Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (D-Trenton) won the backing of Mercer County Democrats on Thursday evening after winning the votes of more than 60% of delegates at the crowded Mercer Democratic Convention.
Reynolds-Jackson received the backing of 140 delegates, 101 more than her next-closest competitor, Sue Altman, a thorough victory in the assemblywoman’s stronghold. The victory, though not a surprise, proved the assemblywoman’s ability to consolidate support in Mercer County despite the crowded field.
Reynolds-Jackson was one of 15 Democrats seeking the Mercer endorsement to succeed Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Ewing), who has represented New Jersey’s 12th congressional district for more than a decade.
“We organize, but we also know how to legislate as well,” Reynolds-Jackson said during short victory remarks. “So we’re in the organizing phase. My team is ready, and I look forward to getting to make sure that I am your next United States House Representative for the 12th congressional district.”
During her speech before the delegates, Reynolds-Jackson said she would push to lower utility costs and fight against the GOP-sponsored SAVE Act, which would require documentary proof of citizenship to vote. She also touted her experience as an elected official, which includes eight years on the Trenton City Council and eight years in the Assembly.
“I am the current sitting assemblywoman, and I bring home the bacon for the capital city of Trenton,” Reynolds-Jackson said.
Mercer County is by far Reynolds-Jackson’s strongest region of the district. State Sen. Shirley Turner (D-Lawrence), Assemblymen Anthony Verrelli (D-Hopewell Township) and Wayne DeAngelo (D-Hamilton), Mercer County Executive Dan Benson, and several county officeholders have backed Reynolds-Jackson’s campaign. The energy in the room backed Reynolds-Jackson as well: she was the only candidate to receive sustained cheers following speeches.
Winning the Mercer Democratic endorsement was key for Reynolds-Jackson’s campaign, given her strong inroads. The district’s other counties — Middlesex, Somerset, and Union — are likely to give their endorsements to local candidates of their own. But without the county line, it’s unclear how much of a tangible benefit will go Reynolds-Jackson’s way.
Sue Altman, a 2024 congressional nominee in the 7th congressional district and former director of the New Jersey Working Families Party, is well-known to the state’s progressives (as well as Democrats who remember her expensive 2024 congressional campaign).
Jay Vaingankar, a 28-year-old Mercer County native who worked in President Joe Biden’s Department of Energy, finished third with 16 votes. The race’s other candidates each finished with fewer than 10 votes.
Sixteen Democrats initially registered to ask for the Mercer County endorsement. One, Rick Morales, withdrew last week because he was not available to attend, Mercer County Democratic Chairperson Janice Mironov said. Three other candidates — Raymond Heck, Kyle Little, and Iziah Thompson — were not included on the ballot because they failed to recruit delegates to nominate and second their candidacies on the floor of the convention.
Final tallies:
Matt Adams: 1
Sue Altman: 39
Brad Cohen: 3
Elijah Dixon: 2
Adam Hamawy: 7
Adrian Mapp: 0
Verlina Reynolds-Jackson: 140
Shanel Robinson: 4
Squire Servance: 3
Sujit Singh: 2
Jay Vaingankar: 16
Sam Wang: 7
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