Pam Daniels, a Brick resident whose independent campaign for the 4th congressional district in 2022 unexpectedly received the endorsement of the LGBT rights group Garden State Equality, has filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to run again as a Democrat.
Daniels has had a long history in New Jersey politics and media. She spent several decades working at a number of radio stations, including four years as news director at NJ 101.5 in the 1990s, before becoming the director of radio and television in the office of Gov. Christine Todd Whitman. In 1997, she left for the private sector, and has since become an author and LGBT activist.
Though Daniels held a seat on the New Jersey Federation of Republican Women until recently – making her the first transgender woman to do so – she now calls herself a “proud registered Democrat.”
In 2022, Daniels ran for the 4th congressional district, a deep-red Jersey Shore district held by long-serving Rep. Chris Smith (R-Manchester), on the independent “Progress with Pam” ballot slogan.
Her campaign got little attention until Garden State Equality made its surprising endorsement; the group typically endorses Democrats, but chose to back Daniels over 4th district Democratic nominee Matt Jenkins, though the group said Jenkins would “also be an exceptional selection over anti-LGBTQ Chris Smith.” Daniels ultimately got 437 votes, or 0.2%, while Smith beat Jenkins 67%-31%.
Jenkins is running for a rematch this year, and he’s likely the favorite to receive the Democratic nomination once again. The filing deadline for candidates to compete at the Democratic county convention in Monmouth County, which makes up around two-fifths of the 4th district’s Democratic voters, has already passed, and Jenkins was the only candidate to file.