New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy’s sudden departure from the U.S. Senate race on Sunday will not stop another candidate’s federal lawsuit to end the state’s unusual county line ballot system before the June Democratic primary.
New Jersey Rep. Andy Kim’s team confirmed the news to Gothamist on Sunday.
“He will continue to press so that we can have essentially a fair election and where his constitutional rights don’t have to be bargained for,” said attorney Yael Bromberg, who is part of Kim’s legal counsel.
That’s even though Kim now stands to benefit more than any other candidate from the unusual ballot system — a quirk of New Jersey’s ballots that doesn’t exist in any other state.
The county line system gives an edge to primary candidates endorsed by county party committees. In some cases, those endorsements are awarded through county conventions where delegates vote. But in some of the state’s largest and most Democrat-rich counties, the endorsements are awarded directly by party bosses — most of whom backed Murphy.
Despite Kim’s run of wins at most of the conventions where delegates voted by secret ballots, Murphy was still set to get preferential treatment on the ballots used by two-thirds of New Jersey Democrats.
In the county line system — used in 19 of New Jersey’s 21 counties — the endorsed candidates for all offices appear in a single row or column. Researchers say that makes them seem more legitimate, and confers an advantage the candidates rarely overcome. Critics argue it’s a way for the state’s political elite to protect entrenched interests and keep newcomers from getting elected.
If Kim’s lawsuit succeeds, all candidates for a particular race will be grouped together
“Congressman Kim strongly believes that New Jersey should move to a fair, office block ballot system,” Anthony DeAngelo, Kim’s senior adviser, said in a statement. “It’s the right thing for our democracy and the right thing for our…
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