Democratic 2024 U.S. Senate candidate and New Jersey Rep. Andy Kim, right, and a New Jersey ballot. (Gary Hershorn/Getty Images, Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images, right.)
Asked why she dropped her appeal, one of the clerks, Hunterdon County Clerk Mary Melfi responded, "I just want to move forward. That's what my focus is."
The Associated Press left a text message with Kim's spokesperson seeking comment Monday.
What exactly will happen in future primaries isn't clear. Democratic and Republican legislative leaders have issued joint statements saying they plan to consider legislation but they haven't specified just what that will look like.
Kim and two other Democratic candidates sued in federal court to block the county line primary system. He and many others in New Jersey politics contend that such a system gives the candidates who appear in the ballot's bracketed column an unfair advantage, while relegating candidates not backed by the party to "ballot Siberia."
When he filed the suit, Kim's major opponent in the race for Menendez's Senate seat was Tammy Murphy, wife of Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy. Kim argued that because Murphy earned the backing of powerful county party leaders in populous areas, she was unfairly given a favorable ballot position.
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Murphy has since dropped out of the race, leaving Kim as a dominant candidate. Nonetheless, Kim has pledged to continue fighting the county line system.
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/nj-county-clerks-withdraw-appeals-primary-ballot-ruling