Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-Paterson) unveiled a long list of endorsements from county-level elected officials in Passaic, Bergen, and Hudson Counties today, marking yet another show of support for the congressman as he faces down a Democratic primary challenge from Prospect Park Mayor Mohamed Khairullah.
The endorsement list includes every Democratic county commissioner in Bergen and Passaic Counties; the two Hudson County Commissioners whose districts overlap with Pascrell’s; Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco and Hudson County Executive Craig Guy; and the sheriffs of all three counties.
“If the diversity and hardworking character of Passaic County is the essence of our great state New Jersey, then it would be fair to say that Bill Pascrell himself is the fair essence of Passaic County,” Passaic County Commissioner Bruce James (D-Clifton) said in a statement. “Bill has brought forward massive federal support for Passaic that has been transformational to our present and foundational to our future.”
(County clerks, who are responsible for administering elections, and county surrogates, who are members of the state judiciary, were not included on the list, though both are elected countywide offices.)
Pascrell had previously announced endorsements from every state legislator whose district overlaps with the 9th congressional district and from nearly every mayor in the district, save for Khairullah and Paterson Mayor André Sayegh.
If that near-unanimous establishment support is anything to go off of, Pascrell should be heavily favored in the primary, even with county organizational lines being abolished for this year’s Democratic primary. Pascrell is also well ahead in fundraising, with $1.4 million on-hand to Khairullah’s $65,000.