Davis unseats Sheriff Schillari in major win for Hudson Democratic organization

Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis has unseated incumbent Hudson County Sheriff Frank Schillari after a brutal and bitter Democratic primary contest, the New Jersey Globe projects, a major win for the Hudson County Democratic organization in its broader war against Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop.

As of 12:46 a.m., Davis has 53% of the vote to Schillari’s 46%.

Schillari, 78, is a stalwart of Hudson County law enforcement. After more than a decade as county undersheriff, he was first elected to the sheriff’s office in 2010, defeating incumbent Juan Perez after Perez lost the confidence of the Hudson Democratic machine.

This year, though, Schillari got caught up in Hudson County’s 2025 war – and got stuck with a losing hand. The sheriff was one of the few Hudson politicians to stick with with Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop’s gubernatorial campaign after Fulop fell out with the Hudson Democratic organization; top Hudson Democrats like County Executive Craig Guy then decided to support Davis, the mayor of the county’s second-largest city since 2014, to replace him.

Davis, 62, also has a background in law enforcement. Before unseating Mayor Mark Smith more than a decade ago, Davis was a Bayonne police officer and a Hudson County Prosecutor’s office detective.

The campaign that ensued between the two Hudson Democratic stalwarts became very personal. Schillari’s campaign sent mailers about old Davis allegations related to sexting and sexual harassment lawsuits in Bayonne – “Jimmy Davis is a creep,” a Schillari spokesperson said last month – but when Schillari himself was asked about them, he said he wasn’t sure what materials his campaign was putting out.

Davis, in turn, invited Schillari to a debate twice, but Schillari turned him down, and a man in a chicken suit just happened to show up at a Schillari fundraiser a short while later.

In the end, the might of the Hudson Democratic organization, and especially of Union City Mayor Brian Stack, proved too much for Schillari to overcome; given Hudson County’s dark-blue hue, Davis is now near-certain to become its next sheriff.