Mironov backs Keyes Maloney to succeed her as Mercer Democratic chair; wants Frisby to remain as vice chair

As Mercer County Democrats prepare to choose their next county chair Tuesday, the woman who led the party for the last eight years is taking sides in the race to succeed her.

Outgoing Mercer County Democratic Chair Janice Mironov is throwing her support behind Ewing Councilwoman Jennifer Keyes Maloney to take her position, framing the election as a decision about preserving the collaborative leadership style she says transformed the organization after she took over in 2018.

Mironov, who is not seeking another term, formally endorsed Keyes Maloney and current Vice Chairman Samuel Frisby in a lengthy letter to Democratic committee members Monday, touting the pair as the architects of much of the party’s success during her tenure.

“We now face another crossroads where the party must reshape itself to respond to new challenges, but our values remain the same,” Mironov wrote.  “We need to support Jennifer Keyes Maloney as our next MCDC team Chair and Samuel Frisby as Vice Chair.”

Frisby is a popular county commissioner, and Mironov viewed him as her partner and collaborator in running the county Democratic organization—one of the most influential in the state.

Tuesday’s contest pits Keyes Maloney, an Ewing councilwoman and former Assistant State Treasurer who has served as the committee’s first vice chair for the past eight years, against veteran Democratic strategist James Gee, a longtime political strategist with a reputation for winning difficult campaigns in New Jersey and around the country.

Gee has managed or advised numerous high-profile Democratic campaigns, including serving as chief of staff to Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman and working on Newark Mayor Ras Baraka’s gubernatorial.  Most recently, he played a senior role in Rep. Analilia Mejia’s bid for a congressional seat in New Jersey’s 11th district.

The race represents one of the few contested county Democratic chair elections in New Jersey this year and comes as Mercer Democrats seek new leadership following nearly a decade under Mironov.

The winner of Tuesday’s election will inherit leadership of one of New Jersey’s most reliably Democratic county organizations as the party prepares for the 2027 legislative cycle and next year’s county and municipal elections.

In her endorsement, Mironov credited Keyes Maloney with helping expand the party’s outreach, revitalize the Young Democrats, Latino Caucus, and College Democrats, formally incorporate a Progressive Caucus, and strengthen ties with organized labor and other Democratic constituencies.

She also said the organization emerged from financial uncertainty to become stronger than it had been “in memory,” giving the committee greater ability to support candidates and increase voter participation.

“When we stepped into the leadership role of the MCDC, there were almost no financial resources to support our party and candidates,” Mironov said. “Today the resources of the County Democratic Committee have successfully been built to their strongest level in memory.”

Mironov said Keyes Maloney played a role in that transformation.

“Jenn is a hard worker, always willing to step forward and efficiently tend to any task, even the most tedious, placed in front of her,” Mironov said. “Her contributions have been significant in the success of our events, forums, sharing voting information and supporting campaign activities. Her tireless efforts have helped to grow the party and expand opportunities for engagement.”

Mironov also said the party’s future depends on maintaining the collaborative culture her leadership team fostered over the past eight years.

“Our work is never done, but you can trust their commitment to listen, to incorporate diverse views and to work to bring everyone together,” she wrote. “Together we have built a County Party that continues to evolve and with Jenn and Sam the party will continue to positively move forward.”

Mironov argued that when she first sought the chairmanship eight years ago, many committee members believed the organization had become controlled by “a handful of people” with too little opportunity for broader participation.

“I ran because our party was at a crossroads,” she wrote. “Together we pushed back and opened up the party and our government.”