Of 16 N.J. superdelegates, 2 uncommitted: the Norcross brothers
As he celebrated a hard-fought win in his congressional primary against 25-year-old challenger Alex Law on Tuesday night, Rep. Donald Norcross shared the room - and the spotlight - with a watch party for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
As he celebrated a hard-fought win in his congressional primary against 25-year-old challenger Alex Law on Tuesday night, Rep. Donald Norcross shared the room - and the spotlight - with a watch party for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
And yet, he and George E. Norcross III, two brothers behind one of New Jersey's most powerful political machines, are the only two of the state's 16 party "superdelegates" who have not yet publicly committed to a presidential candidate.
Superdelegates tend to be influential party functionaries and elected officials. Among their ranks in New Jersey, besides the Norcross brothers, are U.S. Sens. Bob Menendez and Cory Booker, as well as several members of the Legislature. All are committed to Clinton except the Norcrosses.
During the campaign, before Clinton's victory became clear this week, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders objected to the superdelegate system as unfair, and then tried to persuade superdelegates to change their allegiance in advance of the Democratic National Convention in July.
Asked Thursday why the brothers had not publicly committed, Norcross spokesman Dan Fee said only that there would be something released "relatively soon."
Law, whose spirited challenge to Donald Norcross helped boost voter turnout, appeared to draw most of his support from those who also favored Sanders.
Donald Norcross made efforts early on not to alienate Sanders supporters. When he launched his campaign for reelection in April, he appeared with both a Clinton campaign representative and the chair of Sanders' New Jersey campaign. He subsequently touted support from both presidential candidates.
Fee would not specify on Thursday whether the absence of public commitment by the Norcrosses had any connection to the congressional race.
Last month, when Clinton made campaign stops in New Jersey, she spoke at Cooper University Hospital, whose board of trustees George Norcross chairs.
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