County Commission Chair Anthony Vainieri is officially launching his campaign for Chairman of the Hudson County Democratic Organization. A longtime party leader who was first elected to the then-Board of Chosen Freeholders in 2014, Commissioner Vaineri has chaired the board for the past six years and worked closely with other county leaders to keep property taxes stable, improve county parks and services and manage the county’s successful COVID-19 vaccination program, among many other initiatives.

Commissioner Vainieri has spoken personally to each of the county’s 12 mayors and secured their full support, as well as County Executive Tom DeGise and current Chairwoman Amy DeGise, who is announcing that she will not seek re-election.

“As an active Democrat and a member of the HCDO since I was 18 years old, it’s an honor to have the opportunity to lead this organization,” said Commissioner Vainieri. “Hudson County needs to be united so we can be a leader on the state level and continue to deliver for the residents we serve. As Chairman I promise to work just as hard as I have on the County Commission Board to make our party stronger, to forge consensus with the mayors and other county leaders, and to move Hudson County forward. I would like to thank the mayors and other leaders for their endorsement, especially my own Mayor and State Senator Nicholas Sacco.”

The HCDO will hold its leadership election following the Democratic Primary in June.

Chairwoman Amy DeGise also remarked, “I’m so proud of the progress our party has made in the last four years strengthening our commitment to our local communities and becoming a stronger presence in every municipality. We’ve successfully worked to rebuild our county committee, support our local and state elected officials and their campaigns, create engaged new affinity groups like our LGBTQ Caucus and keep the community informed of changes like universal vote by mail during COVID-19. In recent weeks it has become apparent that we have more battles to fight on a statewide level to push back against forces that would prefer to see Hudson divided, and I’m confident that Anthony Vainieri is the best choice to take on that challenge and advocate for what our communities need.”

Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop added, “Keeping Hudson County politically unified is an important goal that I share with the other mayors and local leaders, and I’m excited to work with Anthony Vainieri to make that happen. I would like to thank Chairwoman Amy DeGise for her hard work over the last four years to move our party forward, and I know that she will continue to be an important advocate for Jersey City and all of Hudson County as a member of the City Council.”