A political activist has admitted in court to illegally petitioning a candidate in the 2021 gubernatorial election to challenge the re-election of Governor Phil Murphy, the state Attorney General’s Office announced Wednesday.
James J. Devine, 62, of Lambertville, pleaded guilty Monday during a hearing in Mercer County Superior Court to one count of felony relating to certificates of nomination or petitions, a third-degree felony.
The deal will allow Devine to avoid prison time. Prosecutors will ask a judge to sentence Devine to two years’ probation at sentencing on October 18.
Devine did not immediately respond to a text message seeking comment.
He admitted to emailing 1,948 fraudulent nomination petitions to the state’s election board to allow his candidate, Lisa McCormick, to place on the ballot in the Democratic gubernatorial primary.
Devine’s plan didn’t work.
The New Jersey Democratic State Committee formally challenged Devine’s efforts in April 2021, two months before the primary election, claiming that the petitions he submitted were not authentic. A judge excluded McCormick from the gubernatorial list that same month.
Murphy was later named the Democratic nominee for governor and won a second term in November of that year by defeating Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli.
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin on Wednesday called the appeal important to ensure election security at a time when integrity questions are being raised at the political level.
“For the public to have confidence in our elections, it is critical for law enforcement to ensure that attempts to tamper with them are investigated and prosecuted,” Platkin said in a statement. “This defendant’s confession is a testament to my office’s commitment to fair elections and to holding bad actors accountable when they try to taint our democratic system.”
The case was investigated by the New Jersey Office of Public Integrity and Accountability.
“The defendant in this case has now admitted to fraudulently attempting to get a candidate into the gubernatorial primary,” Drew Skinner, OPIA’s executive director, said in the statement. “Anyone who tries to defraud our democratic system should know: We will hold you accountable.”
Devine’s political career has ranged from local to presidential elections. He gained national attention when he used #HuntRepublicans on social media after a gunman shot and killed four people at a Republican congressional baseball team practice in 2017.
McCormick has been a frequent candidate in recent times, running for public office including the New Jersey Legislature, the U.S. Congress, and the governorship. She is also from Lambertville.
She will probably be remembered for testing former U.S. Senator Bob Menendez in his 2018 campaign for his U.S. Senate seat, receiving the support of 4 out of 10 Democratic voters.
—Reporter Karin Price Mueller contributed to this story.
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Eric Conklin can be reached at [email protected].
