Tiver pledges support for Umba in comeback bid

State Sen. Latham Tiver (R-Southampton) said he will support former Assemblyman Brandon Umba (R-Medford) as he seeks to regain his 8th district seat from the Democrat who unseated him two years ago. 

The 8th district could be a four-way rematch in what was one of the closest races in 2023. Assemblywoman Andrea Katz (D-Chesterfield) and Assemblyman Michael Torrissi (R-Hammonton) narrowly beat out Democrat Anthony Angelozzi, who finished third, and Umba, who finished fourth. 

Torrissi won the election in 2023 by 443 votes. He finished 245 votes ahead of Katz.

Tiver’s declaration of support for Umba was unsurprising, as the pair were running mates in 2023.

And how does Tiver think Katz is doing as an assemblywoman?

“I haven’t had too many interactions with her other than a few events that we’ve been to,” Tiver told the New Jersey Globe. “She’s a nice enough woman.”

The 8th district race isn’t guaranteed to be a four-way rematch, though. Evesham Councilman Eddie Freeman III will join the fray too — the Democrat was tapped by Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, who is recruiting Assembly candidates during his bid for governor.

Torrissi is more vulnerable than Katz because of the historical nature of New Jersey’s partisan swings. The president’s party has typically fared poorly in gubernatorial election years, and the same could happen with President-elect Donald Trump. And Katz has the advantage of money from the South Jersey Democratic machine.

The 8th district has shown to be relatively resistant to the GOP’s gains in the state. Trump cut his statewide margin by about 10 percentage points from 2020 to 2024 — in the 8th district, Trump cut the margin by just 3.5 percentage points. Vice President Kamala Harris won the district by 1.1 percentage points; any quantifiable backlash to Trump could mean a Democratic advantage in the 8th.