Dover, NJ – Council Member Karol Ruiz, running for re-election to a second term representing Dover’s Third Ward, announced today that she has raised over $17,000 since launching her campaign in January.

This amount, which sets a record for an individual Ward candidate in Dover, comes after Ruiz faced several institutional roadblocks in her bid to continue representing the constituents that first elected her in 2022.

“I learned through decades of advocacy work what too many candidates and elected officials fail to learn – this takes a village,” Ruiz stated. “And it’s a village we are building. I am humbled, grateful, honored…the list goes on…for the support that my friends and neighbors, people of all political persuasions, have shown me so far during this campaign.”

Ruiz, a lifelong registered Democrat, initially planned to seek re-election as a Democrat but was stymied in those efforts thanks to a long-running personal vendetta held by Dover Mayor James P. Dodd, who controls the local Democratic committee.

His original chosen candidate, who won the committee’s endorsement in March, later withdrew and was replaced in the dark of night with no committee input.

“For the past two years, alongside two different Mayors and 10 separate Council Members, I’ve stood up for my constituents, friends, and neighbors in the Third Ward,” Ruiz continued. “I’ve served from the heart because that’s all I know how to do. And, in my heart, I know that the voters of the Ward will see past the divisive politics being waged by some and make sure that we continue having an independent voice on Town Council.”

As her opponents prepare to host a $250-per-person fundraiser geared toward vendors and out-of-town residents, the Ruiz campaign is extremely proud to highlight its 101 individual contributors, over half of whom are Dover residents, and who have donated an average of $134.

The campaign enters the final 30 days with $6,511.53 on hand.