Venezia rejects claims of progressive takeover in Bloomfield

Assemblyman Michael Venezia (D-Bloomfield) is dismissing suggestions that the loss of a Bloomfield council seat to a progressive-backed candidate signals a broader rejection of the local Democratic establishment.

Bloomfield has been trending leftward in recent years, and the latest primary became a proxy battle between competing wings of the Democratic Party. Gov. Mikie Sherrill and U.S. Sen. Cory Booker backed the organization slate, while U.S. Sen. Andy Kim and Rep. Analilia Mejia (D-Glen Ridge) endorsed the progressive ticket.

Mejia carried Bloomfield with 44% of the vote in the February special Democratic congressional primary in New Jersey’s 11th district. The second-place candidate received 19% of the vote in an 11-candidate field.

Venezia, a former mayor who now serves as the township Democratic chairman, has faced his own political challenges. Last year, former East Orange Councilwoman Brittany Claybrooks came within 863 votes of unseating him in an Assembly primary. And last month, Frank Velez III—another former political rival—won the Belleville mayoralty with 60% of the vote, defeating an incumbent Venezia had supported.



https://newjerseyglobe.com/campaigns/venezia-rejects-claims-of-progressive-takeover-in-bloomfield/