Emily Jabbour Wins Hoboken Mayor's Race, Russo Concedes: See Tallies, Speeches

HOBOKEN, NJ — Two-term Hoboken Councilwoman Emily Jabbour will be the next mayor of Hoboken, defeating Councilman Michael Russo, according to both campaigns.

(Related: 2 Democratic Socialists Declare Victories In Jersey City)

Jabbour declared victory in the close mayoral runoff election around 9 p.m. Tuesday.

"Michael called Emily at 8:44 p.m. and congratulated her on her victory on behalf of all of Team Russo," a Russo spokesman told Patch.

11,961 ballots were counted by the end of the night.

Around 900 machine votes separated the pair, both incumbent council members in the mile-square city. See the results below, as well as City Council election tallies.

Candidates' Statements

"I am incredibly humbled and honored for the trust that the people of Hoboken have placed in me," said Jabbour, who worked as a full-time social worker for the federal government until earlier this year. "It is a victory for everyone who believes that Hoboken's best days are ahead. This campaign was about listening, building bridges, and making sure that truth and honesty prevail...Tomorrow, the real work begins."

Russo said, "On behalf of Team Russo and our entire campaign, we would like to congratulate Team Emily. Team Russo's vision remains strong: Unite Hoboken. Care for our neighbors. Relentless positivity, always."

Russo, whose late father had served as Hoboken mayor and councilman, will remain on the City Council and is up for re-election to that spot in 2027.

On National And Local Politics

Both candidates ran to replace Mayor Ravi Bhalla, who will become an assemblyman early next year.

Jabbour had been closely allied with Bhalla on the council until recently, while Russo sometimes opposed him.

Jabbour had served several one-year terms as council president.

Both candidates are registered Democrats, although Jabbour had been more critical of national politics under the Trump administration, and how those actions might affect Hoboken.

Issues such as rents, affordability, parking, development, and national politics were hotly debated during the race. Read the candidates' takes on rent issues here.

In her ads, Jabbour had tied Russo to past Hoboken corruption and said he was too closely allied with Trump supporters. READ MORE: 'Positive' Hoboken Runoff Campaign Lasted 48 Hours

Six candidates ran for mayor last month, but none drew more than 50 percent of the votes cast, prompting the runoff between the top two vote-getters.

Updated Vote Totals

Note: Because paper ballots could be mailed until 8 p.m., the final numbers will not be available for at least several days. Patch will continue updating the results.

• Emily Jabbour: 6,407
• Michael Russo: 5,554

Update Vote Totals, Council

Russo ticket

• Liz Urtecho (formerly on Tiffanie Fisher's ticket): 5,361
• Nicole Magana: 5,291
• Peter Keeling: 4,952

Jabbour ticket

• Joe Quintero (council incumbent): 5,783
• Caitlin Layson: 6,211
• Steve Firestone: 5,888

See biographies and Q&A for Jabbour and Russo:

• Emily Jabbour
• Michael Russo

Jabbour and Russo each responded at length last week, when asked if they'd remain independent. See their comments here.

Find Out About The Transition

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