By Amy S. Rosenberg, Philadelphia Inquirer

FLEMINGTON, N.J. — Andy Kim looked stunned. Tammy Murphy barely blinked.

It was the second county convention of the weekend, and Kim, a three-term Democratic congressman from Burlington County, was looking to go two for two against Murphy, New Jersey’s first lady, in the bruising primary race for the U.S. Senate seat held by indicted Sen. Bob Menendez.

In New Jersey, each county’s ballot is determined by these conventions — a grouping of all party-endorsed candidates known as “the line” — and can make or break a candidate’s chances in a primary election, this year on June 4. It seriously haunts their dreams and nightmares.

Now, in the heart of hippie horse farm country in central Jersey, Hunterdon County Democratic chair Arlene Quiñones Perez tried a last-minute rule change in a move that would have helped Murphy. Chaos erupted.

“Insane,” Kim told reporters after, still reeling.

Was this your basic weekend in Jersey politics, the state’s mind-blowing political aesthetic on full display? Or was change actually afoot?

“This is what I’ve been speaking out against,” Kim said. “Party elites just trying to make decisions here that can put a thumb on the scale of this election. Seeing it up close and personal, in real time, was something else, honestly.”

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