In a remarkable display of political prowess, Congressman Andy Kim emerged victorious for the third consecutive time at the county convention in Flemington, New Jersey. Defeating his formidable opponent, first lady Tammy Murphy, he solidified his position as the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination for the Senate.
Kim’s victory in the Hunterdon County convention was not without its challenges. The county chair, who happened to be an ally of Murphy, caused a temporary disruption by suggesting a change to the endorsement rules. This proposed change would have granted candidates with 30 percent of the vote the ability to share the county line, which is a highly coveted position on the primary ballot typically reserved for party-endorsed candidates.
The convention delegates responded to the proposal with curses and screams, ultimately rejecting it in a hand vote. However, had the rule change been approved, Kim would have been required to share the line with Murphy in the county. This would have potentially placed them on equal footing, visually, in the eyes of primary voters.
Kim’s win in this election has a significant consequence – he secures the county line, which aligns him with other candidates endorsed by the party. This is a distinctive and crucial characteristic of New Jersey’s primary system. The method of awarding the line varies across county parties in the state. Some hold conventions where precinct leaders and other local Democrats vote to determine their preferred candidate. In Democratic strongholds, the support of a local party boss alone can be sufficient to secure advantageous ballot positioning. In such areas, Murphy holds a considerable advantage over Kim.
Kim dominated the Hunterdon contest with 120 votes, compared to Murphy’s 64 votes, securing an impressive 62 percent to Murphy’s 33 percent. Kim and Murphy are currently the leading candidates in the race to replace Sen. Bob Menendez, who has not yet confirmed if he will be running for re-election.
Hunterdon County, one of New Jersey’s smallest counties by population, has not seen a Democrat hold a countywide elected office since 1982. However, this trend was broken when Kim emerged as the winner in the county’s Democratic convention. This victory marks the third consecutive win for Kim, following her successes in Burlington and Monmouth. What sets Hunterdon apart is that neither Kim nor Governor Murphy have any established political ties in the county. This presents an opportunity to gauge how Democratic voters without a direct connection to Kim or Murphy may respond to their candidacies.
Kim, who hails from Burlington County, represents the majority of the county as well as around one-third of Monmouth County. Meanwhile, Murphy has been a resident of Monmouth County for over 20 years.
According to Murphy, Kim does not have any momentum in the race. Murphy pointed out that since Kim only oversees 35 percent of Monmouth County in Congress, it is understandable. However, Murphy chose not to comment on the situation in Hunterdon.
During the convention, Hunterdon Democratic County Chair Arlene Quiñones Perez addressed the delegates and expressed her intention to implement the proposed balloting changes. The decision was prompted by a letter from Senate candidates Kim, Campos-Medina, and Hamm, urging for the adoption of an “office block” primary setup in all 19 of New Jersey’s 21 counties that currently do not utilize it.
Kim, on the other hand, did not support the change on Sunday. Giving up the line in Hunterdon County would have put him at a disadvantage statewide, as Murphy would likely still have prominent ballot positioning in other crucial Democratic strongholds where she has a strong backing.
During a press conference, Murphy admitted that she had no knowledge of the convention proposal until Perez made the announcement on the convention floor.
Murphy shared with reporters that she believed the measure might have been logical, but she did not have the authority to vote on it. When asked if she would back a similar measure in counties where she is anticipated to secure victory, like Middlesex, she did not give a direct response.
“I believe it would be inappropriate for me to dictate how different county parties operate. However, if there are any valuable ideas, I am fully supportive and willing to participate,” she expressed.
Kim also strongly criticized the way county leaders proposed the rule change.
According to Kim, the decision to surprise a convention with something at the very last moment, without giving any opportunity for discussion or deliberation, was not well received. He emphasized that the reaction from people clearly indicated their dislike for such a approach.
In expressing his views, he emphasized that if a shared line system had been implemented in all 19 counties, he would have been in favor of it. However, he made it clear that his preference is for each individual county to have the ability to construct their own office block.
Hunterdon County may not be a significant factor in the overall Democratic primary race, as it only has a little over 30,000 registered Democrats, which is just 1.2 percent of all Democrats in the state. In contrast, Burlington and Monmouth counties each make up approximately 5.6 percent of the state’s Democratic population.
Sue Altman, the sole candidate for the Democratic ticket in New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, secured the county endorsement through a unanimous voice vote. Altman aims to unseat Rep. Tom Kean, Jr., who narrowly defeated Democrat Tom Malinowski and turned the district Republican in 2022. With this race being one of the most fiercely contested in 2024, Altman’s candidacy is gaining significant traction.