Union County Commissioner will take on Bramnick for Senate in 2027

Kimberly Palmieri-Mouded, a three-term Union County Commissioner, will seek the Democratic nomination for State Senate in 2027, setting up a serious and well-financed challenge to incumbent Jon Bramnick (R-Westfield) in the competitive 21st legislative district.

“This was a tough personal decision for me to reach,” said Palmieri-Mouded. “I have been friends with Jon Bramnick for years, but ultimately, I concluded that protecting the well-being of our families and easing the out-of-control costs facing residents will require new leadership.  I intend to make this campaign centered entirely on that concept.”

But the Westfield Democrat and mother of five signaled that her top priority is to help fellow Democrat Rebecca Bennett flip a congressional seat against two-term Republican Tom Kean, Jr. (R-Westfield) in New Jersey’s 7th district.  She said that her early announcement “comes now because I want to be fully transparent as I take the steps to build my campaign team.”

“My priority is to continue working on behalf of Democratic candidates in 2026 — one of the most important elections of our lifetimes,” Palmieri-Mouded explained.  “There will be plenty of time to meet each other. Please keep the focus on winning this November.”

Palmieri-Mouded was first elected to the county commissioner – the office was then known as freeholder – in 2018 when she won the county line in a screening committee vote.  She ousted incumbent Mohamed Jalloh.  “

As a county commissioner, she worked to improve digital access, reinforced a program to protect seniors from becoming victims of scams, and supported several county budgets with zero percent tax increases.

Bramnick, 73, has been a fixture in state politics for over twenty years, but his district, once a Republican stronghold, has shifted solidly into the Democratic column.   Democrat Mikie Sherrill carried the 21st by 11,869 votes in 2025, winning 55% to 44%; Democrats also flipped the two Assembly seats in the 21st that year, taking out two GOP incumbents.  Two years earlier, Kamala Harris carried the district by more than 12 percentage points.

“Over time, this district has changed from the bottom up,” Palmieri-Mouded stated. “And the challenges we face are no longer being met by the same person who has been in Trenton for 23 years.  In that time, a new generation of leaders have emerged at local, county, and state levels, and we all deserve a Senator who will partner on delivering more direct aid to our communities as well as effectively standing up to an extreme agenda directed at New Jersey.”

Assemblyman Andrew Macurdy (D-Summit), who won the 21st district seat last year, has been touted as a Senate candidate.  He could challenge Palmieri-Mouded in the Democratic primary.

A former federal and state prosecutor, Macurdy ran with party support but on his own terms and independently of his running mate, Vincent Kearney (D-Garwood).  Kearney is expected to seek re-election to a second term in the Assembly.

Fiercely independent and a staunch critic of President Donald Trump, Bramnick has assembled his own coalition of voters who have split their tickets in the past.

Palmieri-Mouded worked as an associate dean for student life at St. John’s University.  She coaches youth basketball in Westfield.

In 2021, Bramnick, the Assembly minority leader, defeated then-Roselle Park Mayor Joseph Signorello III by 6,017 votes, 54%-46%; in the same cycle, Republican Jack Ciattarelli carried the 21st by 296 votes against Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, a margin of about one-third of one percent.

Two years later, Bramnick was re-elected to a second term in the Senate by seven points against Democrat Matt Marino.

Mouded is up for re-election as county commissioner next year, and her decision to run for Senate sets up a screening committee contest for an open seat.  Speculation suggests Democrats want that seat to remain in Westfield, with Democratic Municipal Chairman Bruno Tedeschi, a former Star-Ledger and U.S. Army veteran, considered a possible candidate.

The race is creating a potential rift between Bramnick and Senate President Nicholas Scutari. Although Bramnick has maintained good relationships with Scutari and State Sen. Joseph Cryan (D-Union), Scutari’s roles as Union County Democratic chairman and Senate Democratic leader have led him to target a Senate seat in his home county, risking his relationship with Bramnick.

The 21st is one of four State Senate seats held by Republicans in legislative districts carried by Democrat Mikie Sherrill in last year’s gubernatorial election.

If Palmieri-Mouded wins, she would become the first Democratic senator from the 21st district since Anthony E. Russo (D-Union) lost his bid for a second term in 1981, and the first woman to win a full term as a senator from Union County since Mildred Barry Hughes (D-Union) was elected in 1965

Kearney and Macurdy ousted Republican Assemblywomen Nancy Muñoz of Summit and Michele Matsikoudis of New Providence in 2025.  Muñoz, a seven-term incumbent, was running for the first time without Bramnick at the top of the ticket.

Macurdy led the field with 54,965 votes, followed by Kearney with 53,881. Muñoz received 46,367 votes, while Matsikoudis received 46,385.  Democrats won the two Assembly seats by a combined 54% to 46%.

Bramnick won re-election to the State Senate in 2023 by 4,487 votes, a seven-point margin.

Looking ahead to 2027, Bramnick has already begun sending campaign mail and has held town halls in Westfield, Summit, and Bernardsville.