State Senator Raj Mukherji is joining the Hudson County Democratic Organization (HCDO) in backing Hoboken Public Library Director Jennie Pu and Jersey City Director of Buildings and Street Maintenance Crystal Fonseca in the 32nd Legislative District Assembly race.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“I have witnessed firsthand how hard Crystal and Jennie work for my constituents in their municipal service, and their passion and drive on issues that I also care about and their respective stories of their upbringings – as children of immigrants – resonated with me,” Mukherji said in a statement.
“They will both make exceptional and effective legislators, just as they have been effective advocates for our community.”
While he is not on the ballot this year, New Jersey senators aren’t on the ballot until 2027, Mukherji would prefer to run with two incumbent Assembly members in roughly two-and-a-half years.
In 2023, he ran alongside John Allen and Jessica Ramirez under the HCDO banner, with the trio winning decisively.
Now, Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla is running for a state Assembly seat, as HCV first reported, with Allen – a former chief of staff of his – not seeking re-election.
Meanwhile, Ramirez is running on Mayor Steven Fulop’s ticket as part of his pursuit for the governorship. Additionally, Jersey City activist Katie Brennan is running as an independent.
“We have committed to making sure Democratic voices are heard throughout Hudson County since being elected to lead the HCDO, but we are even more focused on lifting those voices after November’s election,” HCDO Chair Craig Guy and Vice Chair Marielka Diaz said in a joint statement.
“Together with our senior leadership team, we have been working every day to make sure Hudson County Democrats know they have a direct line into the decision-making process, and our support of Jennie and Crystal strongly evidences that this new process is working.”
Pu was named the New Jersey Library Association’s Librarian of the Year last year, as well as a Jersey City Woman of Action by Ward E Councilman James Solomon in 2020.
Her campaign also noted that Bhalla previously said that “Jennie Pu’s leadership has been instrumental in making our public library a beacon of knowledge and a sanctuary for diverse voices.”
Fonseca, a former vice chair of the Newark Board of Education and the daughter of veteran New Jersey political consultant Pablo Fonseca, also previously served as the personnel manager for the Jersey City Department of Public Safety.
She is currently a Hudson County Democratic committeewoman in Jersey City.
Furthermore, HCDO is also expected to support Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis for sheriff, along with Hudson County Commissioner Jerry Walker (D-3) and Assemblyman Will Sampson in LD-31, as the New Jersey Globe first reported.
Sheriff Frank Schillari and Assemblywoman Barbara McCann Stamato are running on Fulop’s ticket, as is Assemblyman Julio Marenco (D-33).
The 33rd Legislative District could potentially be the bloodiest battle in Hudson, where Marenco will go up against the HCDO-backed Larry Wainstein and Assemblyman Gabriel Rodriguez, as HCV first reported.
Wainstein is North Bergen Mayor Nick Sacco’s most definitive political adversary for the past decade, unsuccessfully running against him in 2015, 2019, and 2023, and also has the backing of state Senator (D-33)/Union City Mayor Brian Stack.
McCann Stamato, Ramirez, and Marenco have not yet announced running mates for the June 10th primary.
Will be interesting to see how this plays out in a post-line world. Bhalla and Brennan have much higher name ID than the HCDO-backed candidates. In an off-year primary without a line this could be more than enough for them to win as “independents”. HCDO is going to have to actually put in the work and campaign (something they’ve never had to do) in order to beat them.
Both of the HCDO-backed candidates are Jersey City residents. So who will represent Hoboken? Does Craig Guy hate Hoboken that much? Wait, don’t answer that……