it was straight up an rnc op. and it worked. the republican won the governor's race that year in new jersey by a tiny, tiny fraction. both parties at the time claimed that this ballot security task force stunt is how they did it. these armed guys in semiofficial looking arm bands stomping around minority neighborhoods. both parties claimed at the time that was probably enough to make a difference in that race. so for the short-term political calculation that op worked for the republican party, but for the long-term that was a bad move because they're still living with the consequences of what they did there and the fact they got caught for it. because the democratic party sued them over what they did in new jersey that year and the democrats won. and now 35 years later the republican party is still trying to get out from under the legal restrictions that were placed on them because of them getting caught and losing that case. and that is the problem that donald trump has now gotten the national republican party into tonight.