After the Hudson County Democratic Organization made their endorsements for the June 6th primary, Assemblyman Pedro Mejia (D-32) has confirmed he won’t run off the line.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Serving the people of the 32nd district in the State Assembly has been a wonderful honor and I am so proud of the difference we have made in the lives of the people of New Jersey. Due to the changes in the district lines, I will not be running for re-election this year,” Mejia said in a statement.
“I am fully supporting the Hudson County Democratic Organization team of Senator Brian Stack, Gabe Rodriguez and Julio Marenco for Assembly and I know that they will do an excellent job for the people of our community.”
The state legislator, who succeeded former Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto in 2018, also thanked state Senator Nick Sacco (D-32), Secaucus Mayor Michael Gonnelli, HCDO Chair Anthony Vainieri for the opportunity to serve as the first Dominican-American legislator in the state.
Vainieri, also the chair of the Hudson County Board of Commissioners, thanked Mejia and Assemblywoman Annette Chaparro (D-33), who also recently revealed she wouldn’t be seeking re-election, for their service.
“Assemblywoman Chaparro and Assemblyman Mejia are distinguished public servants who have been important leaders in Hudson County. We’re sad to see Pedro and Annette leave elected office, but we know that they will always be part of the HCDO team,” he said.
“The HCDO has a dynamic new group of Assembly candidates who are ready to work alongside Senator Brian Stack and Assemblyman Raj Mukherji to deliver for the people of Hudson County, and we’re looking forward to supporting them in the Primary.”
Due to legislative redistricting, Sacco and Stack, also the Union City mayor, were improbably drawn into LD-33 and it didn’t take long for cooler heads to prevail with Sacco, also the North Bergen mayor, endorsing Stack for re-election.
As a part of their agreement, North Bergen was able to have an Assembly pick, as HCV first reported, which ended up being Township Revenue and Finance Commissioner Julio Marenco.
The other Assembly seat was up to the West New York leadership and ended up going to Mayor Gabriel Rodriguez, paving the way for former Congressman Albio Sires to run for his old job that he held between 1995 and 2006.
This left Mejia, of Secaucus, and his running mate, Assemblywoman Angelica Jimenez (D-32), without anywhere to go on the line.
Jimenez has since announced she’ll be running on West New York Public Affairs Cosmo Cirillo’s slate, while Chaparro and Mejia won’t be running for any office in 2023.
Additionally, Chaparro’s legislative running mate, Assemblyman Raj Mukherji (D-33), has the backing of the HCDO to run for the state Senate seat in the new LD-32.
The HCDO hasn’t announced anything yet regarding the 31st Legislative District, though it seems to be a foregone conclusion that state Senator Sandra Cunningham won’t be seeking re-election due to lingering health issues.
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