Assembly Minority Leader to perform comedy in Cleveland

• Bramnick will perform a comedy routine at Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse in Beachwood, Ohio
• The assemblyman utilizes material from everyday life in his performances
• Bramnick has been the Assembly Minority Leader since 2012

Assembly Republican Leader Jon Bramnick has two roles to play at the upcoming the Republican National Convention in Cleveland.

He will be there as a spectator and politician, representing the New Jersey GOP, during the course of the four-day event, starting on July 18.

But on July 19, he will be in another role, as entertainer, performing a comedy routine at Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse in Beachwood, Ohio.

Bramnick said that the convention offers “the perfect opportunity” for him to do stand-up comedy, because he will have a captive audience in the New Jersey Republican delegation.

“What a perfect scenario,” said Bramnick, an attorney and politician who also has been performing stand-up comedy in venues around the state for some three decades. “400 Republicans from New Jersey in one place.”

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The comedy event costs $50 per person, with proceeds going to the organization Assembly Republican Victory. Bramnick said that he didn’t think the event would yield much profit, and its purpose is more to entertain than to fund-raise. Given the location and context of the event, Bramnick hinted that current events may be incorporated into his routine.

“I’ve actually done imitations of Donald Trump,” said Bramnick, who was born and raised in Plainfield and now lives in Westfield.

Yet the assemblyman, who is the highest-ranking Republican in the New Jersey General Assembly, doesn’t find contemporary politics very funny.

“The state of politics today to me is disgusting,” Bramnick said with clear frustration. He lamented the lack of civility in public discourse and the personal nature of political attacks, urging instead for a focus on substantive issues.

“It’s about policy. It’s not about me and it’s not about you,” Bramnick said, adding that there was too much “hatred” in politics. He extended his criticism of the toxic political atmosphere to include the media, which he said is more interested in publishing headlines than analyzing policy. Bramnick first entered politics as a member of the Plainfield City Council. His career in the assembly began in 2003, when he was appointed to fill a vacant assembly seat; he won election later that year.

Despite his anger over national politics, Bramnick said he believed New Jersey was more functional than Washington, D.C.

“In New Jersey, we’re in Trenton together,” he explained. “New Jersey is a less hostile environment.” Bramnick then laughed.

“This is why I do comedy – to relieve the stress,” he said. 

A lot of work goes into the performances which distract Bramnick, and other politicians, from what he perceives as a poisonous political environment. Bramnick said the performance on July 19 will probably be around 45 minutes long, but the preparation for the routine takes much longer.

“It takes about two hours to come up with a good two minutes,” Bramnick said.

The assemblyman utilizes material from everyday life in his performances, including road signs and stories about his son. Some of the preparation he does for his routine involves driving around New Jersey and looking for funny signs. He described his style as “observational comedy.”

Bramnick is looking forward to performing, and to seeing the New Jersey Republicans gathered for the convention, which runs from from July 18 to 21. He’s particularly ready to appreciate the amenities offered by the hotel where he will be staying. Bramnick joked that he’s most excited to spend time with the “bar, swimming pool, and Republicans – in that order.”

Beyond his comedy routine at the convention, Bramnick doesn’t have concrete plans for his political future.

“Politics changes every day,” Bramnick said, adding that he’s more focused on “helping people” than furthering his career. A self-acknowledged moderate Republican, Bramnick has been the Assembly Minority Leader since 2012, a position that he takes seriously.

“I consider myself to represent all of New Jersey,” he said, noting that he sees his political duty as extending beyond his constituency of Morris, Somerset, and Union counties.

Bramnick's event begins at 2:30 p.m. July 19. For more information, or to RSVP, pontact Michele Albano: text/call: 908-456-0696; email: michelealbano@outlook.com