With the results showing a clear, double-digit statewide victory for U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) in the Democratic primary for New Jersey governor, local pols are breaking down and digesting the vote in South Orange and Maplewood.
Overall, Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop edged out Sherrill in SOMA, with Sherrill winning Maplewood (the more populous town) and Fulop winning South Orange, the home of his Lieutenant Governor pick, Mayor Sheena Collum.
Sherrill represents both South Orange and Maplewood as part of the 11th Congressional district in NJ.
Numbers posted to the Essex County Clerk’s website, show totals in SOMA as: Fulop at 3,194 votes; Sherrill 3,066; Newark Mayor Ras Baraka with 2,793; U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer with 600; former Montclair Mayor Sean Spiller with 334; and former NJ State Senator Steve Sweeney with 63.
Steve Fulop and Sheena Collum
In Maplewood, the breakdown stands at: Sherrill at 1,860 votes; Fulop at 1,797; Baraka 1,671; Gottheimer 324; Spiller 236; and Sweeney 39.
In South Orange, the breakdown stands at: Fulop 1,397; Sherrill 1,206; Baraka 1,122; Gottheimer 276; Spiller 98; and Sweeney 24.
In terms of voter turnout, South Orange had the highest percentage in Essex County with 30.8%; Montclair (where Sherrill lives) was second with 29.8%; and Maplewood was a very close third with 29.3%. Glen Ridge was a distant 4th at 25.7%. Every other municipality in Essex County was below 25%. Countywide in Essex, voter turnout was 18.1%.
Former Maplewood Township Committee member Greg Lembrich, who campaigned for Fulop/Collum and crunched these numbers, told Village Green , “I would definitely say that the Sheena factor made a huge difference in this election locally, both in helping Steve Fulop come out on top in SOMA and driving very strong turnout.”
Fulop had the enthusiastic support of Collum, four current South Orange Village Council members and SOMA Action, but Sherrill enjoyed early support from 4 of 5 members of the Maplewood Township Committee, including Mayor Nancy Adams — as well as more than 100 elected officials in Essex County and won numerous county conventions throughout the state.
From the Maplewood Township Committee: Vic De Luca, Dean Dafis, Mayor Nancy Adams and Deputy Mayor Malia Herman
In a Facebook post, Maplewood Township Committee member Dan Dafis posted a photo of himself, Adams, Deputy Mayor Malia Herman and former Mayor and current TC member Vic De Luca at Sherrill’s campaign celebration.
“Congratulations to Mikie Sherrill on her decisive victory tonight! ” wrote Dafis. “When you look at the map, her broad support across the state is undeniable. Now, let’s rally and all get behind her to ensure that she’s our next Governor, not a MAGA takeover of NJ!”
In her concession statement, Collum also sought to rally voters around Sherrill: “While the outcome wasn’t what we hoped for, the work continues. I’m proud to throw my full support behind Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill. The stakes are simply too high for ego or disappointment to slow us down. Now is the time to come together, rally behind our nominee, and work like hell to keep New Jersey blue.”
Overall, the final result wasn’t close. Sherrill won 34% of the vote statewide, with Baraka coming in second at more than 20% and Fulop in third with 15.9%. Sherrill will face Republican Jack Ciattarelli, a former NJ Assemblyman (16th district) in the November general election. Ciattarelli won 145 votes in Maplewood and 95 in South Orange. Statewide, he won nearly 68% of the Republican primary vote in a field of five candidates. In the 2021 NJ Governor’s race, Ciattarelli lost to incumbent Phil Murphy by 3.2%, garnering 48% of the statewide vote to 51.2% for Murphy.
