Good Tuesday morning!

First, thanks to Katherine Landergan for covering for Playbook yesterday while I got a little extra sleep.

Today, let’s be real about the election results. Neither Republican Jack Ciattarelli nor Democrat Steve Sweeney have conceded. Both have little chance of pulling this out. But Gov. Murphy’s campaign yesterday insisted that Ciattarelli concede — that it was mathematically impossible for him to win — while the governor wouldn’t say the same for Sweeney because Sweeney “thinks” he could avoid defeat. Murphy’s campaign, meanwhile, calls Ciattarelli’s non-concession “an assault on the integrity of our elections."

It’s clear that Murphy’s people want to evoke former President Donald Trump with Ciattarelli’s reluctance to concede. But I think that threatens to minimize what the former president did. Ciattarelli isn’t alleging voter fraud without evidence, clogging up the courts with hopeless lawsuits, putting up convicted sex offenders as public witnesses and impugning the integrity of our entire electoral system. He narrowly lost the race and is just waiting to get an idea of how many votes are left to count before he concedes. The same goes for Sweeney. You’re allowed to do that, and it’s not the same as casting unfounded doubts on our voting system and undermining democracy in the process. See Ciattarelli attorney Mark Sheridan’s comments below.

We can’t forget the seriousness of Trump's broadsides on our political process. And on that front, it’s fair to knock Ciattarelli for attending a “Stop the Steal” rally. But what’s happening right now is not the same thing.

WHERE’S MURPHY? No public schedule.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “This is where George’s time in the helicopter has really separated him from reality. It’s not about conservative or liberal, left vs right; it’s about right vs. wrong.” — Camden Councilmember Felicia Reyes-Morton, who’s on the outs with the machine.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Missed Monday: The Record’s Ashley Balcerzak, former U.S. Atty Herb Sten

‘WHY DO PEOPLE LOVE PIZZA?' HEADLINE OF THE DAY — “Born to run: Why do people love the classic Springsteen album so much?” - APP.com

TIPS? FEEDBACK? HATE MAIL? Email me at [email protected]

CRAIG’S LIST — Coughlin charts out agenda for pandemic recovery, by POLITICO’s Katherine Landergan: Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin is charting out an agenda as New Jersey emerges from the coronavirus pandemic, starting with a commitment to expand the state’s free school meal program. Many of the specifics are still in the works, but Coughlin’s platform will have five pillars to it: tackling hunger, homelessness, mental health and child care issues, as well as giving more aid to small business. He is currently working on legislation to expand the number of students who can access free meals in school, and wants to reimagine how the state is serving its homeless population. The fact that Coughlin is more firmly putting out an agenda is not insignificant. The speaker has shied away from putting out a robust platform in the past, instead putting out policy proposals in a more piecemeal fashion. “I have historically rolled things out as they came in,” Coughlin said, but as New Jersey recovers from the pandemic, “There’s a couple of things I recognize need to be addressed, that dovetail with one another.” In an interview with POLITICO, Coughlin said that this is legislation he would like to move in the new session, and not rush in the lame duck session.

SWEENEY SCHEDULES PRESS CONFERENCE AT PHILADELPHIA FOUR SEASONS — “N.J. Senate President Sweeney says he’s still waiting for votes to be counted in stunning loss,” by NJ Advance Media’s Brent Johnson and Matt Arco: “Sweeney .. has yet to concede and didn’t want to discuss details about the race — including whether he’d seek a recount — in a brief conversation with reporters Monday at the Statehouse in Trenton. Instead, Sweeney said he’ll speak more about the election at a news conference. ‘I just want the votes counted,’ said Sweeney, the longest-serving Senate president in state history. ‘That’s what I said, and that’s what we’re gonna do. That’s it’ He noted how Monday is the last day mail-in ballots can be accepted in New Jersey. Currently, Sweeney trails Republican Edward Durr by 2,033 votes in the battle for the Senate seat representing South Jersey’s 3rd legislative district — a seat Sweeney has held for 20 years. ‘I have no idea whether it’s gonna be close, whether it’s gonna be far, whatever,’ Sweeney said Monday. ‘The worst it’s gonna be is 2,000 votes. We’ll see where it comes.’”

CONCESSIONS ARE SO PASSE — Murphy campaign calls on Ciattarelli to concede election, by POLITICO’s Katherine Landergan: Gov. Phil Murphy’s campaign is calling on Republican Jack Ciattarelli to concede the election, declaring it is mathematically impossible for the Republican challenger to win. Murphy’s campaign manager, Mollie Binotto, said in a statement Monday that “the race is over,” adding, “The vote-by-mail ballots overwhelmingly favor Governor Murphy (and will continue to do so). And there are not enough provisional ballots to erase Governor Murphy’s lead.” Murphy is currently leading Ciattarelli by slightly less than 65,500 votes, or about 2.6 percentage points, according to The Associated Press, which called the race for Murphy on Wednesday night, nearly 24 hours after the polls had closed. The Murphy campaign said the numbers “tell a clear story,” and that the only remaining ballots that must be counted are vote-by-mail and provisional ballots.

