NJ School Board Candidate Donned Pelosi Attack Costume: Photo

HUNTERDON COUNTY – A local New Jersey school board candidate’s Halloween costume has drawn criticism from local and state officials due to its apparent parody of the attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband last week.

Tom Gregor, a Telecommunications sales executive for Rochelle Park-based ORBCOMM and candidate for the Bethlehem Township Board of Education, was observed wearing the controversial costume in a photo tweeted by an anonymous account on Monday.

“A friend just sent me this distressing image from Hunterdon County NJ,” the user wrote. “Says the guy in the “Where is Nancy” shirt is running for board of ed nearby. These people walk among us. Not good.”

A friend just sent me this distressing image from Hunterdon County NJ. Says the guy in the “Where is Nancy” shirt is running for board of ed nearby. These people walk among us. Not good. pic.twitter.com/SkYXLAADy0
— Um Reelly (@ReellyUm) October 31, 2022

“I don’t know who Nancy is,” Gregor, of Asbury, told NJ.com when questioned about the photo.

He later reportedly told the publication that he wrote ‘where is Nancy?’ for “no reason,” then added, “it’s what was in the current event of the week.”

Gregor previously served on the Bethlehem Township Board of Education from 2015 to 2017, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Paul Pelosi, 82, was violently assaulted at the couple's home in San Francisco last week with a hammer by a man who broke into the residence, according to the speaker's office and authorities. Paul Pelosi is expected to make a full recovery. Read more: Accused Pelosi Attacker David DePape Charged: 5 Details In Affidavit

Gregor’s costume drew the ire of local and state Democratic officials alike, with New Jersey Democratic State Committee Chairman LeRoy J. Jones, Jr. penning a statement urging state Republicans to disavow the move.

“The criminal attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her husband is another tragic example of the damaging effects that right wing extremism are having on our society. It is sickening to see a candidate for Board of Education celebrate this vicious act,” Jones Jr. said. “It’s up to all of us to stand up against the extremism, conspiracy theories, and violence that are increasingly becoming part of the mainstream of the Republican Party. This conduct is simply not acceptable and cannot be allowed to stand unchallenged.”

“Time to own up to your actions Mr. Gregor,” the Hunterdon County Democratic Committee said in a statement. New Jersey School Boards Association spokeswoman Janet Bamford told several news outlets that the association “is not aware of anything in the Code of Ethics for Board Members which would prohibit this.”

The countywide Republican party has not released official comment on Gregor’s costume, though school board elections in New Jersey are officially nonpartisan.

A request for comment from the county Republican party and the Bethlehem Township Board of Education was not immediately returned Friday.