Atlantic County's longtime Republican executive criticizes the president's immigration enforcement tactics and campaign strategy following Democratic victories in five county races.
ATLANTIC COUNTY, N.J. — Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson is delivering unusually sharp criticism of President Donald Trump's immigration policies and Republican campaign strategy, arguing that the administration's actions contributed to a political environment that proved disastrous for Republican candidates in last week's election.
During a Monday, November 9, appearance on The Don Williams Show on News Talk 1400 & 92.3 WOND, Levinson said the president's approach to immigration enforcement went far beyond what voters had been promised and helped create conditions that hurt Republicans across the country, including in Atlantic County.
His comments came less than a week after Democrats swept all five contested Atlantic County offices, defeating the Republican sheriff, county clerk and three incumbent county commissioners.
The results will narrow the Republican majority on the Atlantic County Board of County Commissioners from 8–1 to 5–4 when the newly elected officials take office in January.
Levinson, a longtime Republican who has served as county executive since 2000, acknowledged that divisions within the local Republican Party may have contributed to the defeats. But he suggested the broader political environment was an even more significant factor.
"It certainly didn't help many," Levinson said when Williams asked about Republican disunity in Atlantic County.
"It may, I don't know how you, you've had a chance now to look at more figures, it may have led to the defeat of some of our candidates."
But Levinson quickly shifted his criticism to the national political climate and the president's handling of key issues.
"It was a bad campaign. It was a nonsensical campaign, the way it was run," Levinson said.
Levinson Says Immigration Enforcement Went Too Far
Some of Levinson's strongest comments involved the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.
The county executive argued that the president had campaigned on removing dangerous criminals from the country but that enforcement efforts had extended well beyond that promise.
"We are only going to take the worst of the worst, the murderers, the rapists. We're going to go after them," Levinson said, describing what he understood to be Trump's original commitment.
"And that wasn't the case."
"They went after everybody," he added.
Levinson expressed particular concern about immigrants who had lived and worked in the United States for many years.
"It's fine that he admits it now, but it doesn't help those people that were working the fields or working in the kitchens that have been here for 15, 20, 30, 40 years, whatever it is, and arresting them," Levinson said.
The remarks were notable coming from a Republican county executive who has generally supported conservative policies but who has also demonstrated a willingness to criticize members of his own party.
Levinson suggested that aggressive enforcement actions and the resulting public reaction had damaged the Republican Party's standing.
He also criticized incidents involving the use of force during immigration enforcement.
"Don, you can't shoot people on the street," Levinson said.
He argued that the administration's actions had departed from the promises Trump made to voters.
"These are his own words that when we voted for Donald Trump for certain changes, and it got haywire. It got out of hand," Levinson said.
"And, unfortunately, throughout the country, we paid for it."
Levinson's comments reflected his assessment of the administration's policies and their political consequences. He did not cite polling or other election data establishing how much immigration enforcement influenced individual voters in Atlantic County.
Republican Divisions Also Under Scrutiny
Williams pressed Levinson on whether internal disagreements among Atlantic County Republicans had played a significant role in the election results.
The local Republican Party had experienced divisions and disagreements leading into the election, raising questions about whether those conflicts weakened the party's candidates.
Levinson acknowledged that disunity was not helpful and may have contributed to some defeats.
But he suggested that even a more unified local party would have faced considerable challenges because of the broader political environment.
The results were especially significant because several Republican incumbents lost offices that their party had controlled.
Democrat Sean Riggin defeated incumbent Republican Sheriff Joseph "Tokyo Joe" O'Donoghue.
Democrat Lisa Bender defeated Republican County Clerk Joseph Giralo.
Democrats Jonathan Marcellus and Kyle Gornick defeated incumbent Republican Commissioners John Risley Jr. and June Byrnes in the at-large commissioner race.
Democrat Richard Healey also defeated Republican incumbent Andrew Parker in Commissioner District 3.
