6 Assembly Members From Essex County Face Challenges In NJ Primary Election

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Six incumbent state assembly members from Essex County – all Democrats – are facing challenges in the upcoming primary election. The list includes Alixon Collazos-Gill, Rosy Bagolie, Cleopatra Tucker, Garnet Hall, Carmen Morales and Michael Venezia.

Democrat and Republican candidates in New Jersey will face off for their party’s nomination in a primary on June 10. The winners will advance to the general election on Nov. 4, which will also include any third-party or independent candidates.

Here are three Assembly races in Essex County that are seeing challenges this year.

27TH DISTRICT (two assembly seats available)

The 27th district includes Livingston, Millburn, Montclair, Roseland and West Orange in Essex County. It also includes the town of Clifton in Passaic County.

Two incumbent Democrats are up for re-election: Alixon Collazos-Gill and Rosy Bagolie. Each has received an endorsement from the Essex County Democratic Committee.

• Alixon Collazos-Gill – Collazos-Gill is the first Colombian immigrant to represent the district and serve in the state Assembly. A small business owner, she serves on the boards of the New Jersey Hispanic Research and Information Center, BlueWave NJ, and is an alumnus of EmergeNJ. >> Read More: Collazos-Gill Of Montclair Begins Term As NJ Assemblywoman
• Rosy Bagolie – Bagolie served on the Livingston Town Council before winning an Assembly seat. A member of the Assembly Education Committee, she holds a master’s degree in elementary education and a doctorate in educational leadership from Seton Hall University, along with a master’s degree in special education from Rutgers University. >> Read More: Rosy Bagolie Will Defend Assembly Seat In NJ-27 Primary Election

Meanwhile, two challengers are trying to wrestle the Democratic nomination away from the incumbents – Rohit Dave and Blake Michael – each of whom is running a separate campaign.

• Rohit Dave – Dave, a Millburn resident and first-generation American, currently leads corporate development at Block, the parent company of Square and Cash App. Dave also served in the White House under President Barack Obama at the Office of Science and Technology Policy. He holds a J.D. from New York University School of Law and a B.S. from the New York University Stern School of Business. >> Read More: Millburn Resident Battles For NJ Assembly Seat In 27th District
• Blake Michael – Michael has been teaching middle and high school for almost a decade. After graduating law school, the West Orange resident continued to teach full-time while practicing as a part-time special education attorney. He is campaigning under the slogan: “Teacher Fighting for School Funding.” >> Read More: Teacher Sets Sights On NJ Assembly Seat In 2025 Election

28TH DISTRICT (two assembly seats available)

The 28th district includes the towns of Irvington, Maplewood, Newark and South Orange in Essex County. It also includes Hillside in Union County.

Two Democrats have secured endorsements from the Essex County Democratic Committee: incumbent assemblywoman Cleopatra Tucker and challenger Chigozie Onyema.

• Cleopatra Tucker – Tucker, a Newark resident, formerly worked for the Newark Housing Authority. She earned a B.A. in sociology from Miles College at Tennessee State University. Her professional experience includes working as executive director for the nonprofit, The Centre Incorporated.
• Chigozie Onyema – Onyema is a Newark native who also lived in Maplewood. He previously ran for a seat on the school board in the Maplewood/South Orange School District. Onyema currently works as an attorney, community organizer and activist. He earned his J.D. from New York University School of Law, B.A. in Afro-American Studies from Howard University, and A.A. in Liberal Arts from Essex County College.

Meanwhile, another incumbent assemblywoman – Garnet Hall – is running on a slate with governor candidate Steve Fulop on the “Democrats for Change” ticket.

• Garnet Hall – Born in Montclair, Hall is a Maplewood resident who has served as a deputy clerk in Essex County. She has also served as the vice chair of the Maplewood Democratic Committee. Hall attended Fairleigh Dickinson University. Her career experience includes working as a legal administrator and a business development manager.

34TH DISTRICT (two assembly seats available)

The 34th district includes the municipalities of Belleville, Bloomfield, East Orange, Glen Ridge, Nutley and Orange.

Two incumbent Democrats are up for re-election: Carmen Morales and Michael Venezia. Each has received an endorsement from the Essex County Democratic Committee. Gov. Phil Murphy has also endorsed the two legislators, calling them “effective, principled leaders who get things done for the people of Essex County.”

• Carmen Morales – Morales, who lives in Belleville, served as principal for Essex County Newark Tech High School. Currently, she is serving as the director of curriculum and instruction for the Essex County Schools of Technology. She is also a member of the board of trustees for Essex County College. Morales earned her B.A. degree in speech communications at Montclair State University, her master’s degree in administrative science from Fairleigh Dickinson University, and her educational specialist degree from Seton Hall University.
• Michael Venezia – Venezia formerly served as a councilman and mayor in Bloomfield. He works as director of human resources at the Essex County Schools of Technology. Venezia received a B.A. in political science from Monmouth University and a M.A.S. in administration from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Meanwhile, two challengers are trying to wrestle the Democratic nomination away from the incumbents: Frank Velez and Brittany Claybrooks. Both are running on a common slate, “Democrats for Change.” Learn about their campaign platform here.

Velez and Claybrooks have seen endorsements from supporters including current and former council members in Bloomfield, Belleville and Orange.

• Frank Velez – Velez is a lifelong resident of Belleville who currently serves on the town council, where he recently became the youngest-ever member (and first Hispanic man) to win election. He has also served as a board of education member, and formerly worked for the late Congressman Bill Pascrell Jr. Velez has been involved in the March for Our Lives movement as well as Moms Demand Action.
• Brittany Claybrooks – Claybrooks is a former councilwoman in East Orange, who has also served as the director of the division of planning for the City of Plainfield. She recently served as the North Jersey political director for U.S. Sen. Andy Kim during his Senate race. Claybrooks received her master’s degree in urban planning and development from New York University and her bachelor’s degree in healthcare management and administration from Florida A&M University.

UNCONTESTED NJ ASSEMBLY RACES IN ESSEX COUNTY

Uncontested Democratic primaries are taking place in the 29th district (Eliana Pintor Marin, Shanique Speight) and the 40th district (Jeffrey Gates, Ron Arnau).

The 29th district includes Newark in Essex County, as well as East Newark and Harrison.

The 40th district includes Caldwell, Essex Fells, Fairfield, North Caldwell, Verona and West Caldwell in Essex County, as well as several other towns in Bergen and Passaic counties.

Meanwhile, no Republican races in the county are contested in this year’s primary election, including the 27th district (Robert Iommazzo, Adam Kraemer), the 28th district (no petitions filed), the 29th district (Noble Milton, Daniela Ferreira Almeida), the 34th district (Demetrius Eley, Lorenzo Marchese Jr.) and the 40th district (Christopher DePhillips, Al Barlas).

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.