Bergen County sheriff candidate Robert Kugler is embarking on a road few other New Jersey politicians have trod: seeking office while charged with a crime.
Attorney General Gurbir Grewal alleged earlier this month that Kugler, the Saddle Brook police chief, ordered illegal police escorts for customers of his funeral home. Saddle Brook suspended him, but that didn t stop Bergen County Republicans from endorsing Kugler for sheriff on Tuesday.
Running for office while facing criminal charges is not a uniquely New Jersey phenomenon. Illinois Democrat Dan Rostenkowski sought reelection after he was indicted in 1994 (he lost, then pleaded guilty to mail fraud). Staten Island Republican Michael Grimm triumphed at the polls in 2014 after getting hit with tax evasion and perjury charges (Grimm resigned after pleading guilty to tax fraud).