The Jersey City mayoral race is a near three-way dead heat just a week before election day — and the mud-slinging is in full force.
Ex-NJ Gov. James McGreevey — who was famously outed as a “gay American” and resigned amid a 2004 sex scandal — leads the crowded field with 23%.
He’s trailed by long-time Hudson County Commissioner Bill O’Dea and downtown Jersey City Councilman James Solomon, who are both polling at 20%, according to insider polling from Hart Research, the New Jersey Globe reported.
McGreevey is trying to push his way back into the spotlight after he stunned the country and resigned as governor more than two decades ago amid accusations of sexual harassment by a male aide.
O’Dea, a lifelong Jersey City resident, has served on the Hudson County Board of Commissioners since 1997, and is currently in his eighth term — but his long tenure means he’s also been associated with many of the colorful, criminally corrupt characters in local politics.
Solomon, who was elected to the city council in 2017, represents the downtown area of Jersey City, which has seen a development boom in recent years — but is now facing high rents and property prices that are squeezing out some longtime businesses and residents.
Solomon has launched an aggressive campaign that has tried to ding his other two opponents.
First, he claimed that McGreevey was selling out Jersey City by taking money from New York donors who are Republicans or previously backed MAGA candidates.
McGreevey said the donations were proof he could bring in money and support from across the political spectrum to help the city, if elected.
More recently, Solomon is trying to tie O’Dea to disgraced ex-NJ Sen. “Gold Bar Bob” Menendez and other crooked Hudson County pols.
He also backed ex-Jersey City Board of Education president Sudhan Thomas before he was charged and sentenced to probation this month for a corruption conviction of his own.
But O’Dea swiped back at attacks from Solomon’s team over the claim.
“Bill was just one of the many Jersey City Democrats who supported Bob Menendez and Sudhan Thomas well before their recent legal issues, and trying to connect him to them now when they have had no contact in years is a laughable accusation,” O’Dea’s spokesman, Philip Swibinski, told The Post.
“The fact that James Solomon is trying to smear Bill O’Dea in the final weeks of this race shows how desperate he’s getting as it becomes more and more clear that his campaign is completely failing to connect with voters beyond his wealthy Downtown base,” Swibinski said.
When Menendez — the powerful ex-Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair — was under investigation in that federal probe, O’Dea told Politico in 2023 that Menendez was a “trailblazer” and an “icon.”
“He’s been there for such a long, long time,” said O’Dea, who was endorsed by Menendez for his Hudson County office.
That praise came despite Menendez previously being indicted on federal corruption charges in 2015. That case ended in a mistrial.
O’Dea also endorsed Menendez’s son, Rob Menendez, in his congressional reelection campaign in 2024.
Solomon’s camp is also slamming O’Dea for his history with former Jersey City Councilman Philip Kenny, who served as O’Dea’s chief of staff for eight years. Kenny pleaded guilty to extortion charges and accepting a $5,000 bribe while he was on the council in 2009, according to NJ.com.
Kenny, who O’Dea still considers a friend, “made a terrible mistake and paid dearly for it,” Swibinski said.
“Maybe if James Solomon spent some time outside of Downtown, he would see the positive impact that Phil Kenny has made, which is why he has been honored by several local nonprofits and churches for his dedication to helping people in Jersey City,” he added.
Solomon himself has appeared beside Kenny at public events, as well — O’Dea’s team was quick to point out.
Solomon said that the next mayor needs to “clean up the mess at city hall,” which he claims has been heavily influenced since the cost of living exploded in New Jersey’s second-largest city.
If none of the candidates receive a 50% majority of the vote, Jersey City will hold a runoff election on Dec. 2.
Incumbent Mayor Steven Fulop announced he would not seek reelection after he lost his bid for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination to Mikie Sherill. He’s since accepted a high-profile gig across the river in Manhattan.
Other candidates trailing in the polls include former Jersey City BOE president Mussab Ali; Jersey City Council President Joyce Watterman; police officer Christina Freeman; and musician Kalki Jane-Rose.
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