Mikie Sherrill at a rally in East Orange during her campaign for governor.
Numerous people have announced that they are running for the seat in Congress that Mikie Sherrill will vacate to become governor of New Jersey.
A special election will be held to elect a replacement for the Democratic from Montclair who represented a district that included a big part of Morris County and part of Essex County including Belleville, Bloomfield, Glen Ridge, Livingston, Maplewood, Nutley and South Orange.
Among the Democrats who have expressed interest or said they are running are Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill, Maplewood Committee Member Dean Dafis, former Congressman Tom Malinowski, Passaic Commissioner John Bartlett, and former Morris Twp. Mayor Jeffrey Grayzel.
South Orange Mayor Sheena Collum, who was a candidate for lieutenant governor in the Democratic primary, has also been mentioned as a possible candidate.
Randolph Twp. Mayor Joe Hathaway, a Republican, has also expressed interest in running for the spot.
Gill, in announcing his candidacy, said he would bring his “proven record of progressive leadership, pragmatic problem-solving, and deep local roots to Washington.”
Among Gill’s early supporters are Essex County Sheriff Amir Jones, 34th District State Sen. Britnee Timberlake, and Chief of Staff to Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo, Phil Alagia.
“As someone who has spent my career fighting for working families, protecting our environment, and expanding opportunity, I’m running for Congress to make sure the voices of the residents of our district are heard loud and clear,” said Gill. “Washington needs leaders who know how to get things done, who never forget who they’re fighting for, and never give up the fight. That’s what I’ve always done, and that’s exactly what I’ll do in Congress.”
A lifelong Montclair resident, Gill has served as an Essex County Commissioner since 2011. He was a key player in Gov. Phil Murphy’s 2017 campaign and has served as an advisor to U.S. Senators Cory Booker and Frank Lautenberg, as well as Congressmen Bill Pascrell and Steve Rothman, according to a press release from his campaign.
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