Congressman says he’s adjusting well to minority status and even finds some advantages
By: Greg Forester
Life in the minority won’t prevent him from being a productive congressman, U.S. Rep. Michael Ferguson (R-7) said during a visit to The Packet this week.
Casting himself as "a centrist Republican" who can find common ground across party lines, Mr. Ferguson cited his co-sponsorship of bills bearing the names of such Democratic luminaries as New York Sen. Hillary Clinton and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama.
"I worked with Democrats in the past on certain issues, and in our new position, I hope that will serve me well," he said.
During the one-hour interview on Wednesday, Mr. Ferguson repeatedly stated that he was not bound by ideological orthodoxy, at one point saying: "Sometimes my fellow Republicans and I fight like dogs."
This is the first time Mr. Ferguson has been in the minority since he was initially elected to the House of Representatives in 2000, from a district that includes Montgomery and Rocky Hill.
The "silver lining", he said, is that being in the minority allows a bit more freedom "to vote the way you want to", since the Democratic majority now bears the responsibility to muster the votes necessary to govern. "When you’re in the majority, sometimes you vote for things you don’t totally support," Mr. Ferguson said.
The congressman said he is happy with his committee assignments, especially his post on the Energy and Commerce Committee. Unlike Republicans with less seniority, Mr. Ferguson did not lose key committee spots as the Democrats took over the House, a factor which he said would enable him to continue advocating effectively for New Jersey interests.
In contrast to his earlier, easier victories, Mr. Ferguson had to overcome a stiff challenge from Democratic state Assemblywoman Linda Stender last November, winning re-election by just two percentage points.
He attributed the close call to an overall rejection of Republicans by voters nationwide. "The stars really were aligned," he said. "It was the president’s second term, there was the war, and there were all the corruption problems within the party as well."
"I feel like the Republican Party didn’t prove that it could provide solutions to problems," Mr. Ferguson said. "The message the electorate was delivering was loud and clear you need to do a better job."
Mr. Ferguson said taxes remain one of the most important issues for his constituency, which includes parts of Hunterdon, Middlesex, Somerset, and Union counties.
"My district has a median income of around $90,000, which means not only are they paying a lot of money in taxes, but their cost of living is extremely high. A $50,000 salary doesn’t go as far in my district as it would in other parts of the country."
Mr. Ferguson said health insurance also remains a huge issue facing the nation.
"What strikes me is that many of the people who don’t have health insurance are actually workers, mostly employed by small companies," he said.
Mr. Ferguson said he has worked in the past on passing legislation to allow association health plans, which would allow some of these smaller businesses to band together in order to provide insurance to their employees, but these bills have not passed the Senate.

