'Let's Go Brand*n' Candidate Withdraws From NJ 4th District Ballot

Toms River NJ

12 April, 2022

8:59 PM

Description

NEW JERSEY — Robert Shapiro may have won the battle for his campaign slogan, but his hopes of challenging incumbent Chris Smith for the House seat representing New Jersey's 4th District have come to an end. Shapiro, who planned to run on the "Let's Go Brand*n" slogan, withdrew his petitions for the Republican nomination Monday after Administrative Law Judge Elia Pelios ruled nine signatures were not valid, the New Jersey Globe reported. Shapiro had filed 203 signatures but the Globe report said five were invalidated because the signers did not live in the 4th District and four because the signers were registered as Democrats. His 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 Mike Crispi in his bid for the 4th District GOP nomination. Natale-Contessa also challenged signatures on the petitions of Tricia Flanagan, who had 243 signers supporting her 4th District GOP candidacy. Flanagan told Patch Tuesday night she is awaiting a ruling from Administrative Law Judge Catherine A. Tuohy. 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. Shapiro, a retired attorney, fought the state Division of Elections over the campaign slogan on his petitions, which initially read "Let's Go Brand*n - FJB." The phrase "Let's Go Brandon" has been a coded profane phrase used in reference to President Joe Biden since October, when a television reporter interviewing NASCAR driver Brandon Brown tried to explain away the crowd's profane "f--- Joe Biden" chants as "Let's Go Brandon" to support Brown. The phrase sometimes is punctuated with FJB, in reference to the profane chant. After Robert Giles, director of the Division of Elections, at first rejected the slogan over rules that say you cannot use a person's name, he later reached a compromise allowing Shapiro to keep the "Let's Go Brand*n" in exchange for dropping the "FJB." Shapiro, in an email to Patch, said he considered challenging the invalidation but has decided to step back because of health issues. "I thought that my fight (to be on the Primary ballot) was over, until I received notification from the NJ Division of Elections that my nominating petitions were being challenged and that there would be a hearing before a judge in from the Office of Administrative Law on Monday," Shapiro said, calling the challenge by the Crispi camp, which has former Trump confidant Roger Stone running the campaign, a dirty trick. "I have a lot better things that are on my bucket list than fighting dirty political tricksters," he said. 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]