In New Jersey, some see old-school politics giving way to ‘spring’ amid corruption scandal

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey has a well-earned reputation as a home to backroom political dealing.

But advocates hoping to break the boss-dominated culture in this Democratic stronghold say the ongoing corruption case against Sen. Bob Menendez might have opened the door to a new era in Garden State politics.

Many progressives were cheered this weekend when Tammy Murphy withdrew from a closely watched Senate primary, since they viewed her as someone who was benefiting from a system they argue gives party leaders undue influence. The well-connected wife of New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy dropped her bid to succeed Menendez, who had said days before that he wouldn’t seek another term as a Democrat, in the blue-tilting state.

Murphy’s departure followed closely on the heels of a hearing in a New Jersey courtroom on Rep. Andy Kim’s lawsuit to topple that system. Hours before the hearing, the state’s attorney general said New Jersey’s longstanding way of putting names on the ballot — known informally as the “county line” — was unconstitutional.

“It’s a New Jersey spring,” said Sue Altman, a progressive candidate for Congress, one of many Democrats who crowded into the courtroom. “I would say I think people in New Jersey are ready for change.”

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