LeRoy Jones re-elected to lead Essex Dems; Craig Guy gets second term as Hudson Democratic Chairman

LeRoy Jones, Jr. was re-elected to another term as Essex County Democratic Chairman without opposition tonight, and Craig Guy was unopposed in his bid for three more years as the Hudson County Democratic Chairman on Monday.

Jones, a former assemblyman and Essex County freeholder, was elected county chairman in a November 2012 special election that followed the death of Phil Thigpen.  He has been the New Jersey Democratic State Chairman since 2021 and is the longtime East Orange Democratic Municipal Chairman.

Guy, the Hudson County Executive, pointed to recent successes: the election of Mikie Sherrill as governor in 2025, and the unity slate of nine candidates for county commissioner who prevailed in the June 2 Democratic primary.  He said the recent primary validates that the organization is “on the right path with the right people to take up the important work ahead.”

“The work we do is meant to serve the public,” said Guy.  “When I was first elected county chair, I promised to open up our doors and make sure every democrat felt welcome because that was the best way to fulfill our shared obligation to public service.”

This is Guy’s second term.  He was elected in 2024 after Democrats nudged Anthony Vainieri out of the race.  Guy is up for re-election as county executive in 2027.

As a legislator in the 1990s, Jones was one of the most progressive members of the Democratic caucus at a time when both houses were controlled by Republicans.  He led a fight to end the controversial practice of racial profiling by the New Jersey State Police.

Also in Essex, County Commissioner Brendan Gill was re-elected as the Montclair Democratic Municipal Chair; and Livingston Democrats picked Councilman Michael Vieira as their first new municipal chair in 50 years after Pat Sebold retired from the post she’d held since 1976.