be is not going to have an advantage so then Mike is the party approaching the senate race any differently based on who the governor has put in as a placeholder um or are things pretty much still status quo with how the operation is running I don't think it changes the campaign all that much I think in in a good way I think it allows the campaign to go forward where both candidates have to make their case Andy Kim's the first Democrat to run in 25 years in the state who's not very well known he's very far to the left Curtis basaw is far more Centrist than than Andy Kim is Andy Kim voted 99% of the time with the Democratic party 100% of the time with Joe Biden New Jersey likes an independent voice in the Senate obviously they in historically have wanted Democrats but not far-left Democrats so Republicans are facing this with a lot of optimism right now in terms of Curtis being very well positioned as a businessman kind of a cent a center right businessman versus I would say a hardle bureaucrat long-term bureaucrat in Congress and before that a staffer in Washington all right we got to leave it there go ahead Julie well let me just say one thing listen Mike he won in a district twice where Donald Trump won so he can't be that far left if voters are voting for Trump and then voting for him and the second thing I'll say about that is this is the same nonsense that Republicans have tried against Democrats I think we all know Andy Kim's gonna win the only thing we know about Curtis Basha truly the only thing we know about Curtis Basha is he's allegedly pro-choice except he supports the dobs decision which you know try to explain that to me so you know I think I'll take Andy Kim over somebody who who can't make up his mind as to whether he wants go ahead and take Andy Kim go ahead and take Andy Kim who likes to vote with the squad he likes to tell everybody one thing when he was in a when he was in a Centrist District you know he voted like a Centrist as soon as he gets into a Jerry manate District 99% of the time Democratic Mike leaving New Jersey I'm giving you the last word there Mike and Julie it's always good to chat with you to spar with you thank you guys bye thanks good see you