The surprise announcement by New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy that she is ending her U.S. Senate campaign should not slow down efforts to reform the state’s primary ballot system that awards prime locations to candidates backed by county committees of both parties, a political observer said.
Murphy’s Democratic primary opponent, U.S. Rep. Andy Kim filed a federal lawsuit to abolish the system — called the “county line” — arguing it’s unfair and unconstitutional.
Kim, who issued a statement praising Murphy a “voice for progress and public service in our state,” becomes the instant favorite in the primary now that the first lady has dropped out, and he has already committed to accepting the lines she has be awarded. But the congressman affirmed he would press on with his suit.
“We will continue on with the process, making sure we can fix our democracy right here in New Jersey and make it better,” Kim said. ”We’ll see what the judge decides. This race has really instilled in me a lot of belief that we can and will be moving and changing things for the better. It’ll make things more participatory.”
Kim’s suit, filed last month, seeks to get rid of the line, which groups candidates endorsed by the county party together on both Democratic and Republican primary ballots, with the other contenders listed to the side. A recent study by a Rutgers University professor found the ballot position gave congressional candidates an advantage of up to 38 percentage points. Critics say the setup favors the selections of party bosses.
A judge is expected to rule on the case in the coming days, which has the potential to upend the Garden State’s entire political landscape. New Jersey is the only state that uses such a system.
It’s unclear what Murphy’s departure means for the lawsuit, though one thought Sunday was it could take urgency out of the case.
“Andy Kim is obviously now the presumptive nominee, and most immediately, it seems he would have a tough time demonstrating the irreparable harm he needs for an emergency injunction,” Micah Rasmussen, director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University, said of the lawsuit.
Kim said will push on with the suit, even though he now agreed to run with the lines in counties Murphy had already secured instead of taking the “risk” that “someone else might get an advantage.”
“I’m doing my best to win this nomination to be the Democratic nominee for Senate, but that doesn’t change how I feel about the system as a whole,” he said.
Activists posting on social media said the fight for ballot reform has to go on, regardless of Tammy Murphy’s decision.
“Obviously, the other plaintiffs in both lawsuits are still aggrieved, and the lawmakers, gubernatorial candidates and other elected officials who have called for the end of the line will not change their minds over this single election,” Rasmussen said.
Murphy’s announcement will not slow the drive for ballot reform, Rasmussen said. The court case prompted a rare joint statement for Democratic and Republican legislative leaders “committed to beginning a public process on ballot design in New Jersey, including a thorough and thoughtful review of other states, as well as a process that involves input from the public.”
“That train has left the station, and expect it will continue forward with Andy Kim at the forefront of reform,” Rasmussen said.
Kim supporters celebrating Murphy’s announcement on social media urged him to continue the fight against the county line, including Jersey City Councilman James Solomon.
Others praised Kim and activists who supported him for challenging the political machine.
“Many, many people took risks to stand up to the machine and make this moment possible. It’s no small thing to stand up to the machine in New Jersey,” said Leah Greenberg, co-executive director of Indivisible, a national progressive grassroots organization.
Indivisible endorsed Kim in February and signed an open letter in November calling for reform as part of the Fair Ballot Alliance.
“Congratulations to Andy Kim, and to the grassroots army including the incredible Indivisibles of New Jersey,” Greenberg said. “Indivisibles and other grassroots activists made the math undeniable for Tammy Murphy — Andy Kim had the numbers, the momentum, and the supporter strength to overcome party bosses and dark money donors. Indivisible is proud to be part of that momentum that brought us here.”
Jeff Tittel, a longtime environmental activist who has been critical of Murphy’s campaign, said the first lady’s exit is “actually a win for democracy and for reform of an undemocratic ballot system.”
“Even though she ran a bad campaign and lost, it may have longterm effects of reforming New Jersey’s primary system,” Tittel said.
NJ Advance Media staff writer Brent Johnson contributed to this report.
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Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X @CommutingLarry
