Democrat beats petition challenge, is set to remain on primary ballot in NJ-4

Union electrician and Navy veteran John Blake is set to make the primary ballot for Congress in the 4th congressional district despite a challenge to his nominating petitions. 

Miles Terrance Gray, who said he is a Democratic voter from Hudson County, challenged dozens of Blake’s signatures. Blake filed with 544 signatures, putting him at risk of disqualification, but of the 48 challenges, a judge struck just 33, leaving him with enough to stay over the 500-signature threshold.

Blake will be one of two Democrats seeking the nomination to challenge Rep. Chris Smith (R-Manchester). The other, communications professional Rachel Peace, has party support and filed with 702 signatures.

Almost two dozen of Blake’s signatures were disqualified because the signatory was not registered to vote. or was registered as a Republican or third party. One signer — Herb Conaway Jr. — was disqualified on account of the fact that he is the congressman from the 3rd congressional district, and thus does not live in the 4th congressional district.

Several more signers were disqualified because their signatures bore little relation to the signature on file and, in some cases, the signature styles on various sheets closely matched each other.

Julia Pudimott, an attorney for Gray, also argued that Blake’s signatures lacked the proper petition-circulator affidavits, but Administrative Law Judge Elaine Frick rejected the last-ditch argument, saying she was satisfied with the affidavit she had seen.

The hearing started at 10 a.m. and finished just before 6 p.m.; Blake had logged in to the virtual proceeding from work while wearing a hard hat and vest, and he argued his case from his car for much of the day. The virtual proceeding was interrupted at one point when a person approached Blake’s car, and the two people held an off-camera discussion. When Blake came back, he told the judge he’d been laid off.

“I got laid off because I was on the phone all day,” he said. “So they’re going to get me my stuff, and I’m going to go to the [union] hall and sign the book.”

“Can we finish this, please?” he asked the judge.