Fighting against “the corruption of the political system,” Hoboken Housing Authority Chairwoman Dana Wefer, a lifelong Democrat, has announced she’s making a Republican run for governor. 
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“If you told me five months ago that I would be running for governor, I would have thought you were crazy, never mind as a Republican!,†Wefer, who supported U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) in the presidential race, said in a statement.
“It feels as if we’re living in some alternate universe, but our reality is that the Democrats and the Republicans together have rigged the political system against the People through gerrymandering and special interest money.”
Wefer, the founder of New Jersey Awakens, an organization aiming to “break the machine” politics in the Garden State, added that only 14 percent of state legislative seats are competitive in November, indicating that the process isn’t truly democratic right now.
“The politicians know this, which is why they feel more accountable to that small but vocal group over the electorate at large. The fact is that if you want your vote to count, you have to vote in the primary elections, especially Republican primaries, because that is where most elections in the country are decided now.
She will face a steep uphill climb in the governor’s race, as Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno (R) and Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli (R-16) have been in elected office for years and have already been on the campaign trail for months.
“It’s going to be a difficult race, but given the state of our politics, this race should be pretty unpredictable,” Wefer said over the phone, who welcomes the challenge of pulling off an upset.
Wefer, who unsuccessfully ran for a 4th Ward council seat in 2015 on Mayor Dawn Zimmer’s ticket, said Murphy being “anointed” the Democratic candidate for governor played a big role in her announcing her candidacy.
Despite Zimmer and Murphy having a friendly relationship, Wefer, who said she plans on moving to Bergen County in the near future, stated her relationship with the Mile Square City mayor is “the same as it’s always been.”
Wefer will be joined with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill Brennan, as well as other local candidates for office, at the New Jersey Awakens North Jersey campaign kickoff at the Biergarten in Jersey City Sunday night.