Race, gender and geography could all play into the decision of whom Democrats from Mercer and Hunterdon counties select Saturday to replace former state Assemblywoman Liz Muoio in the Legislature.
County committee members from the 10 towns that make up the 15th Legislative District are due to have a convention in Ewing, where they will choose from a three-person field of Mercer County Freeholder Anthony S. Verrelli, Trenton City Councilwoman and Mercer County Democratic Chairwoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson and West Windsor Councilwoman Ayesha Hamilton.
That group had included a fourth candidate, Ewing Councilwoman Jennifer Keyes-Maloney, though she announced Tuesday that she was dropping out of the race.
“I am sure the people of the fifteenth district will be well served by the winner of the special convention, because I have faith in my fellow committee persons,” she said in a statement.
Muoio resigned her seat Jan.15 to join the Murphy administration as state treasurer. A host of Democrats expressed interest in climbing the political ladder, but only three people are left standing.
In some corners of the Democratic Party, the contest is seen as coming down to Reynolds-Jackson and Verrelli, a member of the Carpenters Union who is serving his first term as a freeholder.
Geography is expected to be key. Reynolds-Jackson comes from Trenton and can expect strong support from there, while Verrelli is originally from Ewing and now lives in Hopewell Township.
For his part, Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes said Monday that he is “not endorsing anybody” in the race.
“The reason for that is I want it to be an open convention, I want the best person to win,” he said.
Yet he spoke of the need for diversity among the Assembly delegation in the three legislative districts representing Mercer County. At the moment, five of those six seats are held by white men, also all Democrats. The other seat, the one that had belonged to Muoio, is vacant.
“I think Mercer County is one of the most diverse counties in Central Jersey,” Hughes said. “To have an all-white Assembly delegation in the fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth legislative districts, I think it doesn’t represent well the diversity that we have.”
Asked if his comments were meant to be taken as an endorsement of Reynolds-Jackson, who is black, Hughes replied, “I believe that we should have a diverse Assembly delegation.”
He later called Verrelli and Reynolds-Jackson the two “front-runners” in the contest.
“I think I am still the most qualified person in governmental affairs to be at the Assembly and to lead the county forward,” Reynolds-Jackson said in a phone interview Monday.
Verrelli could not be reached for comment.
As for the third candidate, Hamilton has touted her diversity as well. She has said that, as a native of India, she would be the first South Asian woman ever elected to the state legislature. She said that in Mercer County, the South Asian community represents a large voting bloc that has no representation at either the county or state levels.
“I think you don’t ignore things like that,” she said. “But from a personal perspective, that’s not why I want you to vote for me, absolutely not.”
“I don’t want people to vote for me because of the color of my skin or my gender,” Hamilton said. “I want you to vote for me because you’ve heard me and you’ve gotten a chance to ask me questions and we’ve talked policy and you think I’m the best person for the job.”
The winner Saturday will have to run in a special election later this year to fill out the rest of Muoio’s unexpired two-year term. She was re-elected in November and shortly thereafter Gov. Phil Murphy tabbed her to join his cabinet.
The next member of the Assembly will join a delegation that includes state Sen. Shirley Turner and Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, both Democrats. But Gusciora is running for mayor of Trenton, which would mean Democrats would have to choose another replacement if he is elected later this year.