Republican gubernatorial candidate Hirsh Singh today said he filed a formal request with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) to allow him to participate in the 2017 Republican primary gubernatorial interactive debates.

Singh argued that although he has not accepted public funds for his campaign he nonetheless “has over $900,000 in campaign contributions on hand.”

“As I’ve said all along, our campaign has the resources we need to compete with the other candidates in the race, to get our message out, and to defeat Phil Murphy in November,” said Singh, who cited N.J.A.C. 19:25-1.4 as the basis for his legal argument demanding entry to the debate forum.

Singh’s brief to the court makes clear that his participation in the debates will “further the Legislature’s and ELEC’s goal of informing the public of a candidate’s ‘message.'”

“The voters should not be denied the opportunity to hear our message in the official debates of the Republican primary,” said Singh.  “My opponents are all creatures of the political world and completely ill-equipped to compete against Phil Murphy in November.  Our Party needs fresh leadership and a non-political vision to lead our ticket to victory and revitalize New Jersey.”