Jersey City Candidate McGreevey Responds To Questions About Donations, Federal Actions

JERSEY CITY, NJ — Seven candidates are running for mayor of Jersey City on Tuesday, including two City Council members, a county commissioner, and a former governor.

One of the leading candidates, Councilman James Solomon, has accused candidate Jim McGreevey — the former governor — of taking money from Political Action Committees that also supported Pres. Trump, and remaining silent about the administration's actions that could have a large effect on the city.

Both candidates are Democrats.

The Trump administration has threatened to sue Jersey City over its "Sanctuary City" policies, and says it will withhold funding for the Gateway train tunnel project to Manhattan. Actions related to SNAP and other benefits are likely to affect the many low-income residents of the city. And since roughly 40 percent of residents were born in other countries, immigration policies — including recent reversals of a "humanitarian parole" program — may have a large effect here.

McGreevey has kept the president's name out of his comments about national issues, including when Reddit users asked him point blank, "How much funds did you accept from MAGA donations?"

He responded he didn't check the past histories of contributors, and didn't respond to a separate question about what he'd do if there were a heavy ICE presence in the city.

To get more complete answers, Patch asked, "Do you currently support the actions of the current presidential administration? Are you concerned about how federal actions may affect Jersey City, which has a population of more than a third who were born in other countries?"

Here is the former governor's response.

McGreevey's Response

"With respect to campaign contributions and outside influence: Our campaign is grounded in Jersey City, rooted in local stakeholders, working families, clergy, educators, small business owners, and focused on the issues that matter here at home. We have made it clear that our allegiance is to the City, not to national partisan machinations. I welcome scrutiny, and I am committed to transparency.
On federal policy concerns, including immigration, health, and education.

"While the focus of this campaign is the City of Jersey City, the truth is that federal policy matters for our city, because nearly one-third of our residents were born abroad and countless more are connected through family, work, and community. So yes, I am deeply concerned about how federal actions may affect our city’s immigrant families, our nonprofit sector, our public schools, and our health care safety net.

"Take, for example, what I wrote in my op-ed on the 'Big Beautiful Bill.' " (Found here)

"In that piece, I underscored how this kind of legislation places disproportionate burdens on low-income communities, on immigrants, on children with special needs, and on municipalities that rely on robust federal partnerships and funding streams.

"Here in Jersey City, we have a vibrant immigrant community, a proud network of public schools, and a growing set of nonprofit and faith-based institutions doing the heavy lifting. My campaign agenda at Jim2025.com reflects that reality...

"In short: My allegiance is first to the children, families, and neighborhoods of Jersey City. I will fight for federal policy that strengthens us, and I won’t hesitate to speak out when policy harms us."

Vote Tuesday

The polls will be open until 8 p.m. on Tuesday.

The seven candidates are:

• Former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey
• Former school board president Mussab Ali
• Police Officer Christina Freeman
• Musician Kalki Jayne-Rose
• Hudson County Commissioner Bill O'Dea
• Councilman James Solomon
• Councilwoman Joyce Watterman

Read our candidate profiles and other Jersey City election coverage here.

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The 2025 General Election Timeline published by the New Jersey Division of Elections is here.

The elections are non-partisan.

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Read our recentJersey City coverage, including mayoral candidates profiles, here.