Jersey City Councilman James Solomon released the following statement today after U.S. District Court Judge Zahid Quraishi granted a preliminary injunction that ends the organization line for the 2024 primary election and mandates office block voting:
“It’s hard to overstate how monumental the end of the county line is for NJ politics. For as long as I’ve lived in New Jersey, let alone served as an elected official in this state, I’ve seen good-government activists rail against the barricades to democracy that the corrupt county line presented. I was proud to join this fight when it was political suicide – starting when I first ran for City Council. I was proud to support Andy Kim for Senate early because I believed that his campaign could represent the tide turning towards the people, away from the party bosses. And now, that belief has come to fruition. Thank you to all who fought for this moment. While an appeal will likely come, the judge’s ruling should stand – and the corrupt New Jersey machine has been dealt a fatal blow. With the end of the county line, voters across the state can finally elect candidates that reflect their core values — and that is a victory for everyone, regardless of party affiliation.”