The first candidate to enter the race for Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill’s 11th district congressional seat today became the first to file nominating petitions to run in the February 5 special Democratic primary.
Anna Lee Williams, a self-described community advocate who has worked with groups like Make the Road NJ and Vietnamese Boat People, filed this morning with 1,039 signatures – more than double the number required under state law.
She filed under the slogan “You Deserve A Fair Deal!”
A corporate social responsibility and engagement manager for a digital music company and a Rutgers University graduate, Williams announced in July that she would run to replace Sherrill if she won the gubernatorial election.
She is one of fifteen candidates to join the race to succeed Sherrill, who resigned from the House on November 21 in order to devote her full-time energies to her gubernatorial transition.
Other candidates include: Passaic County Commissioner John Bartlett (D-Wayne); Iraq War veteran and venture capitalist Zachary Beecher; attorney and Trump impersonator J-L Cauvin; former congressional staffer Marc Chaaban; former Obama White House staffer Cammie Croft; Maplewood Township Committeeman and former mayor Dean Dafis; Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill (D-Montclair); Morris Township Committeeman and former mayor Jeff Grayzel; newcomer Joseph Lewis; former Rep. Tom Malinowski; former Bernie Sanders political director and New Jersey Working Families executive director Analilia Mejia; newcomer Kennedy Pivnick; Chatham Councilman and Iraq War veteran Justin Strickland; and Lt. Governor and Secretary of State Tahesha Way.
The lone Republican in the race is Randolph Mayor Joe Hathaway.
The filing deadline is Monday, December 1, at 4 PM. Candidates can supplement their signature filings up until the deadline.
