Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, Democratic nominee for Hudson County Executive Craig Guy, and state Senator (D-33)/Union City Mayor Brian Stack raised approximately $100,000 for the Democratic Assembly Campaign Committee last night.
The event was announced late last month and featured Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin (D-19) and Middlesex County Democratic Organization Chair Kevin McCabe as the special guests, making it a rare show of unity between Hudson and Middlesex counties.
“I think the turnout was great, I think that we’re raising real money: $100,000 for Democrats throughout New Jersey. This is an important election, as important a legislative election I’ve seen since I’ve been the mayor the last 10 years, so you’re talking about a real opportunity,” Fulop told HCV.
While the Jersey City mayor is the only declared candidate for governor in 2025 thus far, two other potential Democratic candidates are U.S. Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-5) and Mikie Sherrill (D-11), both of whom hosted events for the DACC this summer.
Fulop said he’s not sure if that’s a prerequisite for anyone with their eye on Drumthwacket, but whether it is or not, he’s going to stick to his own game plan.
“From my standpoint, we’re not doing fundraisers in each county, like some of those other candidates we’re focused on the Senate committee, the Assembly committee, and we’re supporting them at the top. Hopefully that money trickles down to the county organizations,” he explained.
“But I really feel at the end of the day that the counties will make decisions on who they support, the voters will make decisions on who they support based on policies and substance when it comes to a real election in June of 2025.”
The Middlesex Democratic County line will be pivotal in that race regardless of the field, which could also include Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and former state Senate President Steve Sweeney.
Fulop said on the “In the Middle with Joey Bloch” podcast last week that he would support getting rid of the county organization lines and later told the New Jersey Globe that he would compete for the lines in whatever version exists in 2025.
Other politicos in attendance included Assemblyman Will Sampson (D-31), Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla, Council President Emily Jabbour, Councilman-at-Large Joe Quintero, Edison Mayor Sam Joshi, Democratic Assembly nominees Barbara Stamato (D-31), Jessica Ramirez, John Allen (both D-32), and Gabriel Rodriguez (D-33), Middlesex County Democratic Organization/DACC Executive Director Executive Director Iris Delgado, SJS Consulting’s Scott Snyder, Reliance Insurance Group President Gary Taffet, among many others.