Democratic governor’s race heads to Ocean County

Pop Ocean County Democrats will hold their convention on Sunday, but it’s possibly nobody wins.

The contest is seen as a showdown between Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair) and former Senate President Steve Sweeney, but there is no second ballot and the an endorsement only comes when candidate hits the 50% + 1 mark.

The county chairman, Wyatt Earp, has not taken sides in the governor’s race, but as a leader of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the chairman of the Monmouth-Ocean Central Labor Council, Earp added a number of building trades union members to the Democratic county committee to help win a contested re-election bid in 2020; that could boost Sweeney, an ironworker who has been endorsed by four IBEW locals.

Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop said last December that he would not participate in any Democratic conventions, and instead would take his campaign directly to voters.  Still, Ocean County Democrats had put Fulop’s name on tomorrow’s ballot; at his request, Fulop’s name was taken off the ballot following a call with Earp on Friday.

Sherrill has won conventions in Hunterdon, Mercer, Monmouth and Sussex, while Sweeney won Burlington and Atlantic.

With no county lines and office block ballots, those victories come with slogans.