In a Senate race that was never predicted to be competitive, Rep. Andy Kim (D-NJ) called out his own party, saying New Jersey Democratic Party elites are manipulating voters in this primary race.
Kim filed a lawsuit against the majority of counties across New Jersey this week over the controversial “county line.” Kim said the county line is “unfair” and suppresses voters.
“Right now in my home state, Democratic Party elites are the ones putting their thumb on the scale of this Senate primary,” Kim said on CNN on Thursday.
The county line consolidates party-backed candidates in one row or column and puts other candidates in a different column or row on the ballot. Nineteen of New Jersey’s 21 counties use this ballot system.
Kim argues the county line creates a visual bias for voters, claiming voters often miss other candidates on the ballot.
“[There is an] upwards of double digits advantage for someone who is in what’s called the ‘county line,’” Kim said. “Because it’s something that just draws in the voters, and oftentimes people even miss that there are other columns further off. This is something that’s a real concern, and it’s trying to basically manipulate and take advantage of voters, and I think that’s wrong.”
The comments come ahead of a crucial county convention for Kim on Monday in Bergen County, the state’s most populous county with nearly 1 million residents. His opponent, New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy, has the backing of a majority of top Democrats in the New York City suburban county.
Bergen County has a large Korean American population, enough so that ballots are printed in Korean, English, and Spanish. Kim is seeking to be the first Korean American in the U.S. Senate. Democratic Assemblywoman Ellen Park, the sole Korean American in the state’s Assembly, is publicly backing Murphy.
“Bergen County Democrats are proud to support Tammy Murphy for U.S. Senate because of Tammy’s deep commitment to standing up for our families and communities,” county Chairman Paul Juliano said.
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Kim has won all three counties with conventions so far, including his home, Burlington County, and Murphy’s home, Monmouth County. Murphy still is predicted to win Bergen County. A loss here would be a “blow” to her campaign, according to Dan Cassino, a government and politics professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University who administered a poll last month between support for Murphy or Kim.
“It’s almost a no-win situation. If she wins, then she was expected to win,” Cassino said. “If she loses or it’s close, it starts to look real bad. I think you’re going to start to have a panic.”
