Businessman Larry Wainstein has filed his paperwork to run for state Assembly against incumbent Julio Marenco in the 33rd Legislative District, ensuring a messy primary season for the Hudson County Democratic Organization.

By John Heinis/Hudson County View
Wainstein, who unsuccessfully challenged North Bergen Mayor Nick Sacco in 2015, 2019, and 2023, filed to run for state Assembly today, with Union City Board of Education employee Angelo Caliente serving as his treasurer, his D-1 campaign finance form shows.
Caliente is also the treasurer for Jersey City mayoral candidate Jim McGreevey, who Wainstein recently donated $1,000 to, a clear indicator that state Senator (D-33)/Union City Mayor Brian Stack will endorse Wainstein.
Stack is also expected to stick with Assemblyman Gabriel Rodriguez, shoring up support from Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner and West New York Mayor Albio Sires.
HCDO Chair Craig Guy, also the county executive, is likely to back that slate as well, though nothing is official as of yet.
Wainstein has been spotted with the aforementioned electeds, though most often with Stack, dating back to at least the Hispanic State Parade on October 6th, which runs through North Hudson on Bergenline Avenue.
While Stack and Guy had spearheaded the effort to back U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-5) for governor, the possibility of endorsing U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill emerged in November and the HCDO is currently taking a wait and see approach before making their final decision.
Ruled out a long time ago for the endorsement was Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, another Democratic candidate for governor, who announced in June that Marenco would be running on his ticket.
Then in August, Fulop touted Hector Oseguera, who came up short against Sires in a 2020 primary for Congress, as a “phenomenal candidate” in LD-33, as HCV first reported.
Oseguera, a Union City resident who served on the planning board, has not yet signaled was his plans are, if any, for the June 10th primary.
Marenco, who was elected to his first term alongside Rodriguez in 2023 with Stack’s backing, faces a tough battle, largely due to the fact that Stack has been able to turn out somewhere in the neighborhood of 10,000 votes out of Union City consistently.
Additionally, while Marenco may only have $17,582.16 cash on hand after raising nothing in the fourth quarter, according to his January 8th report filed with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (NJ ELEC), the North Bergen Democratic Municipal Committee is sitting on $657,983.94.
That, coupled with Fulop (who has committed to spending $10 million down the ballot this primary) and Sacco calling in reinforcements, political observers should expect LD-33 to be a 15-round-caliber championship fight suitable for a pay-per-view broadcast.
LD-33 consists of Union City, North Bergen, Guttenberg, Secaucus, Weehawken, and West New York.