The victories dramatically changed the balance of power in county government.
Although Republicans will retain a narrow majority on the Board of County Commissioners, Democrats will increase their representation from one seat to four.
Levinson will remain county executive, but he will be working with a significantly different board beginning in January.
The results also raise questions about whether the Atlantic County Republican Party can rebuild its electoral coalition before the next major election.
Levinson Criticizes Trump but Rejects Progressive Democratic Policies
Despite his sharp criticism of Trump, Levinson made clear that he remains strongly opposed to the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.
During the same interview, he criticized proposals involving criminal justice, policing and government-funded healthcare.
He specifically attacked prominent progressive Democrats, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, and expressed concern about their influence on national policy.
Levinson questioned proposals that he characterized as reducing police responsibilities or replacing officers with social workers during dangerous emergency calls.
"How do you send a social worker if there's a guy that's threatening to kill his wife in the house and not send the police?" Levinson asked.
"It's almost comical if it wasn't so tragic."
His comments underscored the distinction between his criticism of the Republican administration's tactics and his broader political philosophy.
Levinson was not suggesting that Democratic policies offered the answers to the country's problems.
Instead, he argued that Republicans had undermined their own position by failing to deliver on campaign promises and pursuing policies he considered excessive.
"There's got to be some changes made, there's no doubt about it," he said.
Questions About Trump's Campaign Promises
Levinson also criticized what he viewed as a departure from Trump's promises to avoid prolonged military conflicts.
"We're not going to get into any forever wars. And he got into a forever war," Levinson said.
He did not identify a specific military conflict during that portion of the interview.
The county executive's broader argument was that voters had supported Trump expecting certain changes, but that the administration's subsequent actions had created political consequences.
He also discussed the role of national media coverage, arguing that incidents involving immigration enforcement received extensive attention.
Levinson's criticism was therefore directed not only at specific policies but also at the political strategy and public messaging surrounding them.
He suggested that the administration had made it more difficult for Republican candidates to win support, even in local elections where the president was not on the ballot.
What the Election Means for Atlantic County
The November 3 results represent one of the most significant recent political setbacks for Atlantic County Republicans.
For years, Republicans maintained a commanding majority on the county commissioner board while also controlling several major county offices.
That advantage will be substantially reduced in January.
The incoming Democratic commissioners will have greater influence over county spending, public safety priorities, capital projects and other major decisions.
Levinson's administration will continue to prepare budgets and oversee county operations, but the county executive will face a board with a much narrower Republican majority.
The election also brings changes to the Sheriff's Office and County Clerk's Office, where incoming Democratic officials have discussed different approaches to operations and public services.
For Levinson, the results create both a political challenge and a governing challenge.
His comments Monday suggest that he believes Republicans must examine more than local campaign tactics if they hope to regain lost ground.
He sees the national party's direction, particularly on immigration, as part of the problem.
A Republican Warning After a Democratic Sweep
Levinson's remarks offer a revealing look at how one of South Jersey's most experienced Republican elected officials is interpreting the election.
He did not absolve local Republicans of responsibility for their defeats.
But he also rejected the idea that local divisions alone explain the outcome.
Instead, he pointed to a national political environment shaped by controversial policies, unfulfilled expectations and campaign decisions that he believes alienated voters.
His criticism of immigration enforcement was particularly direct.
For a Republican county executive who has spent decades navigating Atlantic County politics, the message was that the party must reconsider how it approaches both policy and politics.
Whether other Republican leaders share Levinson's assessment remains to be seen.
What is clear is that Atlantic County's political landscape has changed considerably following the November 3 election.
And according to Levinson, the reasons for that change extend well beyond the county's borders.
About the Author
Scott Stephens
Scott has been an on-air personality, producer and newscaster for 30+ years. He has been a mainstay in the South Jersey Community and on the air across many different area stations. Scott can currently be heard on Kool 98.3 and News Talk 1400 & 92.3 WOND.
