A week after ending his campaign for New Jersey’s 11th congressional district, Maplewood Committeeman Dean Dafis is getting behind one of his erstwhile opponents, Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill (D-Montclair).
Joining Dafis in endorsing Gill today are Maplewood Mayor Victor De Luca and Committeemembers Malia Herman, Nancy Adams, and Jane Collins-Colding. The endorsements align the deeply progressive, frequently anti-establishment suburb’s entire governing body with the Essex County Democratic organization, which endorsed Gill in December.
“Since suspending my own campaign in this critical election, I’ve given serious thought about who I would endorse and why,” Dafis said in a statement. “Considering what’s at stake, knowing what it takes in government to deliver results for our constituents, and looking to continue uplifting my LGBTQIA+ community, I’m proud to throw my support to my fellow Essex elected leader and longstanding partner in public service, Brendan Gill.”
The new endorsements, which come just a few weeks before the February 5 Democratic primary to replace Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill, give Gill a major foothold in a town that punches well above its weight in local Democratic politics; while Maplewood has around 26,000 residents, it cast nearly one-tenth of the 11th district’s Democratic primary vote in 2024.
Several of Gill’s opponents were – and still are – hoping to compete for votes in Maplewood as well, among them former Rep. Tom Malinowski and former Bernie Sanders staffer Analilia Mejia, both of whom have staked out a more anti-machine lane, and Lieutenant Gov. Tahesha Way, the most prominent Black candidate in the race. (Maplewood is 30% Black.)
Today’s endorsements also represent an uncommon split between Democrats in Maplewood and South Orange, which often vote as a pair in local primaries; last month, South Orange Mayor Sheena Collum endorsed Malinowski.
Gill is the second 11th district Democrat to receive an endorsement from one of his former opponents; shortly after the December filing deadline, former congressional staffer Marc Chaaban ended his campaign and endorsed Mejia.
