Evesham Republicans will run a retired U.S. Naval officer for mayor against two-term Mayor Jaclyn Veasey.in a large municipality that has become strongly Democratic in recent years.
Their candidate is Mark Heier, a retired U.S. Navy officer and cybersecurity expert who worked for the U.S. Department of Defense before joining a private-sector firm last year.
He’ll run on a slate with two council candidates: Nicole Gilchrest, a small business owner and youth sports coach; and Tim Kennelly, a realtor. Two Democratic incumbents, Heather Cooper and Krystal Hunter, are running again.
“Evesham is a strong community, and we are proud to call it home,” Heier, Gilchrest, and Kennelly said in a joint statement. “But strong towns require disciplined leadership to remain strong. We believe residents deserve clear standards, transparent processes, and long-term planning that protects homeowners and preserves the character of our community. This campaign is about service, accountability, and building on what’s good to make it even better.”
Veasy was elected mayor in 2018 after Democrat-turned-Republican Randy Brown opted not to run again. Despite the Democratic wave election that swept across New Jersey and the nation, the local race in Evesham was relatively close: Veasy defeated Republican Steve Zeili by 866 votes, 52%-48%; in the same election, Democrat Andy Kim won Evesham by 2,960 votes, 57%-43%, in his successful bid to oust two-term Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-Toms River). MacArthur won 58% in Evesham in 2016, 14 points ahead of Donald Trump.
She was re-elected in 2022 with 55% of the vote against Dennis Mehigan.
Republicans are citing one-party control, which resulted in what they say is an average tax increase of $1,000 last year, as a reason to make 2026 a change year.
“The reason we are running is that we, like many of our fellow residents, are concerned for the direction of our township,” the GOP candidates said. “As a team of local parents, we are committed to ensuring that township government works for every resident and plans proactively for our future.”
Kamala Harris won Evesham by 12 points in 2024, and Gov. Mikie Sherrill by nearly 16 points in 2025; in 2021, Gov. Phil Murphy carried Evesham by less than 3 points. Kim, who lived in Marlton during his first House run, won the township by almost 19 points when he ran for U.S. Senate two years ago.
