New Brunswick Mayor James Cahill, one of New Jersey’s longest-serving mayors, has won the Democratic primary for a 10th term, beating back a challenge from one of his harshest critics, Charlie Kratovil.
Cahill defeated Kratovil, 1,4454 to 1,089 votes, a 57%-43% margin.
All three Cahill-backed city council incumbents won, albeit one fairly closely.
Rebecca Escobar finished first with 1,525 votes, followed by Petra Gaskins with 1,289. Matt Ferguson came in third with 1,189, just 88 votes in front of challenger Yori Mendez-Romero. Doris Elliot (829) finished last.
Cahill was elected mayor in 1990, replacing John Lynch, and has been re-elected eight times.
He beat Kratovil with 77%-23% in the 2018 primary; Kratovil ran as an independent in 2022, and Cahill won 66%-23% in a three-candidate race.
New Brunswick, anchored by Rutgers University, is a Democratic stronghold. Kamala Harris carried New Brunswick by 67 points over Donald Trump in 2024.
No Republicans filed to run in the general election.
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