In the 2023 general election for member of the assembly - 30th legislative district, Ned Thomson received 3,504 votes in Lakewood while Avi Schnall received 23,045 votes.
In contrast, for the 2025 general election, Thomson received 15,537 votes and Schnall received 31,290.
This is a stark 12,033 additional votes for Thomson since Schnall’s first election campaign.
In the days following the election, FAA News has analyzed these strong numbers.
The biggest issues voters reported was Avi's original promises of free tuition and Route 9 widening.
"Avi expressly vowed that if he doesn't provide as promised after his 2 year term, we shouldn't send him back for a second term - and that's exactly why I voted for Thomson instead," was a mantra echoed by many.
"Even in his current campaign he made numerous contradictory claims regarding Route 9," voters told FAA News.
Notably, voters expressed upsetness with Schnall’s pointing to the current improvements undeway on Route 9 as "his success" while in reality, that project began in September 2022 - long before Schnall’s campaign even began.
Voters also pointed to the largest LGBTQ+ advocacy organization in New Jersey's formal endorsement of Schnall. In announcing the endorsement, Garden State Equality expressly stated "we are proud to endorse the following candidates with track records of defending LGBTQ+ rights and those who have campaigned on pro-equality platforms."
"Schnall dances with the Roshai Yeshiva in BMG at the Simchas Bais Hashoiava. He proudly wears a hat and jacket and talks with pride about his Rosh Yeshiva – the late R’ Elya Meir Sorotzkin Zatzal. It is the height of Chilul Hashem for a person who identifies so strongly as a Ben Torah to endorse LGBTQIA nonsense," is the sentiment FAA News heard again and again.
An additional item of contention for voters was Schnall’s strong support of S-2930, the most substantial overhaul of the Open Public Records Act (OPRA) since it came into being 22 years ago. The new law, which effectively gut access to public records, is considered by many to be an extremely controversial move, and a blow to transparency and accountability for New Jersey residents.
Schnall’s expected support for S-4739 is another issue highlighted by voters. New Jersey is currently known as a “one-party consent” state in that the recording law generally requires the consent of only one party to a conversation. S-4739 which has been introduced by democrats would change the law to make New Jersey an “all-party consent” state. Currently the law permits you to record a conversation with law enforcement or politicians even without their consent. S-4739 will eliminate this protection.
Finally, Schnall’s legislation to speed up construction permits also irked voters. "In a town where unabated over-development causes more and more traffic congestion, speeding up construction permits simply doesn't speak to me as a top priority," voters told FAA News.
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6 comments:
Because he wasn't pushing anything this year
This is just hate talk it’s misleading and wrong! This was a gubernatorial election with a strong republican candidate which means more people come out to vote and since he was running in a republican area Ned Thompson got more votes and so did Avi Scnall btw so stop misleading with fake polls that it had to do with anything else
I believe ,many people went out the vote for governor and just voted all republican .
As people become aware of the broken promises, he won't win our support in the next round. IY'H!!!
According to your logic, the only reason why anyone gave him a vote was because of corruption and they were told to by the unelected VAAD!!!
Please tell us why anyone in their right mind in Lakewood would vote for him?
Only thing he's delivered are broken promises and did absolutely nothing for our community. He likes advocating, so let him go back to his previous job and advocate in DC, don't waste a state seat and alienate the party that has been good to us and not stiffing us on what we really should be getting from the state with an unfair funding formula that discriminates against our community for sending our kids to private schools and forcing us to pay higher property taxes.
Thanks.
Don't know much about his promises, but he's a great shmoozer. Would shmooz w/him all 2nd Seder in the dorm, back in the 90's.
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