MARLTON, N.J. — Rep. Tom MacArthur, R-N.J., on Thursday emphasized his bipartisan credentials to a community center full of seniors, moving to bolster his standing in a swing district that shows signs of turning against President Trump in the midterm elections.
The elderly crowd peppered the Republican on healthcare, social security, and gun control as he highlighted the centrist aspects of his legislative record and pitched his elusive vision of a functional Congress in which both parties work together. In an subsequent interview, MacArthur sounded confident about re-election but acknowledged the tough road ahead in Southern New Jersey’s 3rd Congressional District.
“I do have to thread that needle,” MacArthur told the Washington Examiner. “But it’s fairly easy for me because that’s where I am as a human being.”
The seat is dominated by Ocean County, a Republican bastion, and the Philadelphia suburbs of Democratic-leaning Burlington County.
When MacArthur talks of walking a fine line in his quest for a third term, it’s more than a cliche. He can’t put too much distance between himself and Trump, for fear of alienating Republicans in Ocean County. He can’t be overly chummy with the president, or he’ll risk hemorrhaging too many votes to Democratic nominee Andy Kim in the upscale suburbs of Burlington County. That challenge has only increased since Labor Day.
MacArthur was a key negotiator on legislation to repeal Obamacare (it passed the House but stalled in the Senate) and was the only New Jersey Republican to back Trump’s $1.3 trillion tax overhaul, a law that eliminated tax breaks popular with upper middle-class homeowners like those who predominate in blue-state suburban districts.
Those two issues, Democrats argue, are hurting MacArthur in the district and will be his downfall. Perhaps substantiating that claim, the congressman tackled them head-on during his opening remarks to the seniors who gathered for a constituent event in Marlton, a leafy community in Burlington County.
“Medicare for all is Medicare for none,” MacArthur said, urging the group to reject the popular Democratic calling card for government-run, universal healthcare. “I am committed to making sure medicare, which you pay into your whole lives, stays strong and doesn’t get raided by others who want to say: Let’s just give Medicare to everyone.”
“The reason I voted for the tax cuts bill — you’ve heard a lot about it, I’m sure,” MacArthur added. “But one of the reasons I voted for it, is because it not only helps business … We’ve done things to bring taxes down for working families, for seniors on a fixed income. That’s why I voted for that bill. And it’s working.”
The remarks spurred a muted response from the polite seniors, who killed time waiting for MacArthur (who was punctual) by singing a rendition of the National Football League’s Philadelphia Eagles theme song: “Fly Eagles Fly.” But they did engage when the congressman declared his support for universal background checks for guns, whether purchased, inherited, or gifted, and erupted in spontaneous applause when he added: “I am opposed to arming teachers.”
MacArthur, 57, is personable and accessible, to voters and the press. Rather than sitting on the sidelines and taking safe votes, the wealthy former insurance executive took it upon himself to help conservative and centrist Republicans in the House bridge their differences on healthcare, resulting in legislation to repeal the Affordable Care Act after many thought the effort was dead.
The congressman also assumed a leading role on opioids. He is co-chairman of a House task force with Rep. Annie Kuster, D-N.H., that prioritizes bipartisan legislation to reduce American deaths due to the misuse of prescription drugs. It’s the sort of leadership voters claim to want. But it might not matter if they’re in the mood to put a check on Trump, who is a major drag on GOP’s House majority.
“People are worked up; there’s no question about it,” MacArthur said, conceding the rough terrain as compared to the midterm election rejection of President Barack Obama that vaulted him into office in 2014.
On the singular issue gripping Washington this week, allegations of sexual misconduct against federal appellate Judge Brett Kavanaugh, Trump’s nominee to fill a vacant seat on the Supreme Court, MacArthur said that Christine Blasey Ford shouldn’t be ignored — even though he believes Senate Democrats are using her accusations for cynical political purposes.
“She does deserve to be heard. She’s raised a serious allegation and it needs to be heard, but it needs to be heard in a reasonable amount of time. It can’t just be dragged out because [Senate Minority Leader] Chuck Schumer [D-N.Y.] and the Democrats are looking at this as a hook,” MacArthur said. “I don’t believe they’re overly concerned about the woman that came forward. They just see a political opportunity.”
