Republicans kill plan to cancel N.J. presidential primary

A proposal to cancel the 2024 New Jersey Republican Presidential Primary and replace it with a state convention where roughly 650 party insiders would select delegates was soundly rejected tonight.

The Republican State Committee voted 34-0 against a plan offered by GOP State Chairman Bob Hugin; in a separate vote, the state’s Republican county chairman also voted unanimously to oppose it.

On Sunday, Hugin circulated a plan that would have bypassed New Jersey’s 1.5 million registered Republicans and had a group of Republican elected officials and party leaders choose the state’s delegates to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee next summer.

Hugin cited a conflict between the Republican National Committee, which requires delegate selection to be completed by May 31, and the June 4 New Jersey primary date.

Instead, Hugin believed a convention in March or April would make New Jersey more relevant in selecting a Republican presidential nominee while creating significant fundraising opportunities.

Now, Hugin must ask the RNC to grant New Jersey a waiver to allow them to miss the deadline.  Election officials won’t certify primary winners until the third week of June.

Among the leaders of the move to kill the plan were State Sen. Doug Steinhardt (R-Lopatcong), the former GOP State Chairman, and Ocean County GOP Chairman George Gilmore.

Several people who attended tonight’s meeting confirmed a dust-up between Hugin and Republican National Committeeman Bill Palatucci.  After it became apparent before the vote that the convention idea was dead, Palatucci spoke out against it.

That annoyed Hugin, who called him out for knowing about the issue since March when Palatucci, a member of the RNC Rules Committee, voted in favor of the May 31 deadline, knowing New Jersey’s primary was set for June.

This could create an electoral problem for Palatucci, who runs Chris Christie’s super PAC if he decides to seek re-election as national committeeman next year.

There has already been talk of a challenge to Palatucci.

“His support of Chris Christie and his involvement in his campaign has been very disappointing to witness.  I do not believe that Chris Christie, Mitt Romney, (and) Liz Cheney, are the future of the Republican Party,” Sussex County Republican State Committeeman Nick D’Agostino, a supporter of Ron DeSantis, told the New Jersey Globe earlier this month.