Murphy wins another NJ Dem convention for Senate, as party bosses watch the votes

New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy won the Somerset County Democratic Committee’s endorsement over Rep. Andy Kim in the primary race for the U.S. Senate Thursday night.

But unlike several recent conventions where party members voted by secret ballot, the vote was taken by delegates raising green index cards — in plain view of the county party boss, a close Murphy ally who holds political and practical power over rank-and-file members of the committee.

Kim and Murphy are both looking to succeed U.S. Senator Robert Menendez, whose support from party leaders and the public nearly vanished following his September indictment on corruption charges. Kim has run an insurgent campaign, embarrassing Murphy with several early convention wins despite her seeming advantages as the establishment candidate.

But Murphy's taken home two county conventions now, both where party leaders are close supporters of her and her governor husband.

She received 207 votes to Kim’s 106 Thursday, giving her the “county line” on the Somerset ballot, an advantageous placement that signals to voters that she has the stamp of approval from the county Democratic organization. A Rutgers researchers’ analysis shows the line gives an endorsed candidate a huge advantage in the primary race that’s rarely overcome at the ballot box.

After the vote, Tammy Murphy jumped onto the stage to thank the delegates.

“I have been here. I will be here. You have my word, I will be on the ground,” she said.

Some counties award the line through votes among their members, while in other cases, it’s entirely up to party leadership. But even in those counties that hold votes, the outcomes are strongly influenced by how much political sway party chairs have over their members, and whether the votes are held by secret ballot.

On Thursday night, Peg Schaffer — a supporter of Murphy’s and chairwoman of the Somerset County Democratic Committee — rejected a move from two members of the committee to make the vote into a secret ballot.

“An open, non-secret ballot is never a fair fight,” Kim said after the vote. “Many of them have jobs in government, have jobs at the state level, the county level.”

Kim said many committee members approached him during the convention to say they wanted to vote for him but had been pressured by their local municipal Democratic Party committees.

We have gotten our local members responsible, rewarding positions with State and County government.

Peg Schaffer, Somerset County Democratic Committee chair, in a letter to members prior to Thursday's vote.

County party committee chairs have tremendous power in New Jersey politics because they can make or break political careers, by blocking or promoting candidates’ placement on the county line. Each member of the county party committee must be elected by the public as well — and it’s especially rare for candidates seeking such low-profile seats to win without being placed on the line.

Schaffer, also the vice chair of the state Democratic Party, is a close ally of Gov. Phil Murphy. After Kim won three county conventions in February, Schaffer wrote a letter to her committee members urging them to support Tammy Murphy, Politico recently reported.

In the letter, she reminded delegates of the county political machine’s strong influence over government jobs.

“Due to the success of the organization we have worked with the administration and local officials to put many of our members on the Superior Court,” Schaffer wrote in the letter. “We have gotten our local members responsible, rewarding positions with State and County government.”

Schaffer defended the letter to Politico, saying the county political organization is “well equipped to suggest people for positions.”

Schaffer herself has benefited from decisions by Gov. Murphy. She was appointed to the board of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, an unpaid position for the agency that runs the massive Meadowlands complex. Recently, the governor signed a bill that will allow her to represent cannabis companies for her law firm despite a prohibition against state officials from doing so.

Menendez, accused of taking bribes to interfere in criminal investigations and help foreign governments, maintains his innocence and says he won’t step down. He wasn’t on Thursday’s Somerset convention ballot.

Kim previously won secret ballot votes at conventions in Monmouth, Burlington and Hunterdon and Warren and Sussex. All of those counties but Sussex use the county line in their ballot design. Murphy won her first secret-ballot convention Monday night in Bergen County, home to about 10% of the state’s Democrats — as well as another powerful county chair.