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The Jersey City mayor’s race is headed for a runoff next month between downtown City Councilman James Solomon and disgraced former NJ Gov. Jim McGreevey.
Solomon was the top vote-getter in the race, securing 29.8% of the ballots at the time the race was called by AP. McGreevey followed close behind with 25.5%.
Because neither candidate got 50% of the vote, New Jersey’s second-largest city will have to head to the polls again on Dec. as the two candidates go head to head.
Longtime Hudson County Commissioner Bill O’Dea and former Jersey City Board of Education President Mussab Ali finished third and fourth, respectively.
Former New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey won the most votes in the race for Jersey City mayor, but failed to earn a majority. AP Photo/Andres KudackiThe hard-fought nonpartisan race, which saw seven candidates appear on the ballot, ultimately saw Solomon leading the pack.
The election saw McGreevey make a bold return to the politics after he was infamously outed as a “gay American” and resigned amid a 2004 sex scandal.
Incumbent Mayor Steven Fulop announced he would not seek reelection after he lost his bid for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination to Rep. Mikie Sherill. He’s since accepted lucrative business gig across the river in Manhattan.
Jersey City, which has 307,000 residents, has seen massive development in the last decade, but also faces an affordability crisis — especially in the downtown area.
Other hopefuls on the ballot include former Jersey City BOE president Mussab Ali; Jersey City Council President Joyce Watterman; police officer Christina Freeman; and musician Kalki Jane-Rose.
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