And then there were twelve.
Marc Chaaban, a 25-year-old former congressional staffer and YouTuber, announced today that he is exiting the race for New Jersey’s 11th congressional district. Chaaban cited the race’s very short timeframe – the special primary election will arrive on February 5, and vote-by-mail ballots will be sent out later this month – as the impetus for suspending his campaign.
“Our goal was never about one person, but about creating a movement and a home for those of us who have felt betrayed over and over again by those in power,” Chaaban said in a statement. “Unfortunately, movements take time, resources, and organizing to build – and with just weeks until vote-by-mail ballots go out, the compressed timeline of this special election simply doesn’t afford the runway we need to win.”
With Chaaban out, 12 Democrats remain in the race to succeed Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill.
Chaaban, a native of Morris County, was not a known force in New Jersey politics prior to this year. But he announced soon after entering the 11th district special election that he had raised more than $100,000, and he worked to carve out a niche for himself as one of the race’s most left-leaning, anti-establishment, and Israel-skeptic candidates.
When the filing deadline arrived earlier this week, Chaaban submitted 849 signatures, 349 more than he needed to make the ballot. He also competed at last night’s Essex County Democratic convention; he earned just one vote from the 258 gathered committeepeople, but the convention vote totals were skewed by the fact that most supporters of candidates other than Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill (D-Montclair) chose to abstain rather than voting for their preferred candidate.
Chaaban said it was that convention process, which many of the 11th district candidates had claimed was rigged in Gill’s favor, that ultimately pushed him towards the decision to leave the race.
“It’s been a decision I’ve been thinking about for a week now, but the Essex County Democratic Convention was an important reminder that there are many people who want this process to be a coronation,” he told the New Jersey Globe. “For those of us hoping for a change candidate, a real fighter, I think it’s time to come together.”
Asked whether he planned to make an endorsement of one of his former 11th district opponents, Chaaban said, “stay tuned!”
