Do party bosses rule?
As Rep. Andrews sees it, New Jersey is not so much a thriving democracy as it is an oligarchy run by a select few party bosses, campaign donors and political leaders. Andrews acknowledges that his political career was born of the Democratic Camden County political machine now run by George E. Norcross III, one of the state’s most powerful fund-raisers and political bosses. After being elected to Congress in 1990, Andrews said he managed to separate himself from the Norcross machine by taking on his own fund-raising activities and building a wide coalition of interest groups, such as labor, education and civil rights. Andrews said he divides patronage into three categories: •Common and acceptable patronage: A lawmaker hires his campaign manager to run his district office because of the trust that has developed between the two. The state-paid job is necessary, and the lawmaker needs to have someone to turn to for advice. •White collar patronage: Millions of dollars can be squandered when
