Venezia, Morales announce re-election run in LD-34

Assemblyman Michael Venezia (D-Bloomfield) and Assemblywoman Carmen Morales (D-Belleville) of the 34th legislative district announced they will run for re-election Wednesday, but they face a primary challenge.

The pair cruised to electoral victory in the plurality-Black district 2023, more than tripling up their GOP opponents. The Essex County Democrats are now seeking their second term in the Assembly after earning Democratic nominations after the most recent cycle of redistricting opened seats for fresh faces from North Jersey.

“As your Assemblyman, I’ve fought to deliver meaningful results for our district—whether by expanding property tax relief, strengthening public education, or supporting local businesses,” Venezia said in the release. “I’m proud of our progress and I will continue to fight for the people of our district.”

“Leadership is about listening to the needs of the people and acting on them. I have worked to uplift our constituents by securing critical funding, advancing policy initiatives, and providing support to those in need,” Morales said.

Venezia served as Bloomfield’s mayor before he was elected to the Assembly, while Morales was the principal of Newark Tech High School.

The freshmen incumbents face a primary challenge from two candidates allied with Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop. Belleville Councilman Frank Vélez III and former East Orange Councilwoman Brittany Claybrooks announced in November they were running for the 34th district Assembly seats.

Claybrooks, 33, served as North Jersey political director for Andy Kim’s campaign for the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination before leaving to run for Congress following the death of Rep. Donald Payne, Jr. (D-Newark). She finished fifth in a field of eleven candidates in a July special primary election with 5.2%; the winner, now-Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-Newark), received 47.4%.

The 23-year-old Vélez is a former aide to the late Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. (D-Paterson) and spent three years as a Belleville school board member. He won an open 2nd Ward council seat in the May 2024 nonpartisan municipal election with a 54%-41% victory.

Fulop, an anti-establishment gubernatorial candidate, is supporting a slate of Assembly candidates throughout the state. Last April, Fulop pledged to spend $10 million to recruit candidates who would be independent of county chairs if they serve in the state legislature.

In this deep-blue district, the winners of the Democratic primary are all but guaranteed to succeed in the general election.