2026 Regular Primary - Tuesday, June 2

View prior voter guides

SOMA Action is a grassroots organization in South Orange and Maplewood NJ focused on driving progressive change. We are unabashedly progressive and seek to provide useful and transparent information about the issues affecting our towns. Below please find information on the candidates appearing on the 2026 Special General ballot.

If you are a candidate wishing to correct an error/omission or provide links to more information, please contact info@somaaction.org.

Endorsements

  • U.S. House: Analilia Mejía

  • County Commissioner At-Large: Deb Engel

  • County Commissioner District 2: A’Dorian Murray-Thomas

  • County Commissioner District 3: Medinah Muhammad

    Note: When voting in multi-winner races, New Jersey’s lack of Ranked Choice Voting means that voters may wish to consider voting strategically, and casting votes only for the candidates they are most enthusiastic about instead of feeling obliged to use all their available votes.

Jump to Competitive Races

County Commissioner At Large
Maplewood Township Committee

How to Vote

Register to vote by March 26th!
Check your voter registration and register to vote at https://nj.gov/state/elections/voter-registration.shtml

Ways to Vote

  1. Vote by Mail: If you do not already receive a vote by mail ballot, you may request one by filling out this online form no later than May 26th. Once you have filled out your ballot, you may drop it off in any drop box (one is located in the South Orange Gazebo by the train station and another at the Hilton Library Branch in Maplewood) or mail it. Due to changes in USPS postmarking policies, voters are strongly encouraged to use the drop boxes. Mail ballots must be postmarked by 8 pm on Election Day, but ballots may not be postmarked the day they are mailed.

  2. Vote Early In Person: Early In Person voting will be available Tuesday, May 26th through Sunday, May 31st from 10am-8pm (10am-6pm on Sunday). Look here for polling locations. They are NOT the same as your election day polling place. The closest site to SOMA is the Berson Education Center at the Turtleback Zoo and the Irvington Civic Center. Maplewood is negotiating to add another early voting location at the Maplewood Library, check the link above for updates.

  3. Vote on Election Day: This should be your normal polling place. You can look it the location here, and it will also appear on your sample ballot. Polls will be open from 6 am - 8 pm on election day (Tuesday, June 2, 2026).

If you are not yet registered to vote, you may do so here by May 12th, 2026.

Federal Races

  • Uncontested race. Incumbent Cory Booker is certain to win.
    Cory Booker has an extensive track record of issue positions from his time as Mayor of Newark, U.S. Senator, and 2020 presidential candidate. Lists of his stances and actions can be found here and an older list is here. His official Senate website is here and his campaign website is here.

  • Non-competitive race. Progressive candidate Analilia Mejía won the special elections in February and April, and no major candidates chose to challenge her for the June primary. Three other candidates, Justin Strickland, Joseph Lewis, and Donald Cresitello are in the race but are not expected to draw much support. 

    SOMA Action has endorsed Analilia Mejia.

    Analilia Mejia is a strong progressive candidate who beat three other major candidates in a surprise win in the February special election primary. There was speculation that some of those candidates might come back for a rematch in the June primary, but none did, especially not after party leaders as well as the moderate and progressive wings of the party overwhelmingly consolidated around Mejía.

    Extensive evaluations of Mejía and Strickland are available in the special primary voter guide. Lewis and Cresitello did not declare in the special primary and have not been evaluated.

    Candidate websites:

    Donald Cresitello (no website, announcement here)

Essex County Races

  • About 15% of property taxes Essex County go to fund a variety of Essex County services, including maintaining county parks and the zoo; maintaining county roads; paying for the Essex County jails, courts, sheriff and prosecutor’s office; running elections; directing some economic development funding; and providing services. Current projects highlighted in the 2026 State of the County address include: infrastructure improvements, new facilities at the Essex County College, and supporting residents impacted by federal benefits cuts. Past work has involved managing the county’s COVID-19 response and vaccination campaign as well as successfully working to upgrade the county’s bond rating. A significant portion of the approx. $900 million budget is non-discretionary and goes to things like pensions, debt service, facilitating federal/state benefit programs like TANF and SNAP, and distributing community development block grants to municipalities.

    Essex County is governed by a County Executive, who is elected every four years, and a Board of County Commissioners, which is elected every three years. The county is divided into five commissioner districts, each of which elect one Commissioner to the Board of County Commissioners. They are joined by four additional at-large members. In the county level equivalent of a strong mayor system, the County Executive wields most of the power and is responsible for proposing the budget, supervising staffing and appointments, and contracting. The Board of County Commissioners has the power to approve the budget, advise and consent to appointments, pass ordinances, and serve on a variety of committees. 

