Former Cranford Mayor Patrick Giblin, the scion of one of New Jersey’s most prominent political families, took a step toward seeking the Democratic nomination for State Assembly in the 21st district by notifying county chairs that he would like to participate in the screening process.
It’s still not clear if Democrats will be taking on the two incumbents, Assembly Minority Leader Jon Bramnick (R-Westfield) or Assemblywoman Nancy Munoz (R-Summit), or if they are running for an open seat.
There continues to be speculation that Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean, Jr. (R-Westfield) will not run for Senate again in order to focus on a run for Congress in 2022. If that happens, Bramnick is planning on seeking the State Senate seat.
So far, six Democrats are competing for the two Assembly seats in a district that has become politically competitive over the last several years: Bernards Democratic Municipal Chair Elizabeth Graner; attorney Scott Salmon, who has served as counsel to Rep. Tom Malinowski’s two congressional campaigns; National Organization of Women (NOW) New Jersey president Anjali Mehrotra, the Mountainside Democratic municipal chair; former New Jersey Division of Women director Ileana Montes; and Harrison Clewell, a former intern for a Hudson County assemblyman.
Somerset County Democrats began screening Assembly candidates last week. Most of the district sits in Union County and includes part of Morris.
Giblin was the top vote-getter when he ran for Cranford Township Committee in 2017. He received 466 more votes than his running mate and 831 votes more than his nearest Republican rival, incumbent Andis Kalnins. He did not seek re-election.
He is the son of Assemblyman Thomas P. Giblin (D-Montclair), a former Democratic state chairman and longtime business manager for the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 68.
Giblin’s grandfather, John J. Giblin (D-Newark), served in the New Jersey State Senate and on the Essex County Board of Freeholders. His brother, Ted, is a councilman in Verona, and his sister, Noreen, is a top aide to Gov. Phil Murphy.
Tom Giblin mounted his first campaign as a State Assembly candidate in 1973, at age 26, when he challenged Kean’s father in the old 25th legislative district. While future Gov. Thomas Kean won by a wide margin, Giblin lost that race by a narrow 1,070 votes against first-time candidate Jane Burgio.