With the New Jersey gubernatorial race heating up, the Democratic stronghold of South Orange-Maplewood is a coveted trove of votes — and endorsements — for candidates in the crowded primary.
Candidates who have declared thus far for the Democratic primary in June 2025 (the general election is in November) include Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5), U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11), former Montclair Mayor Sean Spiller, and former New Jersey Senate President Stephen Sweeney.
SOMA has emerged in recent decades as a source of tremendous Democratic support and turnout — both towns voted about 90% for Kamala Harris in the recent U.S. Presidential election. In 2022, Maplewood and South Orange were redrawn into New Jersey’s 11 Congressional district as part of statewide redistricting, making the 11th a “safe” Democratic district for Sherrill.
After Sherrill threw her hat into the ring last week, Maplewood Mayor Nancy Adams — along with Deputy Mayor Jamaine Cripe, TC members Vic De Luca and Dean Dafis, and TC member-elect Malia Herman — endorsed her (notably, 90% of Maplewood voters chose Sherrill on Nov. 5 to return to Congress to represent them). The Maplewood Dems joined over 100 county and local elected officials in New Jersey’s 11th district in endorsing Sherrill — including Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr., County Clerk Christopher Durkin, Sheriff-elect Amir Jones, and eight of the nine county commissioners.
Alternatively, South Orange Mayor Sheena Collum endorsed Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop in 2023 and was subsequently tapped to serve as his campaign’s senior advisor for Housing and Economic Development. In an interview with Village Green this past summer, Collum said, “I think our next governor needs to be a mayor – a mayor of a local government who understands that the impacts of what happens in Trenton trickles down to us 100%. Every piece of legislation has an impact,” she said. “And he’s made himself 100% accessible. I try to mirror that on a smaller level in South Orange, that mentality of ‘Alright, we’ve got differences. Let’s sit down. Let’s meet. Let’s talk about it’.”
Village Green asked Collum if any South Orange Village Council members had endorsed a gubernatorial candidate and Collum responded, “Not that I’m aware of. The filing deadline for Governor isn’t until March.”
Sheena Collum and Steve Fulop
Village Green has reached out to Maplewood Mayor Nancy Adams for further comment on her endorsement of Sherrill and will update this story when she responds.
Village Green also reached out to Maplewood Township Committee member Deborah Engel, who was not included with her Township Committee peers in the Facebook post by De Luca announcing their endorsement of Sherrill.
Engel responded, “I am truly grateful that we’ll have a competitive Democratic primary for Governor next year. Competitive primaries bring issues and dialogue to the forefront. In the spirit of vigorous and open debate, I have decided to wait to endorse a candidate until we’ve all had a chance to hear each of them address the many critical issues we face. We Democrats are lucky to have qualified and dedicated public servants raising their hand to lead our state. I’m excited to join with our constituents in learning more about their visions, priorities, and hopes for the state of New Jersey.”
SOMA residents have shown an appetite for “the spirit of vigorous and open debate” in Democratic primaries.
In 2023, former Maplewood Mayor Frank McGehee launched an unsuccessful bid in the Democratic primary for NJ Assembly (28th district) vying with the Essex County Democratic Committee-endorsed candidates Garnet Hall and Cleopatra Tucker. SOMA Action sponsored a debate between the three candidates. Although McGehee lost to Hall and Tucker, he made a strong showing in SOMA.
South Orange and Maplewood also supported Andy Kim in his bid for U.S. Senate (voting 90% for Kim over Republican candidate Curtis Bashaw), with the local group SOMA Action voicing its support for Kim and his challenge to the party line even before NJ First Lady Tammy Murphy bowed out of the Democratic primary (Murphy had received Democratic party chair endorsements across several counties, as well as endorsements from Democratic members of Congress including Sherrill). Kim mounted a legal challenge to the “county line” — a practice of preferential placement of party-endorsed candidates in primaries — and won.
Prior this year’s ruling on the county line, the Maplewood Democratic Committee was a leading organization in the state championing ballot reform (despite some initial internal disagreement), piloting the abolition of the county line in 2021 and voting unanimously to do away with it in 2022.
Fulop is also a supporter of ballot reform, saying he is running a campaign “focused on reforming the Democratic Party in New Jersey.” He has accused party chairs of “pour[ing] their energy into monetizing their positions and making money for themselves and a few other insiders” rather than “focusing on growing the party and expanding its reach.” [Note: Fulop had initially backed Tammy Murphy in the Senate race then switched his endorsement to Kim after Camden County Dems locked Kim out of their convention.]
But ballot and party reform aren’t the only issues of interest to SOMA voters or the candidates.
Sherrill says she “is running for governor to make life easier and more affordable for Garden State families.”
Fulop says he wants to bring the economic growth of Jersey City to New Jersey as a whole, providing opportunities to small businesses and workers.
Baraka says he wants to “Reimagine a unified Garden State. One where we come together, regardless of zip code, or race, or gender or nationality, and reject the divisions of the present so we can realize the promise of our state.”
Gottheimer is running on the tag line: “Lower Taxes. Jersey Values.”
Spiller says he is ”running for Governor of New Jersey to give all of us a voice. For too long, millionaires, Wall Street interests, and an entrenched political class have called the shots in our state, leaving the rest of us behind. No more.”
Sweeney says he is running because “you should be able to work with dignity, buy a home, raise a family, care for loved ones and retire confidently – all in New Jersey.”
Republican candidates are also running.
So far, Roger Bacon, Jon Bramnick, Robert Canfield and Jack Ciattarelli have declared.
Ciattarelli lost to Gov. Phil Murphy by only 3.22% in the 2021 NJ gubernatorial election. On his 2025 campaign site, Ciattarelli says, “he has a plan to fix New Jersey with commonsense solutions to kitchen table issues. “
