Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo has endorsed Gov. Phil Murphy for re-election next year, a move that indicates a thawing between the Essex-South Jersey Democratic alliance and almost certainly clinches Murphy’s chances of winning a Democratic primary.
“I wanted to be one of the first people to publicly endorse Phil Murphy for re-election because of all that he has done for the people of New Jersey and, especially, Essex County,” DiVincenzo said.
DiVincenzo had supported Essex County Democratic Chairman LeRoy Jones, Jr. for Democratic State Chairman against Murphy’s candidate, incumbent John Currie.
In a deal announced last month, Currie retained the post until after the 2021 gubernatorial primary and Jones will assume the chairmanship at that time. The split over the state party lasted nearly a year.
Jones had previously said he would back Murphy for re-election.
“When we needed him the most, Governor Murphy joined with Essex and the City of Newark to help find a solution to the city’s lead water crisis,” said DiVincenzo. “He has been supportive of our initiative to expand our government complex and so many other projects to improve our residents’ quality of life.”
DiVincenzo called Murphy “a disciplined leader with strong principles, he follows through on his promises, and he does what he believes is the right thing for our people and future.”
“I’m thrilled to support him for re-election, and I’ll work tirelessly to ensure he wins another term,” DiVincenzo said.
