Hudson County Commissioner Bill O’Dea (D-Jersey City) said today that he raised nearly $230,000 in the 1st quarter of 2024 for his campaign to become Jersey City mayor – an office that won’t come before voters for another year and a half.
O’Dea has raised nearly $300,000 overall since launching his campaign, following a $59,254 haul in the final quarter of last year. But because he had already stockpiled a large amount of campaign cash in his county commissioner account, he has nearly $650,000 on-hand.
“I’m ecstatic to see our campaign picking up this kind of traction and building serious momentum as we get closer to next year’s election for Mayor,” O’Dea said in a statement. “The people of Jersey City want a leader who will always stand up for them, not someone who takes orders from outside political bosses. That’s never been what I’m about, and I look forward to running a campaign that is powered by grassroots enthusiasm from Jersey City residents who want a better city for all of us.”
O’Dea is one of three major declared candidates currently in the nonpartisan 2025 mayor’s race. Also running are former Gov. Jim McGreevey and City Council President Joyce Watterman; former Jersey City Board of Education President Mussab Ali recently filed paperwork to join the field, and County Commissioner Jerry Walker (D-Jersey City) and City Councilman James Solomon are considered potential candidates as well. (Incumbent mayor Steve Fulop is departing to run for governor.)
And so far, it’s McGreevey who has the financial upper hand. The former governor – who once served as mayor of Woodbridge but was born in Jersey City and moved back there after leaving the governor’s office – raised an astronomical $867,828 during his first months in the race; he has not yet filed reports covering the first quarter of this year.