Rep. Andy Kim files federal lawsuit over ballot layout

This story originally appeared on NJ Spotlight.

U.S. Senate candidate and Rep. Andy Kim (D-3rd)  is fighting to take down New Jersey’s so-called party line, even as he racks up endorsements from it.

The congressman filed a federal lawsuit on Monday over New Jersey’s ballot design, which groups candidates in a column known as the “county line” — representing the county party endorsement — rather than by the office for which they’re running. Kim wants a judge to strike down the line design in time for this June’s primary, pushing back against the very establishment that just this weekend threw some of its support to him.

This weekend, Kim picked up two more of the coveted county Democratic party endorsements in Hunterdon and Burlington counties. He already secured Monmouth County Democrats’ blessing at their recent convention. Kim now has a total of three county endorsements, surpassing rival Tammy Murphy’s one county-line victory so far. However, the first lady has a slew of endorsements from powerful party leaders in areas with high populations of Democratic voters.