North Bergen businessman Larry Wainstein told the New Jersey Globe that he is seeking the Democratic nomination for State Assembly in the 33rd district, and Union City Mayor/State Sen. Brian P. Stack says he is supporting him in the June 10 primary against incumbent Julio Marenco (D-North Bergen).
The announcement means Stack and a bitter rival, North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco, will face an epic battle, pitting the two powerful North Hudson mayors against one another in what will almost certainly be a lineless primary.
Wainstein will run with Assemblyman Gabriel Rodriguez (D-West New York).
Stack said Wainstein, the son of Argentinian immigrants, has “dedicated his life to numerous charitable causes, helping residents and showing compassion for those in need.”
“Most importantly, he is someone who you can count on and trust to work hard for everyone, not just a select few,” said Stack. “I need Gabriel and Larry working side by side with me to deliver the representation and services you need and deserve.”
The recruitment of Wainstein to run against Marenco is a bold move by Stack to begin settling his feud with Sacco, the mayor since 1991.
Stack and Sacco have never really gotten along: Sacco supported West New York Mayor Sal Vega in a 2007 Senate primary and Stack, running off the line, won the nomination with 77% of the vote. Their relationship hit rock bottom in 2022 when legislative redistricting put the two senators in the same district. Sacco quickly announced that he would end his 30-year tenure in the Senate and reluctantly endorsed Stack.
Sacco’s retirement came with some strings: Marenco, a North Bergen town commissioner and Sacco loyalist, would get one of the Assembly seats; Rodriguez, then serving as mayor of West New York, got the other seat. Two incumbents and Sacco allies, Angelica Jimenez (D-West New York) and Pedro Mejia (D-Secaucus), lost their seats as part of the shuffle.
Wainstein is a longtime Sacco critic who has run against the mayor three times in bids to become the first Hispanic mayor in a town with a 72% Hispanic population. The results were essentially the same in all three races: a 65%- 35% loss in 2015, a 68%- 32% loss in 2019, and a 71%- 29% loss in 2023.
He pledged to use values taught to him by his father, a factory worker, and his mother, who sold encyclopedias door-to-door.
“I help people. My parents taught me to give back to your community,” Wainstein said. “Nothing makes me feel better than helping out a constituent. No problem is too small or too big.”
The Stack faction includes West New York Mayor Albio Sires and Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner. Sacco allies include Guttenberg Mayor Wayne Zitt and Secaucus Mayor Michael Gonnelli.
Union City makes up nearly 31% of the registered Democrats in District 33; combined with West New York (18%) and Weehawken (8%), the Stack group represents 57.4% of the Democratic primary electorate.
Wainstein’s ability to claim roughly 30% of the vote in North Bergen makes him an attractive candidate for Stack, whose vote-producing prowess in Union City, West New York, and Weehawken – along with Wainstein’s potential to get at least one-third of the vote in North Bergen – could make the combination unbeatable.
A successful local businessman and philanthropist, Wainstein is a potential self-funder: he spent about $600,000 of his own money in 2023 and a similar amount in 2019.
Stack is focusing solely on the 33rd district this year, and is not involved in candidate selection for the other two Hudson County legislative districts.
“I hold your interests close to my heart, and I promise you that Gabriel and Larry will do the same,” said Stack. “I have worked with both of them and know they are committed to rooting out the old style of politics that is controlled by party bosses that only serve themselves.”
A running mate for Marenco has not yet been announced. Possible candidates include Jimenez, the former six-term assemblywoman, and former West New York Commissioner Margarita Guzman. Both lost town commissioner bids in 2023 to a slate headed by Sires, a former seven-term congressman and Assembly Speaker, in a campaign run by Stack.
Marenco and his running mate are expected to run with the same ballot slogan as Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, a candidate for the Democratic nomination for governor.
Marenco immediately went on the attack, calling Wainstein “a conman and a proven liar who has been completely rejected by the voters every single time he tried to take over North Bergen, and the same thing is going to happen in June.”
“We can’t wait for Democrats in Union City, West New York, Guttenberg and Secaucus to learn about Lying Larry’s $2 million mansion in Franklin Lakes, the fake house he claims to live in that he bought for $1, his support for Chris Christie and his close association with numerous convicted felons and shady characters, among other highlights,” said Marenco. “Lying Larry has already been attacking me for months with blatant lies, but the voters will remember that nothing Wainstein says can be trusted.”
This story was updated on 1:16 PM with comment from Marenco.
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