Reject N.J. political bosses, Democratic gov candidate tells opponents

Just say no to party bosses, unless they meet certain conditions.

That’s the message Newark Mayor Ras Baraka just sent in a letter to fellow Democrats he’s running against in this year’s race for New Jersey governor.

Baraka asked his rivals to reject endorsements from any of the state’s powerful county parties that hold nominating conventions without “a fully democratic and transparent process,” according to a copy of the letter obtained by NJ Advance Media.

In short, he’s calling on them to buck some county party leaders who are often accused of manipulating elections through the way they endorse candidates.

“The Democratic Party must be more than democratic in name only,” Baraka wrote. “If we want to restore faith in our party and truly serve the people of New Jersey, we must take a stand against anyone who undermines democracy — whether it’s Donald Trump attacking it from the outside or Democratic leaders here at home eroding it from within."

The letter comes as candidates from both sides of the crowded race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy are skipping some or all of the nominating conventions where county parties endorse candidates. Those events have traditionally been a central part of the state‘s primary season, though some are criticized as being stacked for leaders’ favorite contenders.

The pushback reflects a wave of anti-establishment sentiment and big-time change that have swept across Jersey‘s machine-driven political world the last two years.

Baraka sent the letter to four Democratic opponents: U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, New Jersey Education Association President Sean Spiller, and former state Senate President Steve Sweeney.

He did not send one to Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop. Baraka’s campaign said that‘s because Fulop has already chosen not participate in any conventions.

For years, county party endorsements have been crucial in Garden State elections. That’s mostly because many came with the infamous “county line,” a design in which candidates backed by those parties received prime placement on primary ballots and allowed party bosses great influence over who won elections.

But now-U.S. Sen. Andy Kim sued to stop the line last year amid a fierce Democratic Senate primary fight with First Lady Tammy Murphy, and a judge ultimately threw out the system for that election. This is likely to be the first governor’s race without it for either party.

County parties are still endorsing candidates, and those endorsements still carry benefits. The chosen contenders get to use the party slogan on that county’s primary ballot. Plus, the party will provide them with money and get-out-the-vote resources.

But without the line, competing at county conventions cost time and cash that could be used elsewhere.

And there‘s no uniform system for how county parties give out their endorsements. Some have rank-and-file committee members — or delegates — vote by secret ballot. Some hold hand votes where delegates might feel pressure to align with party leaders. Some have leaders pick candidates in private.

Baraka’s letter doesn’t single out an opponent or county party. But it arrives a week after Sherrill — the favorite of many of the state’s top Democrats — won the endorsement of Hunterdon County Democrats at the first convention of the gubernatorial election. Committee members there got to vote on the pick by secret ballot, with Sherrill edging Baraka 89-68 in a runoff.

“Hunterdon County started something special today, and I’m so honored to have their support in bringing a different kind of leadership to Trenton,” Sherrill said.

Sherrill is expected to receive support from leaders in several other, larger counties. That includes her home county of Essex, also Baraka‘s home.

Sweeney, another Democratic contender, previously said he will skip this week’s Mercer County convention because he believes Sherrill is the pre-determined winner there, having already been endorsed by top party leaders from the county. But Sweeney is likely to nab endorsements in many South Jersey counties.

Gottheimer is favored to get party backing in at least his home county of Bergen.

Fulop handed out his own letter to committee members at the Hunterdon convention, explaining why he wasn’t competing for their endorsement. It said his campaign is “different than others as it is unapologetically about reforming government” and that he’s on a “mission” to change the state’s political culture.

“Which means creating accountability to you instead of county bosses,” said Fulop, who is also running alongside his own slate of state Assembly contenders challenging party-backed picks.

Baraka — who, like Fulop, has run a progressive-leaning campaign often critical of the political establishment — strikes a middle ground in his letter. He said Hunterdon showed how a county convention could be run with “integrity.”

“Unfortunately, that standard is not being upheld everywhere in New Jersey,” he wrote.

Without mentioning anyone by name, Baraka said some county parties make endorsements “without allowing committee members any binding, meaningful role in the decision.”

“This is the same undemocratic concentration of power that the elimination of the county line was meant to address — yet it persists, leaving voters and committee members alike disillusioned and distrustful of our leadership,” he wrote.

Baraka argued some party bosses use “tactics” that make the process feel “rigged.” That, he said, includes chairs endorsing candidates themselves before conventions, withholding information from delegates, and announcing dates with little notice.

He also called for the state to adopt convention standards for all county parties to follow, including banning county chairs from making pre-convention endorsements, as well as requiring that committee members vote by secret ballot so they can “vote their conscience.”

At the same time, Baraka said he will continue to participate in the conventions “because, even in a flawed system, it is crucial to show up, engage with party members, and give them a choice — especially when the process seeks to deny them one.“

Some party leaders have defended the county system as being critical to helping choose strong candidates and draw voters to the polls.

The campaigns for Gottheimer, Sherrill, Spiller, and Sweeney did not immediately respond to requests seeking comment on the letter Monday.

At least three contenders in the Republican primary have said they won’t take part in county conventions: state Sen. Jon Bramnick, former state Sen. Ed Durr, and former radio host Bill Spadea. Spadea, though, is expected to receive the critical backing of the Ocean County GOP.

Also running in the Republican primary are former state Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli and former Englewood Cliffs Mayor Mario Kranjac.

Bramnick said last week the work of party leaders, committee members, and volunteers remains “an important part of the GOP,” but other Republicans not participating means “the convention process will not accurately represent the true landscape of the primary this year.”

A recent poll showed the Democratic primary is tight, with Sherrill holding a slight 2-point lead with 10% of the vote, followed closely by Baraka and Spiller at 8%, Gottheimer and Sweeney at 7%, and Fulop at 4%.

The same survey showed Ciattarelli ahead of Spadea, 26% to 13%, with Bramnick at 4% and Durr at 2%.

The primary election is June 10.

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Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X at @johnsb01.