— Ciattarelli not conceding, sees possibility for a recount, by POLITICO’s Carly Sitrin and Sam Sutton: New Jersey Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli’s campaign is still not conceding the race despite calls from Gov. Phil Murphy’s campaign that he do so….At this time, we do not expect the provisional vote count to end with Jack Ciattarelli in the lead,” Ciattarelli legal counsel Mark Sheridan said in a statement. “However, that count may reduce the margin for Governor Murphy enough to warrant a full recount.”

—“Why the Republican Candidate for New Jersey Governor Hasn’t Conceded,” by The New York Times’ Tracey Tully: — “‘An election lawyer for the Ciattarelli campaign, Mark Sheridan, acknowledged that it was unlikely for Mr. Ciattarelli to pull ahead in the vote count. But he said it was possible Mr. Ciattarelli could come within 1 point of Mr. Murphy — the threshold at which he said it would be prudent to ask a judge for permission to conduct a recount. At the same time, Mr. Sheridan sought to distance Mr. Ciattarelli from former President Donald J. Trump’s postelection ‘stop the steal’ strategy … ‘We’re not hearing any credible accounts of fraud or malfeasance,’ Mr. Sheridan said ’I’m not looking to be Rudy Giuliani standing in front of a mulch pile,’ he added … But Mr. Sheridan did stress that it was important for ‘every vote to be counted.’”

—“Sweeney says he’ll announce course of action tomorrow”

—“Durr says Murphy is the dangerous one, not him”

—“North Jersey senator [Gill] declares candidacy for Sweeney's leadership post”

—“Sweeney puts Murphy in a Pickle with Ciattarelli”

—“N.J. Democrats clash over message sent by voters”

A DOZEN PEOPLE HAD THE ENERGY TO TESTIFY AFTER THE PREVIOUS WEEK — “NJ’s 2023 midterm election begins now with redistricting map,” by NJ 101.5’s Michael Symons: “Fresh off an election in which Republicans gained seven legislative seats, the panel that will redraw New Jersey’s legislative map using the results of the 2020 Census held its first public hearing Saturday … Suggested maps will also be able to be submitted by members of the public. Christopher Gliwa, a Princeton University graduate student, welcomed that announcement, saying everyone has an opinion about what communities their hometowns share something in common with. ‘If we really want to engage the public in a meaningful way, I think map submissions make it a lot easier for these people to literally define their communities of interest, to help you all in your work,’ Gliwa said. A dozen people testified Saturday.”

NJ DEMS: DRAFT TRUMP — “The New Jersey GOP is newly energized for 2025. Will Trump's shadow hold it back?” by The Record’s Charles Stile: “Trump mercifully kept his nose out of the New Jersey race, which proved to be a blessing for Ciattarelli … The post-election GOP is newly energized. They lost the governor's race but gained six seats in the Assembly, toppled the once-unassailable Senate President Stephen Sweeney and converted Ciattarelli from long shot to the leader of a resurgent party. But one question remains: Will Trump's shadow hold back the New Jersey GOP as it rebounds after years of wandering in the political wilderness?”

—“A newly elected N.J. state senator shocked the political world. Then Donald Trump called,’ by NJ Advance Medai’s Matt Stanmyre: “Edward Durr’s magic carpet ride through the political world notched another accolade Sunday when he received a congratulatory phone call from none other than fellow Republican Donald Trump. ‘Anything I can do, you let me know. OK?’ the former president told Durr in a clip of the call posted on the Gloucester County GOP’s Facebook page. ‘Let me know.’ ‘Thank you very much, sir,’ Durr responded. ‘And you know you can call me at any time.’ ‘Well, I know that,’ Trump said.”

EXCEPT THOSE TWO GOP WOMEN LAWMAKERS DUMPED FROM THE PARTY LINE — “A record-setting election for Republican women in N.J.,” by New Jersey Monitor’s Dana DeFilippo: “it was a record-setting year for Republican women, with voters last week electing as many as seven female GOP newcomers to the Assembly — the most ever, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University (the Associated Press has still not called some of the races). The previous record was four in 2007, said Debbie Walsh, the center’s director. ‘We went from having women make up 25% of the Republican caucus to a third, and that’s a pretty big jump for just one election cycle,’ said Alexandra Wilkes, communications director for the NJ GOP.”

