Update: the New Jersey Republican State Committee rejected a plan to cancel the 2024 GOP Presidential Primary by a vote of 34-0 Party leaders will send a letter to the Republican National Committee telling them that state law requires a primary; they will ask for a waiver of their rule to allow New Jersey convention delegates to be seated.
The New Jersey Republican Party wants to cancel its presidential primary in the 2024 election and instead select the state’s Republican National Convention (RNC) delegates via a state convention, according to a memo sent to county chairs and state committee members obtained by the New Jersey Globe.
The move would allow roughly 650 Republican elected officials and party insiders to replace the more than 400,000 Republicans who vote in presidential primaries.
The proposal to eliminate a GOP presidential primary could benefit former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who might be able to score delegates through an insider process that he wouldn’t win on his own in a Republican primary. Even if Christie doesn’t make it past New Hampshire, he’d still like to wield a bunch of delegates in the event, albeit unlikely, that the national convention doesn’t produce a first-ballot nominee.
The reason for the change is that the RNC requires state delegate selection processes to be completed by May 31, four days before the New Jersey primary on June 4. Scheduling an independent Republican primary would be overly costly, the memo says; in past years, New Jersey Republicans have received a waiver from the RNC, but that does not appear to be an option this year.
“Accordingly, we must find another solution for selecting our delegates that will energize our Republican Party here in New Jersey, raise the state party profile in the national arena, and maximize the fundraising opportunity,” the memo, written on behalf of GOP State Chairman Bob Hugin, states.
The plan calls for a state convention to be held in Atlantic City on the weekend of either March 8 or April 5, with the former being preferable. There, a designated group of party faithful would select the 49 delegates who would attend the July 15 national convention.
Who would get to be in that designated group is still undetermined. The plan says it would be unfeasible to open it up to all registered Republicans in the state, but undemocratic to limit it only to state committee members; a proposed compromise would allow somewhere several hundred convention delegates chosen by various Republican leaders.
Under the plan, the state’s RNC members, state committee members, county chairs, congressmen, state legislators, former governors, coalition leaders, federation group leaders, and an unspecified set of grassroots activists would be able to bring a select number of guests, bringing the total delegate count within a range of 450-750.
There are also unanswered questions about how the 49 RNC delegates will be elected: proportionally, meaning that presidential candidates would receive delegates depending on their level of support; winner-takes-all, meaning that the victor of the convention would receive all 49 delegates; or some hybrid of the two approaches.
Many of the specifics are set to be hammered out at an NJ GOP meeting scheduled for this evening. While the state party was advised of the problem in March, party leaders weren’t sent the proposal until a few days ago. The deadline to submit the delegate selection plan to the RNC is October 1.
The proposal already faces considerable opposition from top Republicans.
“It’s just nuts,” said Ocean County GOP Chairman George Gilmore.
State Sen. Doug Steinhardt (R-Lopatcong), the Warren County Republican Chairman and a former GOP state chairman, said he was opposed to the proposal.
“I will not supoport any proposition for delegate selection that doesn’t include every eligible New Jersey Republican casting his or her vote in June 2024 or before,” Steinhardt said in a letter to county chairs obtained by the New Jersey Globe. “Momentum is on our side now and in 2024. Disenfranchising millions of enthusiastic Repubicans would destroy that.
Steinhardt said that all registered Republicans ought to get a say in picking the next president.
“This backroom deal looks like we are trying to rig the election for or against a particular candidate,” Steinhardt said. “That’s what Democrats do, not Republicans.”
Somerset County GOP Chairman Tim Howes, Burlington County GOP Chairman Sean Earlen, and Warren County GOP State Committeeman Jason Sarnoski said they would also oppose bypassing a promary.
“It’s political suicide to disenfranchise those good, hard working Republicans. If we substitute the judgment of 750 party leaders and insiders for 1.5 million Republicans, then we will feel the wrath of our own base,” Howes said. “The law requires a presidential primary; let’s have one.”
Earlen said he “can’t support this proposed plan I just recently learned about.”
“Our Republican voters deserve to have their voices heard in the most consequential presidential election we’ve faced,” Earlen said. “I will continue to fight for every primary voter to have a voice next year in choosing our party’s nominee.”
Rob Bencivenga, the Middlesex GOP chairman, also said he would oppose the proposal.
“This is why we can’ t have nice things,” said Camden County GOP Chairman Tom Crone.
If the plan is adopted, it would mean that New Jersey’s Republican primary voters won’t get a direct say in the 2024 presidential nominating contest. (Democrats would still proceed with a presidential primary as normal.)
Depending on how the GOP primary plays out, voters might not be missing much. Former President Donald Trump is looking like a heavy favorite to win the GOP nomination, and by the time the proper New Jersey primary rolls around in June 2024, the contest may already be over.
But if the race for president is not over by the time the convention starts, New Jersey’s delegation could be a mess.
Here’s a hypothetical: State Sen. Jon Bramnick (R-Westfield), an anti-Trump Republican, gets elected as one of the delegates. If Trump wins the New Jersey convention, Bramnick would be obligated to vote for Trump on the first ballot. But if no one wins the nomination on the first ballot, Bramnick would be free to vote for whoever he wants on subsequent ballots.
This story was updated at 12:56 PM, 1:27 PM, 1:56 PM, 6:20 PM, and 8:28 PM.
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