WASHINGTON (AP) — Voters in New Jersey’s second-largest city will get another chance to elect a new mayor Tuesday in a runoff election. The race pits a Jersey City council member against a former governor attempting a political comeback more than two decades after resigning in scandal.
Councilman James Solomon and former Gov. Jim McGreevey were the top two vote-getters among seven candidates in the Nov. 4 general election, but neither received the vote majority needed to avoid Tuesday’s runoff. Both are Democrats, although the office is nonpartisan. The winner will replace outgoing Mayor Steven Fulop, who lost the Democratic primary for governor in June.
Solomon was first elected to the council in 2017 after stints as an adjunct professor in Jersey City. He previously worked in the offices of longtime Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and then-Newark Mayor Cory Booker, now a U.S. senator. He was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2015 but says he is now “completely healthy.”
McGreevey was elected governor in 2001 after serving in the state legislature. He resigned in 2004 and came out as gay after admitting an extramarital affair with a male staffer whom he appointed as a state homeland security adviser. The aide denied the affair and instead said the governor had sexually harassed him. McGreevey now bills himself as a “champion of second chances,” citing his work as executive director of a nonprofit that provides services to those adjusting to society after serving in prison, addiction treatment or combat duty.
Solomon received about 29% of the vote in the general election, compared with about 25% for McGreevey. Hudson County Commissioner Bill O’Dea received about 22% of the vote, while former Jersey City Board of Education President Mussab Ali received about 18%. Three other candidates split the remaining vote. O’Dea, Ali and sixth-place finisher Christina Freeman have endorsed Solomon. Fifth-place finisher and Jersey City Council President Joyce Watterman endorsed McGreevey.
McGreevey has spent about $2.5 million on his campaign, compared with about $1.3 million for Solomon.
Democratic then-Vice President Kamala Harris received about 73% of the vote in Jersey City in the 2024 presidential election. Democratic then-U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill received about 82% in the 2025 gubernatorial election.
It is uncommon for a former governor to run for mayor, but McGreevey is at least the third to seek local office in the past year. Former Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo lost the race for New York City mayor to Zohran Mamdani on Nov. 4. In Delaware, Democrat John Carney was elected mayor of Wilmington in November 2024 after serving two terms as governor, four terms in the U.S. House and two terms as lieutenant governor.
The Associated Press does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it’s determined there is no scenario that would allow the trailing candidates to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.
Recounts are very rare in New Jersey. The state does not have automatic recounts, but candidates and voters may request and pay for them, with the cost refunded if the outcome changes. The AP may declare a winner in a race that is eligible for a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.
Here’s a look at what to expect on Tuesday:
The runoff election for mayor of Jersey City will be held Tuesday. Polls close at 8 p.m. ET.
The AP will provide vote results for the mayoral runoff and declare a winner. Solomon and McGreevey are the only candidates.
Any registered voter in Jersey City may participate in the mayoral runoff election.
There were about 170,000 voters registered in Jersey City for the Nov. 4 election. Turnout for the mayoral general election was about 38% of registered voters. About 39% of the vote was cast early or by absentee ballot.
As of Nov. 26, about 3,000 mail absentee ballots had been returned. There is no early in-person voting for this election.
The AP first reported results in the Nov. 4 mayoral election at 8:03 p.m. ET, three minutes after polls closed. The last update of the night was at 11:51 p.m. ET, with about 92% of the total vote counted.
Follow the AP’s coverage of the 2025 election at https://apnews.com/projects/election-results-2025/.
This combination image shows Jim McGreevey, left, in Trenton, N.J., Jan. 10, 2023, and James Solomon, Nov. 25, 2025, in Jersey City, N.J. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, Frank Franklin II, file)
