Jersey City City Council President Joyce Watterman, one of the first Hudson County politicians to break with the county machine and endorse Rep. Andy Kim for U.S. Senate, is now throwing her support behind Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla’s bid to unseat Eighth District Rep. Rob Menendez Jr.
In the endorsement announcement, Watterman was critical of the “county line” thinking that groups affiliated candidates together on the ballot and takes away their independence. Last week a federal judge struck down the county-line ballot design for the Democratic primary in June.
The Hudson County Democratic Organization (HCDO), to which Watterman is a member, has endorsed Menendez Jr., who won on the county line two years ago in his first attempt at political office.