Jersey City Police Det. Dejon Morris is going to enter the crowed field of Assembly candidates in District 31, sources told Hudson County View on Thursday.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
While Morris has not formally announced his candidacy, multiple sources, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, told Hudson County View that Morris is a sure thing to run.
When reached over the phone, Morris declined to comment, though a quick glance at his Twitter page seems to confirm that he will be seeking an Assembly seat in the June 2 Democratic primary election.
The District 31 election could easily be the most competitive due to the sheer number of candidates running: Denise Ridley, Nicholas Chiaravalloti, Bruce Alston, Pat O’Brien, Ray Regalado, Joe Conte, and now Morris, are all expected to seek statewide office.
Furthermore, incumbents Charles Mainor and Jason O’Donnell have not announced whether or not they will seek re-election, though Alston said it’s going to be too little, too late if they do decide to run at a press conference in Bayonne where he announced O’Brien as his running mate.
Making the situation even more complicated is that Ridley, who was given a strong endorsement by the Hudson County Democratic Organization on March 6, will no longer be running on the line, according to multiple sources within the party.
Ridley, a former aide to Mainor, was supposed to be the compromise pick between Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop and State Sen. Sandra Cunningham (D-31), but that deal has fallen through now that Mainor is reportedly out collecting signatures for his petitions for nomination, per The Jersey Journal.
Morris could have a shot at receiving the HCDO line in the eleventh hour based on timeliness alone, given that petitions for the position are due at the Hudson County Clerk’s Office on March 30.
Another name that has resurfaced as the HCDO pick is Jersey City Councilwoman-at-Large Joyce Watterman, who was initially passed over in favor of Ridley.
As of this writing, Ridley has not announced that she has withdrawn her candidacy and she could not be reached by Hudson County View for this story. Additionally, Mainor did not return calls seeking comment.
District 31 consists of parts of Jersey City and Bayonne.
