By Mike Sherr
Former Editor-in-Chief
New Jersey officials are known for having strong influence over election and endorsement proceedings across the state. County party chairs alone can determine almost every political aspect of localities; who runs for office, how much money they receive from the party and even where their name is physically placed on the ballot.
Some academics argue that physical location on a ballot and support from the party are major factors that determine the level of success of primary candidates.
The College Democrats of New Jersey, a political activist group in the state, was preparing to endorse a candidate against the party line when a youth activist for the State Democratic Committee made a call to the group that made them feel politically threatened.
Incumbent Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) has declared that he will be running for reelection in 2024, but was indicted last September with multiple corruption charges. Soon after, both Democrat Rep. Andy Kim and New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy declared they would seek to oust Menendez.
The June 4 primary will most likely produce the next New Jersey senator as the state has not elected a Republican to the Senate since 1972.
The CDNJ was preparing to announce its endorsement for Kim when Keely Magee, a junior at Rutgers University and youth coordinator for the Democratic State Committee, an affiliate of the Democratic Party, made multiple calls to the group in order to persuade them to stay neutral.
“I think if you endorse this early on, it would only hinder you in the long-run in terms of your organization,” Magee told leaders of the CDNJ. “And I would be worried about that.”
In her final call to the group, which CDNJ recorded, Magee made further comments about funding from the party and the future careers of the group’s leaders.
“If Tammy Murphy does somehow win being Senator, I’d be careful about ever getting a job in that office or anything like that,” Magee said. “At least for the first few years of her term until her staff turns over.”
Nate Howard, a junior at Princeton University and vice president of CDNJ, shared the recording of the final call with Magee with The New York Times and Kim’s campaign.
Jared Williams, a junior political science major at the College and political director for CDNJ, declined to comment on the situation. Aria Chalileh, also a junior political science major and Central Jersey regional director for CDNJ, did not respond to a request for comment.
The incident comes after an internal poll done by Kim’s campaign showing Murphy trailing by 23 points despite having much greater support from established Democrats.
In a later interview with The New York Times, Magee said that while she was not asked directly by the Murphy campaign to persuade the CDNJ, she was in contact with Dave Parano, a political consultant for the First Lady.
“Would a call from Tammy help?” Magee said she asked. Magee offered to set up a town hall between the group and Murphy as well, according to The Daily Princetonian.
Murphy apologized to the CDNJ and emphasized that Magee had no direct affiliation with her campaign.
Despite these pressures, the CDNJ and the College Democrats of America announced their endorsement for Kim. The College Democrats of America soon after called on the Democratic National Committee to investigate the incident.
“The Dem party will lose credibility in criticizing Trump and others about efforts to subvert democracy if some leaders in our own party seek to put their thumb on the scale of our elections in NJ,” Kim posted on X. “We seek fairness in our democracy and must not deviate when it advantages us.”
As the primary campaign heats up, candidates will continue to bid for young votes, possibly pitting the Democratic Party against itself.
“If they’re threatening us, who else?” Howard told The Daily Princetonian. “If they’re threatening college students who are by no means power brokers, what are they doing to people who actually have power?”