RED TIDE — “Red wave driven by GOP turnout, but will it last?” by The Press of Atlantic City’s Michelle Brunetti Post: “In the wake of Republicans sweeping into office across South Jersey, knocking out even longtime Democratic State Senate President Steve Sweeney, one man may be the happiest politician in the state. ‘I think it’s Jeff Van Drew,’ said John Froonjian, executive director of Stockton University’s William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy. ‘He just saw his swing district go totally red.’ Van Drew, who switched from Democratic to Republican in December 2019 after refusing to vote to impeach President Donald Trump and then faced a tough Democratic opponent in 2020 in Amy Kennedy, is up for re-election next year. Much can change in a year, Van Drew said Friday, so he’s not taking anything for granted. A combination of lower turnout than usual in traditionally Democratic areas, and higher turnout in typically Republican ones, led to the stunning result, Froonjian said.”

TAKE TWO TAX INCENTIVES AND CALL ME IN THE MORNING — “Take two: What Murphy will have to overcome during a second term,” by NJBIZ’s Daniel J. Munoz: “Many business leaders said they felt that Murphy’s slim victory meant New Jerseyans believed he was not making enough progress on those fronts. ‘He never really defined his economic priorities,’ said Tom Bracken, CEO of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce. ‘The economy hasn’t been given as much attention.’ In the weeks leading up to the election, the governor notched several business wins, which he used as evidence that his economic agenda is paying off. The relocation of fintech giant Fiserv to Berkeley Heights — which state officials said would add 2,000 jobs — the HAX accelerator in Newark with a potential 2,500 jobs, Netflix’s interest in using the old Fort Monmouth army base as a film and TV production facility and Amazon’s plans to use office space in Jersey City were all offered as evidence of the incumbent’s success. Ciattarelli countered that the state had been picking winners by putting up so much cash in subsidies to lure in these companies. Job growth in New Jersey since the pandemic has lagged, and the Garden State still has one of the nation’s highest unemployment rates.”

MESSAGE RECEIVED — Murphy: We may phase-in removal of in-school mask mandates, by POLITICO’s Sam Sutton: Gov. Phil Murphy said Monday he’s starting to think about lifting mask mandates within schools as Covid-19 vaccination rates among those aged 12 to 17 climb to more than 60 percent. Federal health regulators granted emergency authorization to Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine for children aged 12 and up in May. Roughly 250,000 eligible New Jerseyans between the ages of 12 and 17 still need to be vaccinated against Covid-19, Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said during the governor’s regular press briefing on Monday. Murphy said that as vaccination rates for older students reach an undefined “acceptable zone,” he could see “phasing it in based on the age of the kids — high school, versus middle school versus grammar school. That seems to me to be a sensible way to think about this.” It likely will be several months before students in lower grades would be able to shed their face coverings in the classroom, Murphy said.

HEALTH — Murphy conditionally vetoes telehealth bill, recommending pay parity through 2023, by POLITICO’s Sam Sutton: Gov. Phil Murphy on Monday conditionally vetoed legislation that would have made reimbursement rates for telehealth and telemedicine services equal to those of in-person visits, asking instead that lawmakers sign off on a plan that would have the state Department of Health study the proposal. The governor’s recommended changes would maintain pay parity through at least 2023 while the health department develops a policy recommendation and lawmakers study necessary changes to the state’s health care reimbursement model.

35 BILLS BROUGHT TO PARTIAL OR FULL STOP — Murphy signs 52 bills into law, issues vetoes on 35 others, by POLITICO’s Carly Sitrin: “Gov. Phil Murphy took action on 87 bills Monday as his administration moves into a lame-duck session that will conclude in January. Among the most controversial measures, Murphy conditionally vetoed one bill that would allow police to review body camera footage prior to writing a report, another that would require health insurers to reimburse patients for telehealth services and a third lifting some obstacles to school district regionalization. In all, Murphy signed 52 bills, conditionally vetoed 25 and issued absolute vetoes for 10 others.”

—“Election Day reflections from a newbie poll worker | Opinion”

—Polistina sworn in as member of state Senate after monthslong delay

—“Ending vaccine exemption for kids, releasing cop discipline records top N.J. post-election wish list”

—“Mail-in ballots are catching on. What does that mean for future elections?”

—NJ Advance Media: “Here’s our list of winners and losers from those wild N.J. elections”

—“Eight Assembly committee chairs not returning next year”

—“Cosmetics products that were tested on animals will be banned in N.J.”

—“Pennsylvania will let schools set mask rules in January. Could N.J. be next?”

—Senate committee clears bill to create prescription drug affordability board

—“Sicklerville man's lawsuit contends he was 'kidnapped' by police”

—“A park emerges on a former Camden landfill: What do residents think?”

