Fetterman: New Jersey’s Dem Primary Is ‘Really Not True Democracy’

On Friday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Lead,” Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) — who has endorsed Rep. Andy Kim (D-NJ) in the race for Sen. Robert Menendez’s (D-NJ) seat — criticized the system in that primary as “really not true democracy” because county party leaders in most counties can give a candidate favorable ballot position and Murphy has gotten the support of many Democratic leaders in New Jersey.

Host Jake Tapper asked, “[W]hat do you make of the fact that so many Democratic Party leaders in New Jersey are rallying around First Lady Tammy Murphy?”

Fetterman responded, “Well, they’re part of the establishment that was really essentially protecting that sleazeball. And I really don’t understand how anyone is okay with that ballot. I really don’t know why you can weaponize the ballot. That’s really just the delivery vehicle where you just present the candidates, but now, they have…this weird kind of — where they put them into special places…and I don’t think — that’s really not true democracy there. But I do believe the voters of New Jersey can understand that we want — we have the chance to have a safe blue vote here, and I think Democratic voters are going to decide that we want the kind of representative in the Senate to reflect our values here.”

Tapper then said, “You’re referring to the fact that in New Jersey they have the odd tradition of county chairmen can decide the ballot position of different candidates. So, theoretically, they could put their first choice high up and the person that’s most competitive low.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett