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The battle for Hudson County Sheriff has become a microcosm of everything wrong with New Jersey politics—a toxic clash of corruption, backroom deals, and brazen hypocrisy, with the Democratic establishment rallying behind a candidate whose ties to scandal, the mob, and even the Republican Party should disqualify him from public office.
Multimillionaire Governor Phil Murphy and Passaic County Sheriff Thomas Adamo–a recent Republican–have thrown their weight behind Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis, a retired police captain whose record is littered with allegations of sexual misconduct, shady developer deals, and cozy relationships with GOP operatives.
Meanwhile, the Hudson County Education Association stands with incumbent Sheriff Frank Schillari, a rare Democrat who dared to buck the machine by aligning with Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop—a move that cost him the support of the very party bosses who now seek to replace him with a man whose ethical baggage could fill a cargo ship.
Davis, the anointed candidate of the Hudson County Democratic Organization, has spent his career cultivating alliances with the worst elements of New Jersey politics.
Davis refuses to address his past association with Sean Caddle, the political operative who pleaded guilty to orchestrating a murder-for-hire scheme.
He happily accepts endorsements from mob-linked unions like the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), whose members—including relatives of Genovese crime family figures—rake in obscene salaries thanks to rigged labor deals.
And when Republicans, including Hudson County GOP boss Jose Arango, openly endorsed his mayoral campaign, Davis didn’t flinch—because in Hudson County, party labels mean nothing when power is at stake.
“Davis is so reactionary that he makes Joe Manchin look like a liberal,” said Howie Klein, the progressive blogger behind DownWithTyranny. “He’s a blatantly corrupt Trump-Democrat swimming in a cesspool of racism and misogyny.”
The mayor’s record speaks for itself. His administration has been plagued by sexual harassment lawsuits that cost Bayonne taxpayers millions.
He skipped a critical debate during his last ee-election, opting instead to campaign in Jersey City—a snub to the voters he claims to serve.
And when a super PAC tied to disgraced former state Senator Ray Lesniak funneled developer money into his campaign, it was later revealed that the operative hired to run the effort was none other than Caddle, the convicted murderer-for-hire.
Yet Davis’s allies—including County Executive Craig Guy, Union City Mayor Brian Stack, and West New York Mayor Albio Sires—see no problem with propping up a candidate whose ethical lapses would sink a lesser politician.
Their calculus is simple: Schillari’s independence is a greater sin than Davis’s corruption.
Meanwhile, the GOP’s open embrace of Davis exposes the farce of New Jersey’s Democratic machine.
Republicans haven’t won a sheriff’s race in Hudson County since 1905, but this year, they don’t need to—their preferred candidate is running as a Democrat (in name only).
The question now is whether Hudson County voters will finally reject this grotesque spectacle of backroom deals and blatant hypocrisy—or if the Democratic establishment’s grip on power is too strong to break.
One thing is certain: If Jimmy Davis wins, it won’t just be a victory for the machine. It’ll be a victory for everything wrong with politics in New Jersey.
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