Camden Democrats re-elect Beach

State Sen. James Beach (D-Voorhees) was re-elected Camden County Democratic chairman tonight, keeping him in a post he’s held for the last 21 years.

He won his latest term by acclamation, with a group of seven insurgent county committee members – four from Merchantville and three from Cherry Hill – not voicing any objection to Beach’s re-election.

Beach has held public office since 1991, when he was elected to the Camden County Board of Freeholders.  A political newcomer, he turned out to be the top vote-getter in a contest that confounded the statewide Republican wave.  His 11,000-vote win helped Democrats flip three seats and take back control of the board; one of his running mates, then-Cherry Hill Councilman Jeff Nash, is now the senior county commissioner in the state.

He served as county clerk for fourteen years before winning a special election convention for State Senate after John Adler (D-Cherry Hill) was elected to Congress.

Barbara Holcomb, a former freeholder and Winslow deputy mayor, was re-elected vice chair.