New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has two challengers in his own party and could be in the middle of his own primary election this spring. That is, if his lawyers, who are working overtime to invalidate his competitors don’t succeed.
Murphy is investing a large amount of his campaign money seeking to remove his competition in the courts, claiming both candidates are not eligible to challenge him for governor.
One of his challengers, Lisa McCormick, a perennial Democrat candidate who came close to defeating Bob Menendez for U.S. Senate in 2018 is being challenged for invalid names on her nominating petitions. Murphy claims McCormick’s petitions have two people who don’t live in New Jersey and others with misspellings of their own names.
The other challenger, Roger Bacon is hoping to be on the June ballot to challenge Murphy. Murphy is hoping he’s not and his team of lawyers are challenging his petition also, claiming Bacon did not have the required 1,000 valid signatures needed to run.
Murphy’s attempt to disenfranchise voter choice in June is unbecoming of a governor who openly promotes free and open elections.