March 12:
At tonight's Bergen County Democratic convention, favorite son Josh Gottheimer swept the party support and slogan in the biggest county in the state, launching his campaign for governor. With 616 to 148 votes (66% to 16%), Gottheimer prevailed over Rep. Mikie Sherrill. Ras Baraka, the mayor of Newark, came in third with 95 votes (10%). With 45 votes, or 5% of the total, they were followed by former Montclair mayor and current president of the New Jersey Education Association Sean Spiller, and with 29 votes, or 3%, former Senate President Steve Sweeney.
Steve Fulop, mayor of Jersey City, is one of six candidates; he is not taking part in county conventions but is instead fielding a slate of people in the 37th, 38th, 39th, and 40th districts for county commissioner and state legislature, respectively. Although they did not cast votes or invalidate, 41 delegates did sign in.
Ten percent of New Jersey's Democratic voter registration is located in Bergen County, second only to Essex County. In the Democratic primary for governor in 2021, Bergen received 9 percent of the vote,
Gottheimer, a five-term congressman from Tenafly, was in Washington for a crucial vote to prevent a government shutdown and could not make it to tonight's convention. Instead of traveling to Bergen County tonight, Sherrill stayed in Washington.
This endorsement from the Bergen County Democrats means a lot to me since Bergen County is the place where I was born and raised, and I am incredibly happy and humbled to be a part of this community. We defeated a long-serving Republican incumbent in 2016 and turned a red state blue after it had been majority Republican for 84 years. "In a District where Harris only won by one point last year, Bergen County helped me win by twelve points," Gottheimer stated. "With the backing of the biggest county in the state, I am confident that we can secure a resounding victory in June and November. I will vigorously endeavor to ensure that Democrats in Bergen and Jersey are elected.
After announcing his candidacy for governor last November, Gottheimer quickly garnered the support of more than a hundred prominent Democrats in Bergen County, including County Executive James Tedesco, County Chairman Paul Juliano, every member of the county legislature, every county official, thirty mayors, and fifty-nine Democratic municipal chairs.
With his reckless tariffs, which are actually simply a tax on hardworking folks, and his rule of anarchy, Trump is making the already exorbitant cost of living in Jersey even higher. People are sick of platitudes and would rather have practical answers that put more money in their pockets. According to Gottheimer, he is running for office because he wants to reduce taxes and costs and because he has the necessary expertise and a history of success in finding solutions to these problems. Everyone running on the Democratic ticket shares our Jersey values, but I'm the only one putting a cap on spending and a reduction in taxes first. We shall stand united in our defense of Jersey values, in our opposition to those who would harm Jersey, and in our pursuit of a more affordable living for Jersey families.
First Lady Tammy Murphy defeated then-Rep. Andy Kim with 64% of the vote at the Bergen Democratic convention last year. This was before U.S. District Judge Zahid Quraishi halted the system of county lines that granted preferential voting positions and before Murphy withdrew from the U.S. Senate race. Two points ahead of Gottheimer in a
Gottheimer has been avoiding competitions in which he feels the result was already decided, yet this is his first victory at a conference. The following counties have granted conventions to Sherrill: Hunterdon, Mercer, Monmouth, and Sussex; Burlington, Atlantic, and Cumberland have granted endorsements to Sweeney.
