Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, a Democratic candidate for governor, has rolled out two more state Assembly running mates in Bergen County’s 37th Legislative District.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Our campaign is different because we are challenging the political establishment in a way that has never been attempted before and to do that we need bold community leaders like Tamar and Dan who are willing to disrupt the status quo,” Fulop said in a statement.
“I’m proud to support Tamar and Dan and look forward to working closely with them and all of our candidates to bring real change to New Jersey.”
Tamar Warburg is a longtime resident of the 37th District who grew up in Englewood and is now raising her family in Teaneck.
A practicing attorney, she and her husband were drivers of a grassroots effort that saw Teaneck achieve the highest Democratic primary voter turnout in all of Bergen County and produced a winning slate of candidates, including Warburg being elected to Democratic county committee.
If elected, Warburg would be the state’s first Orthodox Jewish woman to serve in the state legislature.
“I’m excited and honored to join Mayor Fulop’s incredible campaign to change New Jersey politics and speak directly to voters rather than toe the political establishment line. This past June, residents of Teaneck came out in unprecedented numbers to vote in a primary and demonstrated their engagement with the political process, proving that voters are the ultimate decision makers,” she exclaimed.
“I’m excited to offer residents a real choice when they vote for Assembly candidates in the June 2025 primary, and to see this voter engagement and excitement multiplied across our district and statewide. It would be an honor to represent the 37th legislative district in Trenton, and an even greater honor to do that with a Governor like Steven Fulop.”
Her running mate, Dan Park, was elected as the first Korean-American member of the Tenafly Borough Council in 2013. He was also victorious in a contested primary 2019 running off the line despite losing support from the local political machine.
A graduate of Rutgers University, Park has served on the Police Commission, as a liaison to the Volunteer Ambulance and Fire Department, the Municipal Alliance, and the Environmental Commission. He also works as a payroll coordinator for Bergen County.
“I’ve always believed in public service and in taking bold steps to serve my community instead of waiting for permission from party bosses, so I could not be more excited to run for State Assembly on Team Fulop,” he asserted.
“It’s time for a new era of politics in New Jersey that puts the interests of everyday residents ahead of political insiders, and that’s exactly why I’m running for Assembly.”
Warburg and Park will challenger Assemblywomen Shama Haider and Ellen Park, who has no relation to her challenger.
Team Fulop has now unveiled 12 Democratic state Assembly candidates across the state: Lisa Bonanno (D-2), Brian K. Everett (D-4), Rashan Prailow (D-5), Rebecca Holloway (D-6), Kevin Ryan (D-6), Eddie Freeman III (D-8), Assemblywoman Barbara McCann Stamato (D-31), Assemblyman John Allen (LD-32), Assemblywoman Jessica Ramirez (LD-32,) and Assemblyman Julio Marenco (LD-33).
However, it still seems like a realistic possibility that Allen won’t seek re-election in favor of his friend and former running mate Mayor Ravi Bhalla (Allen was his former council-at-large running mate and chief of staff), but neither have announced 2025 plans to date.
“We’re continuing to build this campaign brick by brick and that means running candidates for State Assembly who will not only help us organize in their communities but will truly represent the interests of their constituents over the political bosses,” added Fulop.
“Tamar, Dan, and our entire slate of Team Fulop candidates represent the best of New Jersey and I could not thank them enough for stepping up and taking on this challenge to create a better future for our state.”
LD-37 is comprised of Bogota, Englewood, Englewood Cliffs, Fort Lee, Hackensack, Leonia, Palisades Park, Ridgefield Park, Teaneck and Tenafly, which shows that Fulop won’t shy away from bringing the fight to U.S. Rep Josh Gottheimer (D-5), an all but guaranteed Democratic gubernatorial candidate after securing re-election next week.
The congressman has already made a play on Fulop’s Hudson County home turf, securing the backing of state Senator (D-33)/Union City Mayor Brian Stack, County Executive Craig Guy, Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis, Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner, and West New York Mayor Albio Sires.
