In 2017, Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill (D-Montclair) helped Gov. Phil Murphy reach the statehouse. Eight years later, Murphy is returning the favor.
At a Parsippany event on Sunday morning, Murphy pushed Gill’s campaign to succeed Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill in Congress. Gill is one of 11 Democrats seeking the 11th congressional district’s seat; voters have already begun submitting mail-in ballots ahead of the Feb. 5 special primary election.
The two go way back: Gill managed Murphy’s victorious 2017 gubernatorial campaign and has remained close to the governor since. Before a few dozen elected officials and volunteers in Parsippany, the governor lauded Gill, saying he knows the district well and will be capable of delivering results when arriving in Washington.
“[Gill]’s on the right side of history in terms of the stuff that we all care about as Democrats: immigration, affordable housing, affordable health care, sucking as many federal dollars up to New Jersey as possible,” Murphy said. “As [Rep.] Josh Gottheimer says, and I love the phrase, they treat us like a ‘moocher state.’ Brendan could go in and turn that narrative around.”
The Democratic field is crowded. Other notable names in the primary include former Rep. Tom Malinowski, Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way, and former Bernie Sanders staffer Analilia Mejia. Candidates suspect turnout for the special primary election — scheduled for the Thursday before the Super Bowl — will be low.
“There’s a lot of talent in this field, but there’s only one right answer,” Murphy told the crowd.
The list of speakers preceding Murphy included Morristown Mayor Tim Doughtery, who endorsed Gill on Sunday, and Maplewood Committeeman and former Mayor Dean Dafis, who dropped his own campaign for the seat and endorsed Gill.
About a dozen immigration advocates demonstrated across the street, calling on the governor to sign a trio of bills that would limit local police’s cooperation with federal immigration officials. Murphy held a short conversation with the group and told them he was still undecided on whether to sign the bills, according to an organizer for the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice.
“Importantly, on the immigration front, Brendan, as I said to these folks across the street, the one thing I can tell you for sure is that Brendan is 1,000% with you,” Murphy told Gill’s volunteers.
Congressional Democrats are internally debating whether they should attempt to cut federal funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Many Democrats have accused the agency of unnecessarily aggressive policing and violating the rights of detainees and citizens. Speaking to reporters, Gill said he would seek to eliminate funding if the behavior of ICE agents is not reined in. He further said he’d be open to abolishing the agency if he isn’t satisfied with their improvements.
“I’m absolutely open to eliminating funding. Right now, there is a funding deadline coming up for ICE. [There should be] a real conversation about how officers are operating within our communities,” Gill said. “I have said that if we need to abolish ICE to get there, then we will do it, but right now, we cannot allow the type of activity that doesn’t seem to be following due process, having masked-up agents, pepper-spraying members of our community. It’s completely unacceptable.”
Gill has served on the Essex County Board of Commissioners since 2012, and he’s looking to contrast his longtime local service with his rivals. He stopped short of naming Malinowski, who previously represented the 7th congressional district, but argued a successful candidate must be familiar with the district.
“In order to do that, you need someone who understands the pulse of the district, because you can’t be an effective fighter in Washington if you haven’t been around a little bit,” Gill said. “That’s how I see this race.”
Gill’s ties to Murphy and other top Democrats have led to criticism that he’s closely tied to the “machine”; reform-focused Democrats like Mejia have offered a more anti-establishment campaign. Gill rejected the sentiment.
“They can call me whatever they want, ‘establishment,’ ‘machine,’ all types of negative-connotation words. … The idea that [an individual] can’t make an independent decision is insulting. It’s insulting,” Gill said.
Mejia has received endorsements from Senator Bernie Sanders, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and a half-dozen other progressive members of Congress. Gill said he’s satisfied relying on support from local leaders.
“I’m a constituent in this district,” Gill told reporters. “That [endorsement] doesn’t hold a lot of weight with me, because I don’t really know what that person would know about the local issues that the communities that you’re seeking to represent are facing.”
With 18 days left, Gill said his campaign is carrying momentum and that while the race is difficult to poll, he’s confident.
“We feel good about what we’re seeing in our own stuff,” Gill said. “But, you know, it’s a Thursday in February. It’s very difficult to model this election.”