    In Essex, the County Executive wields substantial additional power because Joseph DiVincenzo Jr., along with Essex County Democratic Chairman LeRoy Jones, are considered to be two of the half-dozen most powerful political bosses in all of New Jersey. Prior to 2024, the “county line” meant that DiVincenzo and Jones could use favorable ballot placement to largely predetermine which candidates would win the Democratic primary (and given Essex’s heavily Democratic lean, the general election) for state and county offices. The County Executive also controls hiring for county jobs, which are particularly plum posts. In New Jersey, state legislators are allowed to also be county employees, and they’re allowed to take unlimited paid time off from their county jobs to serve in Trenton. Currently, half of Essex County’s state legislative delegation is employed by the county, including Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Ruiz, who is deputy chief of staff to DiVincenzo. DiVincenzo and Jones wield enormous influence over state legislation. (For a recent example of how these dynamics end up impacting policy, see this article)

    This concentration of power has steered significant funding toward Essex County, but it has also made it difficult to hold Essex political leaders accountable. Multiple county leaders, including DiVicenzo, have drawn both pensions and a salary for the same job. An investigation into whether DiVicenzo improperly used campaign funds on personal expenses ran out of time to take action because Gov. Chris Christie, a close friend and ally of DiVincenzo, refused to fill vacancies on the Election Law Enforcement Commission, thus denying it a quorum. With the decline of local news, it is difficult to know how widespread similar examples are, but at a minimum, Essex County spent years providing part-time County Commissioners with health benefits reserved for full-time positions until public scrutiny triggered an end to the practice in 2024.

    Given the enormous power of the County Executive, it’s not clear how County Commissioners fit into the actual governance of the county. On paper, they are the legislative branch of the county government and, prior to the state legislature’s pay increase at the beginning of the year, were compensated similarly (~$45,000 per year versus ~$49,000 for state legislators). However, multiple knowledgeable political observers interviewed for this guide have been unable to identify very many things that the County Commissioners actually do. This challenge has been exacerbated by a lack of competitive elections and a corresponding lack of need for Commissioners to justify their actions to voters. 

  • Note: these criteria are based on what efforts are active within SOMA Action and allied organizations. Many additional issues are important but are not listed here because we are not actively working on them.

    High quality public service

    SOMA Action is looking for County Commissioners who will provide excellent public service to their constituents. This includes being present in communities, taking initiative to help improve county services, proactively communicating with residents, and being responsive to concerns and outreach.

    Ethics and accountability

    The county should follow basic ethical guidelines to avoid corruption and conflicts of interest. These include: having best practice conflict of interest policies and following them; open advertising of county jobs; competitive bidding; and having fair and impartial processes for hiring and contracts that do not reward politically connected insiders. SOMA Action is looking for County Commissioners who exercise oversight to ensure contracts and positions are awarded fairly and not used as part of a patronage or machine system. 

    Immigrant rights

    SOMA Action is looking for County Commissioners who will protect and support Essex County’s immigrant residents. This includes: impeding ICE’s ability to kidnap our residents; advocating for better conditions at and the closure of Delaney Hall; ensuring there is no cooperation between local/county law enforcement and ICE; advocating for strong state-level protections for immigrants with expansion of funding for the Detention and Deportation Defense Initiative; and supporting immigrants’ basic needs including legal representation, housing, and healthcare.

    Safeguard free and fair elections

    Trump has telegraphed that he plans to attempt to interfere with elections, potentially using ICE to intimidate voters at the polls, attempting to invalidate results, and injecting chaos into the voting process. The County Clerk and elections staff are key bulwarks against this threat. SOMA Action is looking for County Commissioners who will help protect voting rights, ensure elections run smoothly, and ensure that votes are cast and counted without interference.

    Climate and environmental advocacy

    SOMA Action is looking for County Commissioners who will work alongside municipalities to coordinate effective actions to reduce/mitigate climate change and protect the environment. These include: increasing green energy infrastructure in the county; reviving the Sustainable Essex Alliance and municipal energy aggregation program; protecting green spaces and restoring natural habitats; advocating for strong policies to protect air, water, and land; and improving pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure around the county.

    Safe and active transportation networks

    Essex County recently developed a Safe Streets 4 All Plan with the goal to reduce road fatalities and severe injuries for all road users. Unfortunately, this plan did not include any bicycle infrastructure, and it will take sustained investment to make equitable improvements throughout the county. In the meantime, Essex County had the highest number of traffic fatalities in New Jersey in 2025. SOMA Action is looking to elect municipal leaders who will invest in pedestrian safety infrastructure and bike lane plans.

