Rep. Andy Kim (D-NJ) won his third straight Democratic county convention and overcame an attempted last-minute rule change in his bid to win the Democratic nomination for Senate in New Jersey.
Kim defeated New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy at the Hunterdon County convention, 120-64, and weathered an attempt by the county chairwoman to change the threshold for endorsing candidates.
In New Jersey, county party endorsements decide who will get the sought-after “ballot line” in a party primary, with “the line” determining which name appears first, an advantage especially with less-informed voters. The county chairwoman wanted to change the threshold for an endorsement down to 30%, which could have resulted in Kim and Murphy sharing the top line on the primary ballot. The effort was met with screams and was voted down, according to Politico.
Kim said in a statement that his win was proof of the support he has among the grassroots in the Garden State.
“Today’s result is further proof of the grassroots power we have across the entire state and highlights what is possible when voters are given the opportunity to freely vote their conscience,” Kim said on Sunday. “I am honored to have earned Hunterdon County’s support today as I continue to fight to restore integrity to our politics, and I look forward to continuing to run this campaign in every county and at every convention.”
The so-called party line on the primary ballot has been a source of controversy in the Garden State, with some counties vesting the power to decide who gets put on the line in the county party chair. Murphy has received the endorsements of several county party chairs, while Kim has called for counties to do away with the party line.
“Regardless of continued victories across the state, I stand by my call for every county to use an office block ballot design so that the voters can have a fair, equitable choice this June,” Kim said.
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On Monday, Kim filed a federal lawsuit looking to block counties from using the “county line” on their primary ballots, alleging they are “unconstitutional.”
A poll from Fairleigh Dickinson University released earlier this month showed Kim leading Murphy 32% to 20%, with 31% of Democratic voters still undecided in the Senate primary.
