Kim’s Conscience in Camden

The Camden County Democratic Committee, unwillingly perhaps, grabbed an outsized role in the “Andy-Tammy” battle when a third candidate, Patricia Campos Medina, was literally blocked from entering the party convention.

The convention endorsed Tammy Murphy, but now the First Lady is out of the race. So, the county endorsement and infamous “line” will go to Andy Kim, right?

Not so fast.

Kim doesn’t want it.

In a court filing Wednesday relevant to Kim’s suit challenging the “county line,” lawyers for Kim said:

“As to Camden County, Rep. Kim will not be running on the line.”

If he did so, Kim would be associating with parties who are “adverse” to him in ongoing federal litigation, the filing said.

It adds that teaming up with a legal adversary would “not be appropriate and would be confusing to voters.”

Instead he will be running under the slogan, “New Jersey Democratic Team.”

All this came about when Judge Zahid Quraishi told lawyers in the ongoing federal suit over the “county line” to make follow-up arguments in letter form by 10 p.m. today, Wednesday.

Such follow-ups are needed in the wake of Murphy’s exit from the U.S. Senate primary on Sunday.

The question for the court is easy to see.

Kim’s suit is over the awarding of the county line or endorsement by county political committees. Many such designations were slated to go to Murphy, giving her an advantage.

But now that she’s out of the race, most are going to Kim. In fact, only two aren’t – Cumberland and the aforementioned Camden.

So, doesn’t that make the suit moot?

That continues to be the argument of lawyers representing most of the county clerks in New Jersey, the officials charged with drawing up ballots.

In his latest filing, Mark Natale, who represents the Burlington County Clerk, noted that:

“The lead plaintiff now occupies the ballot position this entire lawsuit was initiated to eliminate.”

 

 

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