Hudson County Democrats have set the final piece of their legislator puzzle as Assemblywoman Angela McKnight will run for the State Senate seat in the 31st Legislative District currently occupied by Sandra Cunningham.
The Hudson County Democratic Organization on March 7 announced that the ticket in the 31st Legislative District will have McKnight with running mates Assemblyman Will Sampson IV from Bayonne and Jersey City Democratic Organization Chairwoman Barbara Stamato.
Hudson County Democratic Organization Chairman Anthony Vainieri announced the retirement of Cunningham. The health of Cunningham has been an issue for nearly a year now, absent from Trenton since June as she dealt with cognitive health issues. The issue has become serious enough that it has become a court issue, including questions if Cunningham is competent to make major decisions.
HCDO Backing
In a statement announcing the endorsement, Vainieri said that “Senator Cunningham has been a strong advocate for the 31st District and an inspirational leader for Hudson County, and as Chairman of the Hudson County Democratic Organization I wholeheartedly thank her for her service.” The announcement notably did not have a statement from Cunningham
Redistricting resulted in a mire of moves affecting the three legislative districts in Hudson County. State Sen. Nicholas Sacco (D-32) announced that we would not run in 2023, avoiding a face off with State Sen. Brian Stack (D-33). Democrats quickly backed Assemblyman Raj Mukherji (D-33) for the State Senate in the 32nd District after the map was redrawn.
New Map Repercussions
But Democrats decided to field a whole new slate for the Assembly. Stack is running with West New York Mayor Gabriel Rodriguez for Assembly and North Bergen Commissioner Julio Marenco for Assembly in the 33rd District, replacing Assemblywoman Annette Chaparro and Mukherji.
In the 32nd, HCDO is backing a Mukherji lead ticket with Hoboken resident John Allen for and Jersey City resident Jessica Ramirez. The current 32nd Assembly members are Assemblywoman Angelica M. Jimenez and Assemblyman Pedro Mejia. Jimenez is running for a commissioners seat in the West New York election being held May 9.
McKnight, a deputy majority leader, has served in the Assembly for eight years, winning in 2015 after Democrats withdrew party support for Charles Mainor. She chairs the Assembly Aging and Senior Services Committee and runs AngelaCARES, a Jersey City-based non-profit group.
Jersey City Flex
Among the key backers for McKnight is Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, who said that “Jersey City will now be represented in Trenton by a team of four legislators who truly reflect the full diversity of our community in Raj Mukherji, Angela McKnight, Barbara Stamato and Jessica Ramirez.”
The 31st district, that has included Bayonne and parts of Jersey City since 1973, added Kearny to the district when the map was redrawn. Sampson IV is the pick of Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis.
Two candidates are in the State Senate already: Democrat Michael Griffin, an ally of Jersey City Councilman Frank Gilmore, and Republican Luis Soto.
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