ELEX PISTOLS — “Owning his punk rocker days, Republican Bob Healey will challenge Andy Kim in NJ-3,” by New Jersey Globe’s David Wildstein: “Republican businessman Robert Healey, Jr. will announce on Tuesday that he’ll challenge Rep. Andy Kim (D-Moorestown) in 2022, setting up a race between a wealthy 38-year-old yacht manufacturer and yoga instructor who was once a punk rocker, and a 39-year-old two-term congressman from a district that Donald Trump carried twice … Healey runs the Ocean County-based Viking Yacht Company ... He also runs the Healey International Relief Organization ... But when Healey was a teenager growing up in Burlington County, he was the lead singer in a punk rock bank, The Ghouls, that was well-known in the Philadelphia area and toured nationally. Some of the lyrics were hardcore and sometimes violent, and his candidacy could test whether there is a reasonable shelf life for opposition research – most specifically if voters will judge Healey based on his record as a businessman and philanthropist and not songs written by someone in his teens and early 20s."

CHRISTIE: ‘WE MUST ALSO STOP TALKING ABOUT WHO HELPED CREATE THIS MONSTER’ — “Chris Christie delivers tough message to Republican audience, saying GOP gains hinge on moving on from 2020,” by CNN’s Maeve Reston: “Christie was just one of a half-dozen potential GOP contenders for the White House who addressed the Republican Jewish Coalition conference this weekend in Las Vegas, laying the groundwork for their potential bids as the party waits to see whether Trump attempts another run for the Oval Office in 2024. But while the others have largely tip-toed around the former President, Christie was the only one to argue that Tuesday night's Republican gains -- namely winning Virginia's gubernatorial race and keeping New Jersey's much closer than expected -- demonstrated that the party must chart a new path forward that advances beyond the grievance politics that have defined the Trump era. If they do not, he warned, they will jeopardize the gains they made last week among women and suburban voters who fled the party during Trump's presidency. ‘We can no longer talk about the past and the past elections -- no matter where you stand on that issue, no matter where you stand, it is over,’ Christie said.”

— Donald Trump statement: “Chris Christie, who just made a speech at the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) in Las Vegas, was just absolutely massacred by his statements that Republicans have to move on from the past, meaning the 2020 Election Fraud. Everybody remembers that Chris left New Jersey with a less than 9% approval rating—a record low, and they didn’t want to hear this from him!” (Donald Trump fact check: Christie’s lowest approval rating in a public poll was 14 percent and the 2020 election wasn’t stolen)

—Commuter rails in New York, New Jersey win big in federal infrastructure package

—“The Gottheimer play to avoid the same fate as Sweeney”

MORE TIME TO AUDITION TO BECOME 101.5 HOST — “Ex-Bordentown police chief Frank Nucera Jr. faces a retrial this week on hate-crime assault charges,” by The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Melanie Burney: “A former South Jersey police chief secretly recorded by fellow officers saying Blacks are ‘like ISIS’ and deserve to die will head to trial again this week on hate-crime charges in connection with the assault of a handcuffed Black teenager in 2016. Frank M. Nucera Jr., 64, the former police chief of Bordentown Township, faces a second trial in federal court in Camden … The jury in his first trial, which ended in October 2019, found Nucera guilty of lying to the FBI but was deadlocked on two remaining counts of hate-crime assault and deprivation of civil rights.”

—“'Exactly who he was meant to be': Howell mom of transgender kindergartener shares story”

—“Former South River dispatcher says late mother's addiction was made part of his training”

—“Ruling orders new trial on sex-crime charges for former Camden pastor”

—“Cape May City voted the Best Small Coastal Town in America”

SOUTH JERSEY’S LEGISLATIVE POWER TOOK A HIT BUT ITS PIZZA GAME IS STRONG — “New Jersey’s 99 greatest pizzas, ranked,” by NJ Advance Media’s Pete Genovese: “1. Pepper Jawni pie, Pizza Crime, Haddonfield. Arnab Maitra opened Pizza Crime in August 2020 in the space occupied by Le Cafe Creperie, formerly owned by his father. ‘Tastes so good it should be illegal’ is the pizzeria’s slogan. It’s a handsome little space, with subway tiles and an imported Italian wood-fired oven. My nose always perks up when I spot ‘nduja – spicy Italian salami similar to soppressata — on a pizzeria menu. And when it’s paired with burrata, as it is here in the Nduja pizza, it’s an automatic order. Even better is the Pepper-Jawni (photo), with Grande Rossa pepperoni, mozzarella and oregano. To many (we’re looking at you, North Jersey), South Jersey is a pizza wasteland. Well, SJ is well-represented on this list, and the Pepper Jawni is our pick for the top pizza in the Pizza — sorry, Garden — State.”

—PSEG’s Izzo at COP26: Clean energy an ‘economic advantage,’