Gloucester County Commissioner Heather Simmons (D-Glassboro) will run for State Assembly in the 3rd district, where Democrats want to reclaim seats they unexpectedly lost two years ago.
Simmons will run on a slate with Senate candidate John Burzichelli (D-Paulsboro) and another Assembly contender, David Bailey, the CEO of Ranch Hope, a prominent non-profit organization based in Salem County.
New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Doug Fisher had been expected to seek the Assembly seat he occupied from 2002 to 2009, but changed his mind.
“Running a small business, we operate on tight margins, and I have taken that approach in government and will as a state lawmaker, I will fight to incorporate similar policies to freeze government spending and make New Jersey more affordable by imposing real fiscal accountability,” stated Simmons. “We must hold the line on taxes and spending, while making sure South Jersey priorities are funded to support our schools, healthcare, veterans, seniors and small businesses.
Simmons is up for re-election this year, and her decision to seek a seat in the legislature will force Democrats to pick a new county commissioner candidate.
Earlier this month, Gloucester County Democrats backed Simmons and another incumbent, Jim Jefferson, for re-election; another commissioner, Lyman Barnes, is not seeking re-election and was replaced on the Democratic ticket by Pitman Councilman Matthew Weng.
This will be among the most closely-watched legislative races in the state. Redistricting made the 3rd more Republican; Jack Ciattarelli carried the new 3rd district by 16 percentage points against Gov. Phil Murphy in 2021 – Ciattarelli’s coattails were a significant factor in Durr’s victory – and Donald Trump won the 3rd by three points against Joe Biden, who had represented a 3rd district-adjacent state in the U.S. Senate for 36 years.
“We are facing a dangerous crossroads in our country, state and communities as politicians have trampled on the priorities and values we have long fought to protect,” Burzichell said. “Both sides risk undermining the fundamental job at hand to serve the people. We are facing an affordability crisis, attempts to erode healthcare protections, reckless taxation and spending, and we need serious lawmakers more now than ever to tackle serious problems. I’m reinvigorated to return to public office with a fresh perspective because the stakes have never been higher for South Jersey.”
Bailey, 56, has followed in the footsteps of his father, Rev. David L. Bailey, who founded Ranch Hope to help troubled youth in 1962. The organization has a staff of roughly 200 to assist at-risk children and their families.
“Giving back to the community and helping lift up those needing a path to succeed has always driven me to make a difference,” he said. “Serving as a state lawmaker, would expand upon that mission to advocate for both a region of our state often forgotten at the State Capitol and provide so many needing assistance to have a champion on their side. Specifically, when you look at Salem County we know that there are many challenges we face from support for our agricultural industry, the need to grow economic opportunities, technology infrastructure and giving a lifeline to communities that just need a chance to succeed.”
Assemblywoman Bethanne McCarthy Patrick (R-Mannington) is running on a ticket with Durr and another Assembly candidate, Hopewell Township Committeeman Tom Tedesco.
McCarthy Patrick’s running mate, Assemblywoman Beth Sawyer (R-Woolwich), was supposed to run on a slate headed by Mickey Ostrum, a Salem County Commissioner challenging Durr in the primary. But Ostrum dropped out of the race last week, and it’s still unclear what Sawyer will do.
Sweeney, Burzichelli, and Fisher flipped the 3rd district in 2001. Sweeney defeated 28-year incumbent Raymond Zane (D-Woodbury), a conservative Democrat who switched parties after it became clear that the organization lines in the primary would go to Sweeney. Burzichelli and Fisher won open Assembly seats held for sixteen years by two Republicans not seeking re-election: Jack Collins (R-Elmer), the Assembly Speaker, and Gary Stuhltrager (R-West Deptford).
The 54-year-old Simmons is the assistant vice president of Strategic Projects at Rowan University and is one of two Rowan officials to run for the Assembly this year; Cody Miller, the director of the Rowan College Foundation, is running for an open seat in the next-door 4th district.
Democrats had picked Simmons to run for freeholder in 2010 when incumbents Joseph Brigandi and Jean DuBois declined to seek re-election but lost the general election by 226 votes.
Despite her defeat, Simmons still got to serve as a freeholder. About to begin his second year as Senate President, Sweeney resigned from the freeholder board, and Democrats picked Simmons as his replacement. She won a full three-year term in 2011 by 3,779 votes and was re-elected in 2014, 2017, and 2020.
Burzichelli faces a primary challenge from progressive Mario DeSantis, a music teacher making his third bid for public office.