Intense Debate Sprint Set to Shape Jersey City’s Runoff Election

Former Gov. Jim McGreevey and City Councilman James Solomon will debate four times in five days for Jersey City mayor. Both parties are aggressively courting hesitant voters in New Jersey’s second-largest city, where the race has received national attention.

New Jersey has its most intense political debate in years. Only Friday will have two candidate meetings. Both parties will have an early chance to share their views to a large regional audience when First is taped at midday for Sunday television. Candidates will visit Hudson Media Group’s North Bergen location that afternoon.

Neighborhood and civic groups will support their third conversation Saturday at the Jersey City Free Public Library Earl Morgan Branch. Tuesday’s debate concludes a long stretch testing candidates’ stamina and strategies under pressure.

Nov. 15’s West Side Community Alliance meeting included the candidates’ first debate. After that exchange, policy differences, municipal ambitions, and McGreevey’s desire to return to politics after 20 years sparked a closely watched contest.

The runoff was held because no candidate earned 50% in the Nov. 4 primary. Solomon (29%) and McGreevey (25%) led a tight municipal election. Mayor Steven Fulop will be replaced after losing the Democratic primary.

Money and endorsements accelerated the contest. Two groups provided McGreevey $5 million for the runoff, a substantial local campaign advantage. Solomon raised around half that money through committees, but his support has expanded rapidly since Election Day.

The candidates keep getting big endorsements. Sen. Andy Kim, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Hudson County Commissioner Bill O’Dea, and former school board member Mussab Ali, who opposed Solomon in the initial mayoral election, now support him. Jersey City Council President Joyce Watterman and community leaders, including Bishop Troy DeCohen of St. Michael’s Methodist Church, recently endorsed McGreevey, who garnered early backing from Gov. Phil Murphy.

December 2 will see Wards A, B, C, and D elections and city council runoffs for three at-large seats. The tight debate schedule should sway undecided voters and test mayoral candidates’ spotlight performance.

Rapid-fire debates may revolutionize politics and campaigns in Jersey City.

Sources:
Publicly available campaign and election information