James Keady, the man who New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie famously told last year to “sit down and shut up,” has decided to run for the state Assembly as a Democrat.
“It’s official. Tonight I proudly accepted the nomination to run for the NJ Assembly in the 30th District,” Mr. Keady, 43, announced Monday night on Twitter.
By nomination, Mr. Keady meant the backing of the Monmouth and Ocean County Democratic parties, NJ.com reported, adding that the 30th District is heavily Republican.
Mr. Christie, a Republican, made headlines in October when he broke from his speech to publicly berate Mr. Keady at a press conference in Belmar.
Mr. Keady held a sign and shouted, “Do your job!” as Mr. Christie spoke about recovery efforts on the second anniversary of Hurricane Sandy.
Mr. Christie responded at the time: “Somebody like you doesn’t know a damn thing about what you’re talking about except to stand up and show off when the cameras are here. … So listen, you want to have the conversation later? I’m happy to have it, buddy. But until that time, sit down and shut up.”
Mr. Keady said he is entering the political race to be a voice for Hurricane Sandy victims.
“The deeper that I dug into the Hurricane Sandy issue, I saw just an absolute void of leadership, lack of full accountability, lack of policy transparency, and just in a very human way a complete abandonment of 15,000 families who are still struggling to get back into their homes,” Mr. Keady told NJ.com Tuesday. “I felt those families in particular needed a voice in Trenton.”
The district’s Assembly incumbents are Sean Kean and David Rible, both Republicans representing Monmouth, NJ.com reported.
“If people want elected officials who are going to sit down and shut up, the incumbents are their guys,” Mr. Keady said. “They haven’t stood up to the governor.”
Mr. Keady said his running mate will be Jimmy Esposito, who ran unsuccessfully for an Assembly seat in 2013, NJ.com reported.
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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