Carpenters back Craig Guy as labor lines up early for Hudson County Executive’s re-election

Hudson County Executive Craig Guy continued his opening-week rollout today with the endorsement of the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters, one of New Jersey’s most politically powerful construction unions, giving him a second major labor endorsement three days into his re-election campaign, even though next year’s filing deadline is still nine months away and the Democratic primary remains nearly a year off.

“Craig Guy has always stood with our members in the fight to create good-paying jobs that help working-class families, and we intend to stand with him to make sure he is Hudson County Executive for another four years,” said William C. Sproule, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters. “Craig has never run from a fight, and that determination and resolve have been instrumental in pushing forward the Gateway Project that will put thousands of people to work and help reduce traffic congestion on local roads.”

Guy, who is 2 ½ years into his first term, appears to be pursuing a different type of campaign launch than the traditional Hudson County way: he chose to come out of the gate with a list of his policy accomplishments, followed by endorsements yesterday from the Laborers and today from the Carpenters.  Historically, Hudson candidates seek to overwhelm with the rollout of big-name endorsements; Guy will no doubt have the establishment backing, but he appears to be charting a new course early.

For Guy, the endorsement is another sign that organized labor is lining up behind his re-election effort long before the campaign reaches its most competitive phase.

Sproule cited Guy’s support for the Gateway Project and other infrastructure initiatives, arguing that his leadership has helped advance projects that will create thousands of union jobs.

The carpenters’ endorsement adds another organization with both boots on the ground and financial resources to Guy’s growing coalition, signaling that some of the county’s most powerful labor groups are moving quickly to lock in their support.

“I have always believed in the importance of serving the public, and having people who are grounded by the same values helps simplify complex problems that can only make things better for working men and women,” Guy said. “We have accomplished much, but we have a lot more work ahead.”

A former Jersey City police lieutenant and chief of staff to County Executive Thomas DeGise, Guy won the 2023 Democratic primary with 76% of the vote against Elenna Little, a progressive who was elected to the Jersey City Council last year.   Guy was unopposed in the general election.

Not including statewide elections, no Republican has won a countywide office in Hudson since 1956, when President Dwight Eisenhower’s presence at the top of the ticket led to the election of a Republican congressman and four Republicans to the Hudson County Board of Freeholders.