    Healthcare access for all residents

    Essex County provides a range of public health services ranging from monitoring and enforcing environmental health regulations to funding addiction treatment to vaccinating residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. SOMA Action is looking for County Commissioners who will help find ways to creatively use county resources to ensure healthcare is accessible and affordable for all residents, particularly immigrants, the uninsured, and trans residents.

    Reimagining safety

    Essex County plays a significant role in shaping public safety through departments including Citizen Services, the Sheriff’s and Prosecutor’s offices, the Courts, and Corrections. SOMA Action is seeking County Commissioners who will take a comprehensive, countywide approach to safety by aligning investments, services, and policies with strategies that reduce harm and strengthen communities. This includes prioritizing prevention, expanding access to services, and addressing underlying conditions such as economic instability, lack of opportunity, and unmet community needs. We are also looking for leaders who will support approaches that enable communities to respond to and repair harm, while ensuring transparency and accountability across all county systems.

    Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

    SOMA Action is looking for candidates who demonstrate a clear commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in both values and action. At the county level, this includes how decisions are made, how resources and services are allocated, and how communities are engaged across Essex County. We expect candidates to prioritize equitable distribution of investments, particularly for communities that have experienced historic and ongoing disinvestment, while also working to understand and build stronger connections across the county’s diverse communities and remaining transparent and accountable for outcomes.

  • Uncontested race. Incumbent Joseph DiVicenzo Jr. is certain to win.

    As discussed above, DiVincenzo is one of a handful of political bosses who hold enormous power throughout New Jersey, and he has an enormous amount of money accumulated for winning reelection. Unsurprisingly, no one is challenging him.

    All political observers interviewed for this guide spoke highly of DiVincenzo’s competence as an administrator, but there are significant concerns about him using county resources to build a political machine that makes the state legislature responsive to party bosses instead of to voters, creating a web of conflicts of interest, and allegedly misusing campaign funds (see “Background” section above for details).

  • Contested race. Six candidates are competing for four seats: Rev. Marques Aquil-Lewis, Deborah Engel, Shawn Klein, Christine McGrath, incumbent Wayne Richardson, and Abdur Yasin.

    Disclosure: Three SOMA Action trustees, Sara Kirkwood, Ritu Pancholy, and Tara Mallon are actively involved in Deb Engel’s campaign and are recused from any involvement in the voter guide or evaluation process. Tara Mallon is Deb Engel’s campaign manager.

    Essex County is divided into five commissioner districts, each of which elect one Commissioner to the Board of County Commissioners. They are joined by four additional at-large members, who are elected by the whole county.

    Information about multiple candidates

    • Recording and transcript of the Glen Ridge Democratic Club forum with all the At-Large candidates.

    • SOMA Action’s committees evaluated the strengths and weakness of each candidate in our focus areas. View a side-by-side comparison of the evaluations here

    • Playlist of all Commissioner candidate interviews from SOMA Action.

    Information for the candidates running for at-large seats is listed below:

    Deborah Engel


    Shawn Klein


    Rev. Marques-Aquil Lewis


    Christine McGrath


    Wayne Richardson


    Abdur Yasin

  • Essex County is divided into five commissioner districts, each of which elect one Commissioner to the Board of County Commissioners. They are joined by four additional at-large members. For the seats elected by district, incumbents are running uncontested in Districts 2, 4, and 5. In Districts 1 and 3, new candidates are running uncontested after the incumbents stepped down. 

    District 2 - Includes Maplewood

    Uncontested race. Incumbent A’Dorian Murray-Thomas is the only person who filed to run. 

    A’Dorian Murray-Thomas

    District 3 - Includes South Orange

    Uncontested race. Medinah Muhammad is the only person who filed to run after winning a contested race for the Essex County Democratic Committee endorsement. 

    Medinah Muhammad

Maplewood Township Committee

  • Primary is contested. Voters will choose two of three candidates. Mayor Vic DeLuca is running for reelection. Community members John Sullivan and Martin Ceperley are running for the first time.

    The five-person Maplewood Township Committee is the legislative body of Maplewood. Members serve three-year staggered terms such that one or two members are up for election each year. The Township Committee is responsible for passing laws, budgets, setting policy, and hiring key municipal staff. Maplewood does not directly elect its mayor. Instead, the Township Committee elects one of their members to serve as Mayor and another to serve as Deputy Mayor for one-year terms.

