Posted by Middlesex County Democratic Organization on February 05, 2020
McCabe created a path for non-binary candidates to seek party office last week.
Middlesex County Democratic Chairman Kevin McCabe decided last week that the county organization will no longer require county committee candidates to run under a specific gender identification, creating a path for non-binary candidates to seek party office.
That ends the practice of candidates running for committeeman or committeewoman, instead allowing candidates to file for either of the county committee seats in their district without regard to gender.
McCabe moved to eliminate a rule that appeared to block non-binary candidates from running for party office on January 30, according to an internal document obtained by the New Jersey Globe.
“At no time during my tenure has the Middlesex County Democratic Organization denied a candidate the ability to use the ‘Middlesex County Democratic Organization’ designation because of their gender, or their failure to identify gender,” McCabe said. “To the best of my knowledge, the Middlesex County Democratic Organization has never opposed a candidate appearing on a primary election ballot because of their gender identity or failure to identify gender.”
In 2019, two Piscataway county committee candidates went to court in a bid to run an all-women slate in one district. Middlesex Democrats did not challenge the issue.
Progressives view the one-man/one-woman rule as discriminatory, believing that it blocks non-binary candidates from winning.
McCabe’s decision came six days before a group of progressive activists announced their intention to challenge the rule of running for a seat under a specific gender.
Middlesex County Republicans did not immediately respond to a 9:32 AM request for comment.
The original article appeared in the New Jersey Globe. Click here for the original article.