Two Democrats vie for South Jersey seat in Congress

As the deadline for candidates to appear on the June primary ballot quickly approaches, the Burlington County Democratic Committee is still trying to decide which of two colorful candidates to endorse for a congressional seat in South Jersey's Third District.

Should it be Frederick LaVergne, who twice ran for the seat as an independent, under the banner of Democratic-Republican, and then won the support of the county Democratic Committee in a March 3 vote?

Or should there be a revote to give Jim Keady, an activist who runs his family's bar, the chance to be considered, since he recently received the backing of the Ocean County Democratic Committee after entering the race a week ago?

The district includes parts of Burlington and Ocean Counties, and is represented by freshman Republican Tom MacArthur, who is seeking reelection and has been endorsed by the GOP.

The deadline for primary candidates in New Jersey is April 4 to appear on the June 7 ballot.

Joe Andl, chairman of the Burlington Democratic Committee, said Friday that he was considering holding a revote next week after discussing the issue with Ocean's chairman, Wyatt Earp, and after learning that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee also supports Keady.

"It's an unusual circumstance, because we have a late entry into the race," Andl said. "We think we should give him his due." Andl said some Burlington County Democrats had told him they, too, prefer Keady.

Among them is former Freeholder Joanne Schwartz, who said she was displeased because LaVergne ran two years ago as an independent and "went up against the Democratic candidate, Aimee Belgard," who had been her running mate. "How do I know he won't flip back again?" she said.

LaVergne, a loan officer from Delanco, did not respond to requests for comment. His Facebook page says he stands for upholding the Constitution, "bond reform . . . alternative energy strategies," and fixing government.

Keady, a former Asbury Park councilman from Spring Lake who ran unsuccessfully for the Assembly last year, is known for his confrontation with Gov. Christie during a 2014 news conference over Christie's handling of the Hurricane Sandy recovery. Christie told Keady to "sit down and shut up," and the video went viral.

Keady said Thursday that the exchange played a role in his decision to run in the primary. "The unfortunate reality is that thousands of families are still not home, and the majority of those families are from the Third District. I plan to fight for these families. . . . I will never sit down and shut up," he said.

Christie said at the time that many families had been helped. On Friday, Christie spokesman Kevin Roberts said in an email: "Keady is a partisan and a perennial failed candidate. . . . His reasons for seeking office seem to be that alone, not the tremendous progress we've made in building back our state and getting people in their homes."

Besides running the Lighthouse Tavern in Waretown, Ocean County, Keady runs the nonprofit Educating for Justice, which advocates for human rights issues.

He said he looks forward to running against MacArthur if he gets the nomination because "MacArthur ... endorsed Gov. Christie for president. Gov. Christie has driven our state off a cliff." He also said MacArthur supports offshore drilling, which would hurt the state's $40 billion tourism industry "if we had a deepwater oil spill like they did in the Gulf" of Mexico.

MacArthur spokesperson Chris Russell said in an email that Keady's attacks were partisan, in contrast to MacArthur, who reaches across the aisle to find solutions. As for offshore drilling, Russell said, MacArthur "simply voiced support for President Obama's proposal to study energy exploration off the coast of Virginia."

Assemblyman Troy Singleton, a Democrat who represents Burlington County, said it's rare for his party to have a contested primary in a congressional race. "Historically, we haven't seen that," he said. But he said he supports giving Democratic voters a choice, and said LaVergne's decision to "seek out our party's endorsement" had shocked him because LaVergne had opposed Democratic candidates in several races in the past.

Sarah Holley, an officer in Willingboro's Democratic committee, said she voted to endorse LaVergne because he favors keeping Social Security benefits intact and wants to find solutions to racial inequities in the justice system. She said she is not bothered by his runs as an independent, saying, "At least he wasn't Republican."

Andl said that as party chairman, his job was to facilitate an open vote for anyone interested in running for the endorsement. Four people, including LaVergne, had raised their hands, he said. "Keady's name did not come up," he said. "It was a surprise."

jhefler@phillynews.com

856-779-3224@JanHefler