    Unlike in South Orange, the Maplewood Township Committee is a partisan office. Because of Maplewood’s heavily Democratic lean, the Democratic Primary decides who is on the Township Committee. No Republicans filed to run this year.

  • Several SOMA Action committees are working on initiatives relevant to the municipalities. While many other issues are also important, these are areas where SOMA Action is currently doing work. We look forward to adding more initiatives, please join our committees to get involved!

    Protect our towns from ICE and other authoritarian crackdowns

    In cities across the country, the Trump administration is escalating its campaign to send armed, masked, and unaccountable federal agents into our communities to kidnap and intimidate our residents. Currently, both South Orange and Maplewood are sanctuary cities (though Maplewood does not use the formal name). Town leaders consistently support keeping ICE out and have directed the police departments not to cooperate with ICE. SOMA Action is looking to elect municipal leaders who will creatively and nonviolently make federal abuses of power as difficult as possible in our towns. This includes ensuring that people are able to vote without fear and intimidation. It also includes working to ensure that the right to protest and petition the government for redress of grievances is protected and that attempts to criminalize dissent are thwarted.

    Promote diversity, equity, and inclusion

    The Trump administration has moved quickly to promote segregation and discrimination, particularly targeting trans people, people of color, and immigrants. Over the years, South Orange and Maplewood have had numerous initiatives promoting residential/school integration, proactively affirming support, and striving to create a welcoming environment for people of all identities, especially those who have been marginalized. SOMA Action is looking to elect municipal leaders who will enthusiastically support diversity, equity, and inclusion even in the face of retaliation.

    Promote sustainability and climate change resilience

    Climate change is already affecting SOMA in the form of increasingly severe storms and flooding, heat waves, and wildfire smoke. Especially with the Trump administration’s active rollback of climate and environmental initiatives, municipalities are needing to step up more than ever to reduce carbon emissions, build flood-resilient infrastructure, support environmentally-friendly transportation, and promote the preservation of green space and the urban forest. Both South Orange and Maplewood have Environmental Committees/Commissions (South Orange also has a Green Team open to all residents) that develop beneficial initiatives that deserve the support of our elected officials. There are also opportunities for improved management of existing open space, such as Chyzowych Field. SOMA Action is looking to elect municipal leaders who will advocate for sustainability, green infrastructure, protecting and enhancing green spaces, and reducing climate emissions.

    Build out safe, active transportation networks

    South Orange and Maplewood are both actively working to plan and build networks for safe, equitable walking and cycling and non-automobile transportation. This includes the River Greenway, which will ultimately connect 2 miles from Baker St in Maplewood through W Montrose Ave in South Orange. South Orange is working on a Safe Streets 4 All plan, and both towns are updating plans for town-wide bike networks and aiming to install more bike lanes. There is also growing interest in increasing shuttle/jitney services. SOMA Action is looking to elect municipal leaders who will explore increased shuttle services, and who will follow through on development and construction of pedestrian safety infrastructure and bike lane plans.

    Maintain grass fields rather than replacing them with artificial turf

    SOMA Action has long advocated for well-maintained grass fields for the reasons outlined in these letters. Expenditures for turf fields need to be approved by the governing body of each town, or, in the case of the school district, via the Board of School Estimate, a body composed of three members of each town’s municipal committee/village council. SOMA Action is looking to elect municipal leaders who will support investing in and maintaining grass fields and will oppose covering any more fields with artificial turf.

  • Disclosures: past SOMA Action President and current Trustee Jessica James is Martin Ceperley’s campaign manager and has been recused from the voter guide and evaluations. The same is true of trustee Sara Kirkwood, who is actively involved in Martin’s campaign.

    Many SOMA Action members who are also district leaders, including Erika Malinoski, the main writer of the voter guide are also running on the Essex Reform Democrats slogan but have not been involved with the campaign and are not recused. Essex Reform Democrats is not sponsored by SOMA Action, although there is significant overlap in members of the two groups.

    Information about multiple candidates:

    Martin Ceperley

    Vic De Luca

    John Sullivan

District Leaders

  • Disclosure: Erika Malinoski, the main writer of the voter guide, is on the ballot for District Leader in South Orange District 9 on the Essex Reform Democrats slogan (uncontested race). Trustee JT Sturm can be contacted at info@somaaction.org for any corrections to this section.

