the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Fairleigh Dickinson University, Madison NJ, New Jersey gives a greater role to county parties in shaping primary elections than any other state, but that doesn’t mean that residents like it. According to the latest results from the FDU Poll, only 19 percent of New Jersey say that county parties should have a role in officially endorsing candidates and giving them preferential placement on the ballot, while 2/3rds oppose such a role.
Tell your story #TheRidgewoodblog , #Indpendentnews #information #advertise #guestpost #affiliatemarketing ,#NorthJersey #NJ , #News #localnews #bergencounty #nj #sponsoredpost #SponsoredContent #contentplacement #guestposts #linkplacement Email: Onlyonesmallvoice@gmail.com
“New Jersey political parties have been better able to hold on to their influence than parties almost anywhere else,” said Dan Cassino, a professor of Government and Politics at FDU, and the Executive Director of the Poll. “The push to make changes to the system has been coming from the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, which wants to push the state’s Democratic establishment to the left.”
While some counties in New Jersey have changed the way they handle endorsements and ballot placement, in most of the state, county parties endorse preferred candidates in primary elections and give their preferred candidates placement at the top of the ballot. While voters are free to choose whomever they like in the primary election, cues like the official endorsement and the placement of a candidate are powerful, especially in a primary.
Opposition to the system is still present in most counties and goes across party lines. Just eighteen percent of Democrats and Republicans say that parties should be allowed to favor candidates in the primaries, no different than the 22 percent of Republicans who say so.
“The big question isn’t whether voters like the current system,” said Cassino. “It’s whether it’s a voting issue for people. If it’s not driving people to vote differently, it’s going to be hard to convince parties to give up this kind of influence.”
Support for the role of parties in shaping primaries is highest among Black and Asian New Jerseyans. Only 18 percent of white residents support the current system – no different than the 17 percent of Hispanics who do – but support is 29 percent among Blacks, and 30 percent among Asian residents.
Support also varies widely across counties. For instance, 31 percent of Essex County residents support letting the county part officially influence the primary, compared to just 13 percent in Bergen and Passaic counties, and 9 percent in Monmouth.
“In counties like Essex, voters have seen benefits from the county government, so they may be less inclined to limit the party,” said Cassino. “If voters like and trust the county party, they’re not going to be interested in reducing its power.”
Political scientists have lamented the loss of power for political parties generally in US politics, with arguments going back to Woodrow Wilson that parties can help create accountability and incentivize good behavior among elected officials. However, this is counter to the perceived role of primary elections, which is to allow members of a party to choose their own candidate.
“For most of the country, the era of strong parties ended a long time ago,” said Cassino. “But that doesn’t mean that politics have gotten better since the parties in most places stopped being able to pick candidates.”
https://www.insidernj.com/press-release/fdu-poll-nj-residents-want-smaller-role-for-county-parties/
Given they crappy candidates we get I am surprised 13 percent think the party system is working OK. And I wonder what the national opinion on the party system of primaries is?
That is how unknowns like Corzine and Murphy can buy their endorsements.