NJ 4th District GOP Candidate Flanagan Awaits Ruling On Petitions

Toms River NJ

13 April, 2022

5:34 AM

Description

NEW JERSEY — Tricia Flanagan, one of six candidates who filed nominating petitions for the Republican bid in New Jersey's 4th Congressional District, is waiting for a judge's ruling on the validity of the signatures supporting her quest. "I did not give up, I did not give in and I did not surrender," Flanagan said Tuesday evening of the hearing she had Monday before Administrative Law Judge Catherine A. Tuohy on a challenge to some of the 243 signatures nominating her to run for the 4th District seat. In addition to Flanagan and Smith, Mike Crispi, Mike Blasi, Steve Gray and Robert Shapiro also filed petitions to run for the Republican nomination in the district. Flanagan's petition was challenged by Lisa Natale-Contessa, a member of the Toms River Regional Board of Education who has been a visible presence with a group of Republicans who are supporting Crispi. Natale-Contessa also challenged signatures on the petition of Shapiro, and Administrative Law Judge Elia Pelios ruled nine signatures were not valid, the New Jersey Globe reported. That was because voters lived outside the district or were registered as Democrats, the Globe report said. Shapiro, who had 203 signatures before the challenge, withdrew his candidacy as a result. A candidate seeking congressional office needs a minimum of 200 valid signatures from registered voters who live in the district, and who are affiliated with the party of the candidate they are endorsing. Under New Jersey election law, voters who are unaffiliated with either party can declare an affiliation on Primary Day. Voters who are registered with one party and want to change their affiliation must do so 55 days before the primary. (That deadline for the June 7 primary is Wednesday, April 13.) People who are not registered to vote have until May 17 to register to be able to vote in the primary. Flanagan said Tuohy "went with a very narrow interpretation" of the language on the petitions, where voters say they are registered with the party the candidate is seeking to represent and "intend to affiliate with the said party at the ensuing election." She said she believes that the intent to affiliate should apply to voters who are either going to change parties or affiliate with a party for the first time, even if they are not registered to that party when they sign the petition. "Let's uphold the will of the voter," Flanagan said. After Tuohy invalidated several signatures, putting her petition in a precarious position, she asked Flanagan if she wanted to concede. Flanagan declined. She did not have a date when the judge would announce her ruling, but Flanagan said if her petitions are rejected, she plans to appeal. "Ballot challenges were just supposed to be for egregious acts," Flanagan said. If Contessa's challenge on Crispi's behalf succeeds in removing Flanagan from the ballot, that will reduce the field of challengers to Smith — which Crispi is hoping will make him unstoppable in defeating Smith. Crispi also has sought to thin the field of challengers to Smith through open letters to Blasi and Gray and to former President Donald Trump asking Trump to interview the three of them and endorse one, with the idea that the other two would drop out of the race. All three are campaigning on variations of Trump's Make America Great/America First sentiments. "We cannot lose sight of the true goal: ousting a 41-year RINO incumbent," Crispi wrote to Blasi and Gray. "Unless our campaigns coalesce, Chris Smith is assured victory." Blasi and Gray have shown no interest in taking part in Crispi's suggestion. Flanagan said her objection — and potential appeal — comes down to one thing: the basic right of every voter to have their voice heard. "If you're trying to uphold the will of the voters, why would you go against that" by rejecting their petitions, she asked. Sign up for Patch alerts and daily newsletters here, or download our app to have breaking news alerts sent right to your phone. Have a news tip? Email [email protected]