Fulop forges alliance with Edison mayoral candidate

Seeking votes in the town he grew up in, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Steve Fulop announced a big move in vote-rich Edison, where he will team up with mayoral candidate Lav Patel in advance of the lineless June 10 primary election.

Fulop, the three-term mayor of Jersey City and a graduate of J.P. Stevens High School, and Patel have endorsed each other, and both are backing three township council candidates allied with Patel in a fight against the local political establishment.

Patel is challenging first-term mayor Sam Joshi, who has the support of the Middlesex County Democratic organization.  The county party is also supporting Mikie Sherrill for governor.

“Edison is where I come from. It is where I learned what it means to work hard, serve others, and fight for what is right,” Fulop said.  “Lav Patel and his team are building a new future for Edison. They are not tied to the political insiders who have held this community back. They are fighting for the people of Edison, and I am proud to fight alongside them.”

Edison has 30,896 registered Democrats; it ranks fifth in the state behind Newark, Jersey City, Paterson, and Elizabeth.   In 2021, 10,620 votes were cast in the Democratic mayoral primary when Joshi, running on the county line, defeated Mahesha Bhagia by a 61.5%-32.5% margin.

“Steve Fulop is one of us. He grew up here, he knows what makes Edison special, and he is not afraid to take on the establishment to get results,” stated Patel.  “We are proud to support Steve’s campaign for governor because he is fighting the same fight we are. Together, we will deliver the leadership that Edison and New Jersey deserve.”

Jayesh Mehta, Yingnan (Ingrid) Chen, and Anthony DeAmorin are on the Fulop/Patel council slate.

In 1981, when Democratic Gov. Brendan Byrne was term-limited and there was no county line, Edison Mayor Anthony Yelencsics delivered a local victory to his favored candidate, Rep. Robert Roe (D-Wayne) in the gubernatorial primary.  Roe carried Edison by roughly 850 votes over the winner of the primary, Rep. Jim Florio (D-Runnemede); Middlesex County favorite son, State Sen. William Hamilton (D-New Brunswick) a former Assembly Speaker who had the backing of the county Democratic organization, finished third in Edison, about 130 votes behind Florio.  Senate President Joseph Merlino (D-Trenton) came in fourth in Edison, around 100 votes behind Hamilton.

In a State Senate primary that year, renegade Democrat Samuel Convery carried Edison by about 200 votes against the organization candidate, five-term Assemblyman James Bornheimer (D-East Brunswick).  Bornheimer won the primary by 1,266 votes, 54%-46%.