Mundell Declares Victory Over Gamble In Bloomfield Primary Election

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Although some votes remain uncounted, the smoke has begun to clear from Bloomfield’s 2024 primary election. And according to unofficial results, a winner has emerged in the hotly contested Democratic race for mayor: Jenny Mundell.

Mundell, who currently serves on the township council, challenged interim mayor Ted Gamble for an unexpired term that was left vacant when former mayor Michael Venezia captured a seat in the New Jersey Assembly.

The Bloomfield Township Council eventually voted to make Gamble the town’s interim mayor despite a controversial “straw poll” from the Bloomfield Democratic Committee that chose Mundell as the front-runner.

• See Related: Gamble Appointed Bloomfield Mayor Over Mundell; Future Showdown Looms
• See Related: Bloomfield Mayor Candidates Tackle 2024 Election At Forum (VIDEO)

The councilwoman pledged to take her campaign for mayor to the town’s voters in the primary election – and has apparently scored a big victory.

As of Wednesday afternoon – with 94 percent of districts reported – Mundell held a 2,605 to 1,934 lead over Gamble. Read More: Bloomfield 2024 Primary Election Results (UPDATED)

The lead is wide enough for Mundell to declare a win – and for Gamble to concede defeat. She will now face off against the unopposed winner of the Republican primary, David Tucker, in the Nov. 5 general election.

Mundell would be the town’s first female mayor if she triumphs in November. Watch her campaign launch video here.

The councilwoman offered an olive branch in a post-election statement on Wednesday:

“Yesterday we held a primary election in Bloomfield and voters were presented with choices. Choices in democracy are good. Bravo to anyone with the courage to put themselves on the ballot. Thank you to all our neighbors who were brave enough to put their names out there, for giving our community choices, and for encouraging participation in our government. And thank you to every resident who came out to show support for their candidates, no matter who your candidate was. Especially over the next few months, as well as thereafter, I look forward to supporting all of my colleagues on the council and collaborating with everyone to work toward what’s best for Bloomfield. There was never a more important time for unity and compassion.”

Gamble said that he was proud of his campaign team for taking on an “uphill battle” and putting in a good showing.

“For the first time in eight years, residents had a choice for their locally elected officials—that is in itself a victory for democracy,” he said, adding that the grassroots campaign put a spotlight on “the amount of outside influence and money pouring into on our local elections to maintain power.”

“Our efforts show that money isn’t everything,” Gamble said. “With a dedicated network of volunteers and supporters we were able to make a strong showing at the polls. Competition is healthy for elections, and I hope our efforts encourage others to run for office.”

Gamble alleged that there were some “alarming challenges” at the polls on Election Day:

“In my own district a candidate running for county committee worked the polls and only left when their son, also working the polls, was removed by a truancy officer for not having the proper documentation. This left the district with only one poll worker. Multiple requests were made to the Board of Elections who gave no explanation for how this occurred and took no action to remedy the situation. Despite these challenges I won my district and my wife, Jenni, and I maintained our County Committee seats. In other districts poll workers never showed up, voting machines broke down, and poll workers were confused with how to provide vote tallies at the end of the night leaving some districts unreported.”

“While many residents were engaged in this primary election and voted, there was a much larger portion of Bloomfield residents who did not,” Gamble said. “Historically, low voter turnout has benefited the political machines, allowing them to maintain control with minimal opposition.”

• See Related: Essex County Elections: What Do Party Committees Do? (Report)
• See Related: Gamble, Mundell Duke It Out Over ‘The Party Line’

Both candidates saw a flurry of support and endorsements in the weeks leading up to the primary election.

Mundell was first appointed to the town council in 2017, winning re-election three times. She is employed as a vice president of development at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.

Mundell’s campaign platform included “improving quality of life” with public infrastructure projects, taking a “strong stance on public safety” while also expanding youth services, attracting new businesses to Bloomfield and developing a new township master plan.

In the past months, the councilwoman has seen a windfall of endorsements from a diverse group of elected women in North Jersey, including U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill; New Jersey Senators Teresa Ruiz and Renee Burgess; New Jersey Assemblywomen Eliana Pintor Marin, Shanique Speight, Rosy Bagolie, Alixon Collazos-Gill, Garnet Hall, Carmen Morales and Cleopatra Tucker; Essex County Commissioners Romaine Graham and Patricia Sebold; Montclair Mayor-elect Renee Baskerville, Glen Ridge Mayor Deborah Mans, Millburn Mayor Annette Romano and Verona Deputy Mayor Christine McGrath; Bloomfield Councilwoman Sarah Cruz, Verona Councilwoman Cynthia Holland, West Orange Councilwoman Asmeret Ghebremicael, and former Assemblywoman and Glen Ridge Democratic Chair Jackie Yustein.

Mundell previously received the endorsement of Assemblyman Venezia, the town’s former mayor. She also got a congratulations on Wednesday from Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr., who also praised Amir Jones for his apparent victory in the Democratic race for Essex County Sheriff.

Mundell also saw an endorsement from the Bloomfield Police Benevolent Association (PBA) Local 32, and was recognized with the 2024 Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate distinction.

Meanwhile, Gamble – who was first elected to the council in 2016 – highlighted his experience with advocacy involving public parks and open space, environmentalism, women’s rights and “diversity and equity” in hiring practices at town hall.

His platform included creating more “budget transparency,” improving constituent services, addressing affordable housing challenges and improving downtown streetscapes.

Gamble formed a candidate slate with Bloomfield township council candidate Rodney Cauthen and Essex County Sheriff candidate Gary Nash, who have each apparently come up short in their own races, according to unofficial results.

Gamble received endorsements from three town council members: Nick Joanow, Wartyna Davis and Rich Rockwell.

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site. Don’t forget to visit the Patch Bloomfield Facebook page.