In the 9th District Hudson County commissioner race, challenger Alex Valdez has outraised incumbent Al Cifelli by a roughly 2-to-1 margin, campaign finance reports shows.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
Valdez, who unsuccessfully ran for a Kearny school board and council seats over a decade ago, has raised $21,051.32 to date, compared to $11,720 so far for Cifelli, their respective May 8th reports filed with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (NJ ELEC).
The challenger also has a similar advantage for cash on hand: $10,946.84 compared to $6,119. Also of note is that Valdez has spent $9,224.32 on in-kind contributions on flyers, palm cards, and other campaign expenses.
Cifelli, who has not filed a D-1 report this election cycle to formally declare his candidacy, received a $500 contribution from East Newark Mayor Dina Grilo on May 4th.
The vast majority of his contributions from that date are listed as “Receipts from Fundraiser” with an amount of $10,345, something that will likely have to be amended in the future. His campaign did not return a request for comment.
His expenditures are low, totaling just $5,101, with more than half ($2,950) going towards his aforementioned fundraiser at Brasas Restaurant in Kearny.
While Valdez only reported raising $4,117 in his 29-day pre-election report, all but two of his reported donations were $200 or less (one was for $500 and another was for $250).
He also gave $500 to the Hudson County Progressive Democrats, the seven-member slate that he is a part of: six commissioner candidates and Eleana Little at the top of the ticket as their candidate for county executive.
The county’s 9th District largest consists of Harrison, Kearny, and East Newark, though also includes small portions of Secaucus and Journal Square in Jersey City after redistricting.
The Democratic primary for county and state races in New Jersey is on Tuesday, June 6th.
