Ravi Bhalla wins Democratic primary for Assembly in Hudson

Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla has won the Democratic primary for State Assembly in the hotly-contested 32nd district contest, narrowly ousting freshman Assemblywoman Jessica Ramirez (D-Jersey City) by 179 votes in the closest race in the state.

Bhalla leads Ramirez, 7,012 to 6,833,  in a district that includes Hoboken and parts of Jersey City.

There are still 885 provisional ballots and 58 vote-by-mail ballots to be processed – some of those may be from Republicans or ineligible voters – and Ramirez would likely need to win over 60% of those voters to overtake Bhalla.

Katie Brennan, an urban planner who once worked for the Murphy administration, was the top vote-getter with 7,319 votes.

Ramirez and Jersey City Councilman Yousef Saleh ran on a slate with gubernatorial candidate Steve Fulop, the three-term mayor of Jersey City.  Brennan and Bhalla were bracketed together on the ballot. Saleh received 5votes, followed by two candidates endorsed by the Hudson County Democratic Organization: Hoboken Public Library Director Jennie Pu (5,496) and Crystal Fonseca (5,257), a former Newark school board member and city council candidate who now lives and works in Jersey City.

“This victory is not just theirs; it is a victory for all of us who believe in a brighter, more equitable future. It serves as a powerful reminder that when people come together to demand change, nothing can stand in their way,” said Jersey City Councilman James Solomon, a mayoral candidate who supported the two.  “Now, it’s time to bring that spirit of transformation to Jersey City. I am the only candidate in the mayoral race committed to challenging the status quo and implementing the innovative solutions our city deserves.

Ramirez becomes the third incumbent lawmaker to lose the Democratic primary this week, along with Garnet Hall (D-Maplewood) and Barbara McCann Stamato (D-Jersey City).

The second incumbent in the race, Assemblyman John Allen (D-Hoboken), Bhalla’s chief of staff and close friend, did not seek a second term.

In a district that hasn’t elected a Republican in 40 years – and not one before that since 1920 – Brennan and Bhalla are certain to win the general election.

Bhalla, a two-term mayor, challenged Rep. Robert J. Menendez (D-Jersey City) in the 2024 Democratic primary.  While he lost that race, he won the 32nd legislative district by a wide margin.

This is Bhalla’s third bid for the legislature.  He lost an Assembly primary in 2011 and withdrew in 2013 to run again for the Hoboken City Council.