TRENTON After a judge rejected her campaign petition, a would-be challenger to Gov. Phil Murphy is asking voters to write in her name on the ballot for the Democratic primary in June.
Lisa McCormack failed to show up for her hearing this week or to give an explanation as to how the nearly 2,000 names submitted by her campaign appeared to be phony.
Several people whose names were on the digital document testified they never signed it, while at least two were people who died, according to the attorney for the state Democratic Committee. He said the petition appeared to have been filled out using a computer “mail merge” program.
Reply
Elizabeth Valandingham, an attorney and Morristown resident, pleaded guilty to third-degree tampering with public records or information. (Shutterstock)
MORRISTOWN, NJ An attorney who lives in Morristown pleaded guilty Tuesday to third-degree tampering with public records. Elizabeth Valandingham faces time in county jail for her role in covering up illegal campaign contributions, according to the Office of Attorney General.
Valandingham, who skated under the name Lawless Lizzie for the Jerzey Derby Brigade roller derby team, also must forfeit her law license, pay a $75,00 penalty and get debarred from public contracts for 10 years. The state will recommend she serve 364 days in county jail.
Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes is giving up his county vehicle after additional driving mishaps came to light.
The first incident, as reported by The Trentonian, was in 2020 when Pennsylvania State Police found a very confused Hughes walking along the Pennsylvania Turnpike near the Lawn Service Area after leaving his county-issued car on the side of the road. Hughes told the trooper he ran out of gas while racing in Paris.
County spokeswoman Julie Wilmont said the incident was related to a medical condition called trigeminal neuralgia, which can inflict severe pain to the nerves along his jaw. He takes medication prescribed by his doctor for the condition.
2020 political contributions by public contractors in NJ, lowest since 2006
The lack of state elections in 2020 may have contributed to the slump in 2020 political contributions by public contractors, according to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission; that, along with the COVID-19-related restrictions, which led many fundraising events to be canceled. As of April 5 preliminary information, the commission reports that public contractors registered their lowest contribution total ($7.8 million) to political entities in New Jersey since 2006.
Let’s shed no tears for the politicos. Jeff Brindle, ELEC’s executive director, said “contributions from these donors are likely to bounce back,” given that elections will be held this year for the governor’s seat and both legislative houses and the likelihood that an easing of the coronavirus threat will allow more fundraising events to be held this year than last.
POLITICO
Get the New Jersey Playbook newsletter
Email
Sign Up
By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or updates from POLITICO and you agree to our privacy policy and terms of service. You can unsubscribe at any time and you can contact us here. This sign-up form is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Presented by Uber Driver Stories
Good Wednesday morning!
What does a church do if it can’t afford to pay a pastor a salary? It buys his house from him for $1.65 million $100,000 more than he paid for it two years earlier.