Being a political boss in New Jersey ain’t what it used to be. Monday’s indictment on racketeering charges of Democratic power broker George E. Norcross III by state Attorney General Matt Platkin caps a series of blows to influential figures in the state’s dominant political party.
George Norcross III sits in the front row before an announcement by the New Jersey Attorney General, Matthew Platkin charging him on racketeering charges on Monday, June 17, 2024 in Trenton, N.J. Norcross III was charged Monday with operating a racketeering enterprise, threatening people whose properties he sought to take over, and orchestrating tax incentive legislation to benefit organizations he controlled.
They see it as a dissipation of centralized control all across the political spectrum — perhaps even a restoration of power to the people. “It’s often said that in New Jersey politics is a blood sport,” he said Monday. “What’s meant by that is that if you don’t go along with the demands of those in political power, you’ll get hurt. ... There is nothing inherent in our state’s culture that requires us to accept politics and government that functions in this way.”
A longtime kingmaker in southern New Jersey, Norcross often wielded influence through back channels. An old friend of the former Senate president and current gubernatorial candidate Steve Sweeney, Norcross played a key role in getting economic tax incentive legislation passed in 2013. His brothers are lobbyist and co-defendant Philip Norcross — who’s fighting the charges as well — and Rep. Donald Norcross, a former state legislator.
Sue Altman, a Democratic candidate in the 7th District and longtime critic of Norcross, viewed the indictment — along with Menendez’s federal trial and the end of the so-called county line — as part of a year of “corruption busting” in the state. Altman was oncefrom a legislative hearing in 2019 at which Norcross was defending himself and the tax credits his organizations received. Her removal by troopers encapsulated his ability to influence lawmakers, she said in an interview.
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