33rd Legislative District Assembly candidates Tony Hector and Frank Alonso, part of Jersey City Mayor Mayor Steven Fulop’s gubernatorial slate, have taken out a six-figure ad buy as the North Hudson race takes an expensive turn.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
The ads will run in English on network TV, as well as in Spanish on Univision and Telemundo and on digital platforms.
“Our campaign is about standing up for the people of North Hudson by challenging the corrupt political machine, and we are thrilled to be able to go directly to the voters with this strong message of change,” Hector said in a statement.
“All across New Jersey, people are fed up with the status quo and ready for new leaders who will fight for them, not just for the political insiders. Frank Alonso and I are the only candidates that North Hudson residents can count on to represent their interests in Trenton, because our opponents are nothing but puppets who will be totally controlled by the corrupt Menendez/Stack machine.”
In their 29-day report filed with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (NJ ELEC) on May 12th, Hector and Alonso reported spending $181,287.32 after Hector loaned the campaign $220,000.
As of that deadline, they did not report any additional fundraising, with the vast majority of their expenditures going towards printing and mailing costs ($55,778.39) and consulting ($39,325.94).
They are underdogs against Assemblyman Gabriel Rodriguez and Larry Wainstein, who have the support of state Senator (D-33)/Union City Mayor Brian Stack and the Hudson County Democratic Organization (HCDO).
Together, that duo raised $264,351.42, with Wainstein individually raising $96,625.67, their May 12th ELEC reports show. They also reported $41,412.66 cash on hand.
Wainstein gave $10,000 from his individual account, while Rodriguez donated $20,000 from his individual account, with the HCDO chipping in $50,000.
The New Jersey Democratic Assembly Campaign Committee contributed $25,000, while Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin (D-19) donated another $17,300 from his campaign account.
Their biggest expenditures were paying $46,000 for political consulting from Washington, D.C.-based Donahue Partner Inc. and a $40,700 McLaughlin and Associates poll.
At this pace, the race could easily exceed $1 million, especially if outside expenditures decide to get involved.
The Democratic primaries in New Jersey are on June 10th.
