Filing day in New Jersey’s 11th congressional district had one casualty: former Morristown Mayor Donald Cresitello.
Cresitello, a perennial candidate who has spent close to six decades running for different political offices around the state, had launched a campaign last week to succeed Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill in next year’s special election. But Cresitello showed up to the state Division of Elections today with fewer than 200 petition signatures, far below the 500 he needed to make the ballot.
Cresitello had objected to the deadline for filing signatures, saying that the ten-day period allotted by Gov. Phil Murphy for signature-gathering was insufficient. He specifically accused Murphy of trying to aid establishment-backed candidates; Murphy has endorsed Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill (D-Montclair) in the race.
Cresitello filed a lawsuit insisting that the deadline needed to be pushed back, but Superior Court Judge Stuart Minkowitz turned him down.
Thirteen Democrats and one Republican did successfully make the ballot in the 11th district, which spans parts of Morris, Essex, and Passaic Counties. One other prospective candidate, Democrat Kennedy Pivnick, never ended up filing to run.
