Two LGBTQ candidates running for Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill’s House seat have suspended their respective campaigns, leaving a field of 11 Democrats and one Republican.
Marc Chaaban, a former Congressional staffer who had been an intern for Sherrill, and Dean Dafis, a Maplewood Township committeeman and former mayor, announced they will no longer seek Sherrill’s 11th Congressional District seat in the special primary election set for Feb. 5.
“I want to thank my supporters who collected signatures and knocked on doors, those who already voted for me, and all of my donors who generously fueled our movement,” Dafis told InsiderNJ on Jan. 8.
“While I am ending my campaign today, the work continues, the fight doesn’t end with one outcome,” he continued. “It is critical that we keep NJ-11 blue in April, flip the House and Senate, and stand up to MAGA in Washington.” The special general election for Sherrill’s seat is set for April 16.
“Making the decision to run is never easy, but as the son of immigrants, a provider of critical support to working families, and one of 400,000 LGBTQ+ New Jerseyans, this was deeply personal. I am very encouraged by the people I met all over the district with whom our message resonated – a public option for health care, investing in a mass transit system that works, funding our top-ranked public schools, and affordable housing that doesn’t rely exclusively on lining the pockets of private developers. Progress is incremental, and over time we will ensure that all working families have a more secure safety net,” said Dafis.
Chaaban told the New Jersey Globe on Dec. 3 that the race’s very short timeframe and the Essex County Democratic Convention’s process are reasons why he decided no longer to run.
“Unfortunately, movements take time, resources, and organizing to build — and with just weeks until vote-by-mail ballots go out, the compressed timeline of this special election simply doesn’t afford the runway we need to win,” he told the Globe.
At the Dec. 2 convention, Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill was endorsed for Sherrill’s seat, but according to Chaaban, many of the 11th District candidates claimed the process was “rigged” in Gill’s favor, the Globe reported. Chaaban received just one vote from the 258 committeepeople in attendance, but the convention totals were skewed because most supporters of candidates other than Gill abstained rather than voting for their preferred candidate, the publication reported.
“It’s been a decision I’ve been thinking about for a week now, but the Essex County Democratic Convention was an important reminder that there are many people who want this process to be a coronation,” Chaaban told the Globe. “For those of us hoping for a change candidate, a real fighter, I think it’s time to come together.”
The 11th Congressional District includes parts of Essex, Morris, and Passaic counties.
There has never been an LGBTQ person from New Jersey elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Chaaban or Dafis would have been the first. Neither former candidate responded to Out in Jersey’s interview requests.
The remaining candidates as of Jan. 10 for Sherrill’s House seat are as follows. The term expires Jan. 3, 2027.
- John Bartlett, Passaic County commissioner
- Zach Beecher, former Army paratrooper
- J-L Cauvin, attorney and comedian
- Cammie Croft, worked for the Obama administration
- Brendan Gill, Essex County commissioner
- Jeff Grayzel, Morris Township committeeman and former mayor
- Tom Malinowski, former U.S. Rep. for New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District and assistant secretary of state under Obama
- Analilia Mejia, former national political director for U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders
- Justin Strickland, Chatham councilman
- Tahesha Way, lieutenant governor
- Anna Lee Williams, activist
Joe Hathaway, mayor of Randoph Township, is the lone Republican running.
Sherrill is expected to be sworn in as governor on Jan. 20 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark.
