Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla and Katie Brennan announced Assembly wins in the 32nd Legislative District this evening, as Assemblywoman Jessica Ramirez remains in a close third place.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“We did it. We really did it. We just showed the whole state that the people can beat the party bosses,” Brennan said in a statement.
“This is what democracy looks like when it’s not rigged by political machines. The status quo isn’t working for too many people here in Hudson County, and now we’re gonna fix it. This wouldn’t be possible without all of our volunteers, local activists, and grassroots supporters. This win is for all of us. Now let’s get to work!”
The six-person race had Ramirez running with Jersey City Ward D Councilman Yousef Saleh on Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop’s “Democrats for Change” gubernatorial slate.
As of 11:02 p.m. with over 81 percent of the vote tallied, Brennan was in first place with 6,233 votes, Bhalla was in second place with 6,044 votes, and Ramirez was in third place with 5,838 votes, according to preliminary tallies from the Hudson County Clerk’s Office.
“Did you hear that? We just sent a big message to Trenton: The era of party bosses picking our representatives is over,” Bhalla added.
“Tonight proves that when you give voters fair ballots and real choices, they choose leaders who will fight for them over party bosses every single time. This was always about giving power back to the people. We’re ready to make state government work for all of us. Now it’s time to deliver.”
The Hudson County Democratic Organization backed Jennie Pu and Crystal Fonseca, who are outside of striking distance, as is Saleh.
Bhalla and Brennan notably had the backing of Jersey City Ward E Councilman James Solomon, a mayoral candidate.
Sources, familiar with the situation who spoke under the condition of anonymity, said at least 22 districts are outstanding: 18 in Jersey City and four in Hoboken, while properly postmarked vote-by-mail and provisional ballots must be counted.
Wow, Jenny Pu, Nepo baby Fonseca and HCDO rejected by Hoboken
That’s bad news for the Craig Guy Fan girls
Clearly Hoboken has no interest in HCDO candidates even if our corrupt neighboring Mayors like Stack “delivered” for Governor and Stacks’s intentionally impoverished Union city
Ravi, with all his ill-begotten loot, corruption and name recognition from his Congressional race effort needed some unknown lefty white girl to help eek him out. Ravi even came limping in behind her! You know that has to piss him and Bromar off.
Ravi didn’t even pull 20% of the vote against a bunch of mostly unknown, never heard of candidates! This in an election with only an 18% turnout! 🤣
Thankfully, Hoboken will be mostly rid of Ravi. He’s done enough damage here.
Cry harder, he’s still representing you in the state house.
Closer to the handcuffs awaiting him. Wot a bum.
Apparently, Ravi Bhalla’s lead has dwindled down to 70 votes over Jessica Ramirez with 5% of votes yet to be tabulated.
Can you say Election Challenge?!
https://x.com/HeinisHardNews/status/1932796991710638263
Oh here we go, Tiffany’s Republican fanboys are back…
And they’re delicious
Oh my, what will all the basement-dwelling anti-Bhalla incense do now?
Foiled by auto-correct, meant of course to say “incels”, not incense. Although they could use some incense in those basements, amirite?
It needs to be said. Her candidates didn’t win but at least Tiffany had the courage to endorse and of all the mayoral contenders she is the only one that that had the courage to. Adjani, Jabbour, Russo, Ramos (and his sidekick Presinzano) were all too chicken to even take a stand. Cowardly choices for mayor aren’t good choices.
How’s that picture she took with Craig Guy looking now?
Too Bad she has no council endorsements from her own colleagues…
Says alot
Jabbour has Doyle and Quinteiro
Ramos has Presenzano…
Tiffany has “NUMBER TWELVE and Romano Running mate Mellow
Who endorsed Tiff?
Ravi will lose in 2 years. Raj will want to run with his own slate and there won’t be a 6-way race. Also trading the mayoral seat in a city of 60k a for back seat in the state General Assembly (1 of 80) is hardly a promotion. Even if he manages to stick around (unlikely) he’s not going anywhere. He’s 12 years older than Raj who will hold on to that Senate seat for as long as he wants to. And as we saw last year, he ain’t winning a seat in Congress. Best bet is a judgeship in exchange for retiring from politics. TBD if his questionable legal past will even permit him to do that!
The HCDO got crushed in this election. If you add up the anti-machine vote you get a resounding majority. Raj is out there bootlicking with McGreevey and begging Stack to send lackeys south to back him up. Raj is toast.
What are you talking about? There were 2 contested county wide races: governor and sheriff. Both HCDO endorsed candidates won comfortably. They also won contested races in 31 and 33. Youre a fool if you think that a majority who voted for Fonseca and Pu wouldn’t have voted for Ramirez and Saleh over Bhalla and Brennan. They would have gotten crushed in a head-to-head race.
Add up the votes of people who explicitly ran against the HCDO and you get an overwhelming majority.
Do you really think Ramirez and Saleh voters would have voted for Pu and Fonseca? Get real.
The HCDO has lost control of the northern half of JC and Hoboken, Raj has never run a race on his own without the support of the HCDO and he’s out there aligning himself with McGreevey and Stack. He’s toast in ’27.
If you actually think that’s how elections work here then this point isn’t even worth making, but here we go. There is no way that a majority of Ramirez (fmr HCDO endorsed candidate) and Saleh voters break to Ravi and Katie – just look at a district by district vote share and you will see it pretty clearly. Yes the HCDO does not have as much influence in the wealthy, white areas of Hudson county, but that doesn’t mean that when given the opportunity the HCDO won’t coalesce around 1 slate of candidates when Steve Fulop isn’t running candidates across the state for Assembly and get 60% of the vote.
Also who is going to step up and beat Raj? Katie? Ravi (LOL)? Get a grip….