As expected, Tammy Murphy easily won the Middlesex County Democratic convention for U.S. Senate, giving her the organization line in the county with the third-highest number of primary votes in the state.
Murphy had been projected to win Middlesex, where the powerful Democratic county chairman, Kevin McCabe, was an early supporter.
Middlesex Democrats voted by a show of hands, which McCabe determined were in Murphy’s favor over Rep. Andy Kim (D-Moorestown). That vote is non-binding; party by-laws specifically empower the county chairman to award the line in statewide contests. An estimated 450 county committee members were in attendance, but a vote tally was not taken.
Still, reports from inside the room were that Murphy’s win was significant. Kim had votes out of Highland Park and Cranbury. Murphy and Kim were both in attendance.
With 240,691 registered Democrats, Middlesex represents nearly 10% of the total statewide primary electorate.
“I am grateful to have earned the support of hundreds of Middlesex County delegates at tonight’s Convention,” Murphy stated. “Tonight’s win demonstrates that people are ready for an effective leader who will stand up and fight for New Jersey’s families and their values. I am excited to continue meeting with communities across our state to share my progressive vision for New Jersey.”
The Democratic line also went to Reps. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-Long Branch) in the 6th district and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Ewing) in the 12th.
The last time the Middlesex line didn’t hold was in 1991 when former Metuchen Councilman Harry Pozycki ousted State Sen. Thomas Paterniti (D-Edison) by 841 votes in the 18th district primary. In 1992, then-Assemblyman Robert Smith (D-Piscataway) carried the Middlesex portion of the 6th district by fifteen percentage points in a primary challenge against Pallone, then a two-term congressman running in a new district.
This is Murphy’s fifth line: she won conventions in Bergen and Somerset and screening committees in Passaic and Union. She also has a lock on lines in Essex and Hudson, which will become official once the county party organizations file bracketing letters with the county clerks.
Kim won secret ballot votes in Monmouth, Burlington, Hunterdon, Sussex, Warren, Ocean, and Mercer.
Convention season continues in Morris and Atlantic this weekend.