Joe Salerno's Front Porch

Joe Salerno's Front Porch Father. Husband. Entrepreneur. Former Candidate for Congress Joe Salerno is a lifelong resident of New Jersey who was raised by a family devoted to public service.

His Dad, a World War II veteran and POW, made a career in the VA, while his Mom worked in local schools. Joe was raised with a strong work ethic from a young age, whether it was pumping gas part-time or working double shifts at the machine shop he ran a few years after college. He made time to attend law school in the evenings and focused his studies on the Constitutional history of our republic.

Joe built a successful career as a tech entrepreneur, creating hundreds of jobs along the way. Now, he wants to take his experience as a business owner to Washington, using the skills he learned to fight for job creation, fiscal responsibility and greater opportunity for every resident in South Jersey. Joe lives in Lower Township with his wife, Della. They are the parents of four children.

05/21/2026

Do you believe that the NJ-02 election in November matters?

I hope these current and former candidates do! Terri Reese for NJ CD-2, Tim Alexander For Congress: A Voice for South Jersey, Mullock for Congress, Bayly Winder For Congress, Carolyn Rush, Amy Kennedy.

05/18/2026

From a NY Times report headlined, "Political Money Is Flowing to Influencers":

Last month, Carlos Eduardo Espina, a progressive influencer, revealed a surprising endorsement to his 14.5 million followers on TikTok: He would support Tom Steyer, the billionaire running for California governor as a Democrat. ...

Unmentioned in Mr. Espina’s post: Mr. Steyer’s campaign was paying him $100,000 to help win the election. ...

The $100,000 fee, buried in campaign finance records, is described as a payment for “strategic advice and campaign surrogacy.”

05/15/2026

Which candidate would best represent NJ-02 in Congress?

This series never tried to answer that question.

Instead, I hoped it would help people think about a different one:

Which campaign has the best chance to win this November?

Of course, those should not be different questions.

So what would need to change in our politics…
for the best leaders to also have the best chance to win?

Let’s see if we can figure that out together here on the Front Porch.

05/08/2026

Polls answer more than, "Who's winning?" They inform campaigns on which messages will most effectively move us emotionally.

05/07/2026

I have posted a lot about the importance of raising money in congressional campaigns. Money allows candidates to reach voters, like gas allows your car to reach its destination.

On the other hand, putting money in any post about politics reminds people of the corrupting influence big SuperPAC money has had on our government since Citizens United.

Challengers to sitting members of Congress don't get much of that SuperPAC money, especially in districts not considered competitive. Instead, challengers rely mostly on individual donations, which are limited.

Is this the same?

Imagine you admire a candidate, for their life story, their policy positions, for their character, or for any reason. So, you decide to contribute a significant sum, say $1000.

What would you expect in return?

05/06/2026

When reviewing the expenditures for our CD-02 candidates, I was surprised that I didn’t see spending on polling. My team told me it would be political malpractice to enter primary season without a poll.

But campaign polls are not always what people imagine.

They don’t just test who is winning.

They test which stories work.
Which attacks land.
Which policies move voters.
And which version of a candidate people are most likely to support.

On the next Front Porch, we’ll unpack a poll from another NJ congressional district to show how polling can shape campaign messaging.

05/03/2026

I sat down on the front porch and pored over the candidates' FEC filings to see how each campaign has been spending the money they raised.

This can help us understand which campaign can scale to meet the demands of a general election. This can also uncover a surprise or two!

04/30/2026

Money, money, money! Who has it? Who can raise it? Where did it come from? Let's churn through the details of the CD-02 quarterly filings to the FEC. By the way ... did anyone say SuperPAC?

04/27/2026

Running for Congress taught me that campaigning is more about shaping how people feel rather than how they think. The Front Porch is my attempt to pull the curtain back on that reality.

Before diving into the recent fundraising reports, I want to revisit why do this at all. After all, it can get uncomfortable.

Because if we're being swayed by what we feel instead of using our best judgment...

Are we really choosing or just reacting?

04/24/2026

We wrap up our front porch candidate discussions with Bayly Winder For Congress. Bayly explains what it takes to raise money as candidate and responds to critics of out-of-district contributions. He shares his thoughts on the Dem party mainstream and leans in on the war in Iran.

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North Cape May, NJ
08204

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