How the death of 'The Line' is reshaping NJ township councils and county boards

[RandySF]

Shantell Cherry’s race for a New Jersey township council seat did not make major headlines last week as voters cast their primary ballots.

The single mom of six, Piscataway school board vice president and Girl Scout troop leader was overshadowed by bigger congressional contests that could determine which party controls the House of Representatives next year.

But the little-known Democratic candidate caused a minor upset when she defeated incumbent Frank Uhrin, who had the backing of the powerful Middlesex County Democrats.

In a town that Kamala Harris carried by 50 points in the last presidential race, Cherry looks well-positioned to win in November’s general election and become the latest anti-establishment candidate to take a seat on Piscataway’s Township Council, which, along with the mayor, controls a town budget of more than $98 million.




https://gothamist.com/news/how-the-death-of-the-line-is-reshaping-nj-township-councils-and-county-boards

[cliffside]

1. Rep. Andy Kim files federal lawsuit over ballot layout - thank you Senator Kim

https://whyy.org/articles/rep-andy-kim-files-federal-lawsuit-over-ballot-layout/

February 26, 2024

"U.S. Senate candidate and Rep. Andy Kim (D-3rd) is fighting to take down New Jersey’s so-called party line, even as he racks up endorsements from it.
The congressman filed a federal lawsuit on Monday over New Jersey’s ballot design, which groups candidates in a column known as the “county line” — representing the county party endorsement — rather than by the office for which they’re running. Kim wants a judge to strike down the line design in time for this June’s primary, pushing back against the very establishment that just this weekend threw some of its support to him."