In the post-party line world of New Jersey politics, the establishment ain’t what it used to be. The latest proof is in the increasing number of gubernatorial candidates who are skipping county nominating conventions altogether.
Among the Democrats, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said in many cases the outcomes of these conventions are pre-ordained, representing the interests of the party chairs and not the rank and file. Baraka said he’ll only participate in contests where candidates are allowed access to committee member information and opportunities to address delegates.
Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop has also said he won’t participate. The other candidates have not yet said whether they would skip the process. On the Republican side, state Sen. Jon Bramnick (R-Union) is the latest candidate to say he’ll skip the conventions, too.
“A lot of these people depend on these [county] chairs,” said Baraka. “In the past, chairs made decisions about whether they got the line, whether they were going to continue to support them in the future. These folks are tied to that and ultimately the kind of pressure that puts on them and in some instances makes them make decisions they don’t ordinarily want to make, endorse people they don’t really endorse. They’re doing it to maintain their well-being and keep their position.”
