1) None Of The Above did well in last week’s election.

The Republican candidate for U.S. Senate — one of only three statewide elected positions in New Jersey — last ran for public office 36 years ago. He hadn’t even lived in the state until he moved back in a few months ago. And yet Jeff Bell beat out three challengers in a low-turnout (7.6 percent) primary last week. In Bergen County, considered a bellwether for the state, 43 percent of Republican voters just didn’t vote for the top-of-the-ticket US Senate race. “None Of The Above” is technically Bergen County’s choice for Republican nominee for Senate.

2) Experienced Republicans don’t even offer themselves up as statewide candidates. 

Incumbent Democratic Sen. Cory Booker has a ton of money and name recognition, so some experienced state legislators may have stayed out of this year’s race for those reasons. But some Republicans privately blame Gov. Christie for the lack of established candidates in recent races. They say he has done little to build the party in the state, barely campaigning for Republican state legislators and generally forbidding the only other statewide elected Republican, Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, from even talking to the press. Christie didn’t release a statement or a tweet congratulating Jeff Bell after he won last week, and the Star-Ledger says Bell didn’t even get a congratulatory phone call from the governor. As a Republican in New Jersey, unless you have Christie fully backing and fundraising for your candidacy, it’s going to be tough to win a statewide race.