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N.J. Supreme Court refuses to hear appeal in Cherry Hill Democratic Committee battle over control

Three Cherry Hill residents who are members of the South Jersey Progressive Democrats won the June 2025 primary, defeating the Norcross group, which ran with names for all 74 seats on the ballot.

Appearing in state Superior Court in Camden in July 2025, the winners of the June 2025 primary election for the Cherry Hill Democratic Committee were Cherry Hill residents, from left, Rena Margulis, Susan Druckenbrod and, far right, David Stahl. Joining the group, to the left of Stahl, was Kate Delany, president of the South Jersey Progressive Democrats.
Appearing in state Superior Court in Camden in July 2025, the winners of the June 2025 primary election for the Cherry Hill Democratic Committee were Cherry Hill residents, from left, Rena Margulis, Susan Druckenbrod and, far right, David Stahl. Joining the group, to the left of Stahl, was Kate Delany, president of the South Jersey Progressive Democrats.Read moreNeill Borowski
    by Neill Borowski, 70and73
    Published 

Efforts by Democrats led by George E. Norcross III to unseat a dissident faction from control of the Cherry Hill Democratic Committee will not be considered by New Jersey’s highest court.

The New Jersey Supreme Court on Sept. 16 denied a petition for certification filed by the Camden County Democratic Committee and committee chairman and State Sen. James Beach that would have challenged a state appellate court decision in April that allowed the South Jersey Progressive Democrats to name members of the committee.

Three Cherry Hill residents who are members of the South Jersey Progressive Democrats won the June 2025 primary, defeating the Norcross group, which ran with names for all 74 seats on the ballot. Voters voted once, either for the progressives or the Norcross group.

After their loss, the Camden County Democrats sued, challenging the progressives’ right to fill the 71 vacancies with members other than those who were listed in the losing group on the ballot.

Voters elected the progressives over the Norcross group by a vote of 5,547 to 3,350, or 62% of the votes cast.

At stake is control of the powerful Democratic Party in Cherry Hill, including candidate selection and choosing citizens to fill elected offices when they become open between elections. The Cherry Hill unit is also the largest single faction on the 522-member Camden County committee, which has even more power.

“Having read the appeals panel decision, I had complete confidence that the New Jersey Supreme Court would deny certification in our case, ending the Camden County Democratic Committee’s colossal waste of donors’ money attempting to overturn the will of Cherry Hill voters,” one of the three winners, Rena Margulis, said in an email on Wednesday. The other two winners were David Stahl and Susan Druckenbrod.

Margulis said that as of early September, the group has 47 Cherry Hill Democratic Committee members. She said Cherry Hill residents are being recruited to run in the Democratic primary next June.

A call to Camden County Democratic Party headquarters for comment on the decision was not returned.

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70and73.com is a hyperlocal news site focused on South Jersey, including the communities of Cherry Hill, Evesham, Mount Laurel, Voorhees, Medford, Medford Lakes, and Moorestown.

    Neill Borowski, 70and73