    The final county party officials on this year’s ballot are the District Leaders. Two District Leaders are elected from each of South Orange and Maplewood’s 33 voting districts to serve on the Essex County Democratic Committee (ECDC) as well as on their local municipal committee, the South Orange Democratic Committee (SODC) and Maplewood Democratic Committee (MDC) respectively. District Leaders are responsible for getting out the vote in their voting district. They also get to vote on who the county party endorses, elect the Chair and officers of the ECDC and municipal Democratic committees, and elect representatives to the State Democratic Party. If a majority of the approximately 1000 Essex County District Leaders agree, they can also make changes to the bylaws of the ECDC. 

    Unlike the Maplewood Township Committee and South Orange Village Council, the MDC and SODC do not have any formal role in governing their towns. However, the MDC does endorse candidates for local office in Maplewood. Since Maplewood races are decided in the primary, this can be influential, although since 2022 the MDC endorses all Democratic candidates who ask for the endorsement and meet basic screening criteria, even if this means endorsing more candidates than there are open positions.

    Because district leaders are party officials, they are elected only during the primary and do not appear on the general election ballot.

    Maps of voting districts are here for South Orange and here for Maplewood. All candidates are running unopposed except for one contested race in Maplewood’s 11th district. There are open seats where no candidate running in the following districts: South Orange 4, 7, 11, and 12; Maplewood 2, 3, 13, 14. Where no candidate has filed, the vacancy can be filled by a write-in candidate or the municipal committees can vote to appoint someone after the election.

    Information about Slogans

    • “Essex County Democratic Committee, Inc.” is the official slogan of Essex County’s Democratic Party and can only be given by the party. How the slogan gets assigned is rather opaque since there isn’t a formal endorsement process for DLs. Incumbents are generally given the slogan unless they have listed another (though there have been cases in other towns where DLs have been assigned the slogan despite having chosen a different one). Challengers are sometimes given the slogan as well.

    • More information about the “Essex Reform Democrats” slogan can be found here: https://www.essexreform.org/

    • Candidates are also allowed to pick their own slogans as long as they are no more than six words and do not use an organization’s name without permission.

  • District 1

    • Shannon Cuttle, Essex County Democratic Committee, Inc.

    • Gayle Shand, Essex County Democratic Committee, Inc. 

    District 2

    District 3

    • India Larrier, Essex County Democratic Committee, Inc.

    District 4


    District 5

    • Michele Alonso, Essex County Democratic Committee, Inc.

    • Beth Benjamin, Essex County Democratic Committee, Inc.

    District 6

    • Ian R. Grodman, Essex County Democratic Committee, Inc. (bio & statement)

    • Teague Moss, Essex County Democratic Committee, Inc.

    District 7

    • Dean Dafis, Essex County Democratic Committee, Inc.

    • Melissa Renny, Essex Reform Democrats (bio & statement)


    District 8

    District 9

    • Victor De Luca, Essex County Democratic Committee, Inc.

    • Jane Collins Colding, Essex County Democratic Committee, Inc.

    District 10

    • Tammy Haynie, Essex County Democratic Committee, Inc.

    • Bruno Lee, Essex County Democratic Committee, Inc.

    District 11

    • Sean P. Ruffin, Essex County Democratic Committee, Inc. (bio & statement)

    • Irene Langlois, Essex County Hilton Lightning Brook Democrats (bio & statement)

    • William Ralph Gifford III, Essex County Hilton Lightning Brook Democrats (bio & statement)

    District 12

    • Garnet Hall, Essex County Democratic Committee, Inc.

    • Catherine L Spruill, Moving Together

    District 13

    • No candidates filed

    District 14

    • No candidates filed

    District 15

    District 16

    • Craig F. Miller, Maplewood Democrats

    • Dianne E. Simmons, Maplewood Democrats

    District 17

    District 19

    • Malia Herman, Essex County Democratic Committee, Inc. (bio & statement)

    • Stephen Sigmund, Essex County Democratic Committee, Inc.

    District 20

    District 21

    • Ted Dorset, Essex County Democratic Committee, Inc.

    • David R Huemer, Essex County Democratic Committee, Inc. (bio & statement)

    District 22

    • Kathleen Leventhal, Essex County Democratic Committee, Inc.

    • Gerald Leventhal, Essex County Democratic Committee, Inc.

  • District 1

    • Phillip Casey, Essex County Democratic Committee, Inc.

    • Rebecca Morrison, Essex Reform Democrats (bio & statement)

    District 2

    District 3

    District 4

    • No candidates filed

    District 6

    District 7


    District 8 

    District 9

    District 10

    District 11

    • No candidates filed

    District 12

    District 13