Bergen County Executive James Tedesco has hired Storm Wyche, a battle-tested Democratic operative, to manage his re-election campaign.
She’ll also run the campaigns of three county commissioners seeking re-election: Tom Sullivan, Mary Amoroso, and Germaine Ortiz.
Last year, Wyche managed Gordon Johnson’s campaign for the Democratic nomination for State Senate in the 37th district. Johnson defeated Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-Englewood) with 72% of the vote, carrying every municipality in the 37th district. Wyche also ran the races for the two new assemblywomen from the Bergen County district: Shama Haider (D-Tenafly) and Ellen Park (D-Englewood Cliffs).
Wyche was slated to run Cory Booker’s New Jersey presidential campaign if he made it to the state’s primary. She worked as deputy national scheduler prior to Booker’s exit from the race and was the deputy director of the coordinated campaign for the senator’s landslide re-election last year.
Her selection as campaign manager was applauded by Modia Butler, who is Booker’s top political advisor in New Jersey.
“County Executive Tedesco couldn’t have selected a more qualified person to run his campaign than Storm,” Butler said. “ I’ve worked with her on various Booker campaigns and know firsthand that she is one of the top political operatives in the state”
This will represent the first time a husband-and-wife team managed back-to-back campaigns for county executive. Wyche’s husband, Derek Sands, was Tedesco’s campaign manager in 2018; Tedesco won that race with 63% of the vote against Bergenfield Mayor Norman Schmelz.
Tedesco’s bid for a third term is no slam-dunk in President Joe Biden’s mid-term election, where inflation and Biden’s low approval ratings could be problematic for Democrats.
Republicans have not won a countywide race in Bergen since 2013, but Republican Jack Ciattarelli held Gov. Phil Murphy to a five-point win last year – down from a 15-point Democratic plurality in 2017.
A former mayor of Paramus, Tedesco won a 2013 race for Bergen County freeholder – he ousted incumbent John Mitchell in a contest where two Republicans were re-elected. He was elected county executive in 2014, unseating Republican Kathleen Donovan by 17,003 votes, 54%-46%.
Wyche was the deputy director of communications and policy for the Bergen County Board of Freeholders, served as field director for Rep. Josh Gottheimer’s re-election campaign, as deputy Bergen County political director for the New Jersey Democratic Coordinated Campaign in 2017, and as the Democratic State Committee’s paid canvass director assigned to Gottheimer’s 2016 campaign that unseated Rep. Scott Garrett (R-Wantage).
“I believe that building our community starts with local leaders making real change in their communities. That’s why I’m so excited to be working with you all to re-elect Jim Tedesco, Tom Sullivan, Mary Amoroso, and Germaine Ortiz,” Wyche said. “Together, we’ll build this team, share their message, and continue their advocacy for the residents of Bergen County.”
In New Jersey’s 7th district, Rep. Tom Malinowski has promoted his finance director, Brooke Zindulka, as is new campaign manager. She replaces Stacy Cohen, who held brief stints on the campaign staffs of 2020 presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Pete Buttigieg. Cohen departed quietly on primary election day.
Zindulka was a fundraiser for Democratic Assembly candidates Lisa Bhimani and Darcy Draeger in 2019 and served as Malinowski’s deputy finance director in 2020. She became finance director in December 2020.