On September 9th at Jumping Brook Country Club in Neptune Township, the NJ LGBTQ Democrats hosted a successful Awards Gala to raise funds and support LGBTQ Democrats running for office in New Jersey. This year’s awardees were: Reginald Bledsoe, Kathy Ahearn-O’Brien and Shannon Cuttle of Essex County, Pamela Renee of Monmouth County, and Senator Troy Singleton (LD 7).

“We were so grateful to be joined by over 190 guests from all over the state- this was our largest event yet! We had great entertainers such as Miss Savannah Georgia and DJ TallSpeedy and we had an opportunity to connect with our community and celebrate the achievements of our awardees,” said NJ LGBTQ Democrats Vice Chair Joe Forte. He continued, “we’ve already started considering our awardees for 2023!”

“On the heels of our recent successful gala, and on this occasion of National Voter Registration Day, we’re honored to release our 2022 endorsements of LGBTQ Democrats running in New Jersey. The next two months will be spent supporting these hardworking candidates to getting elected, and we’d love to see everyone getting out to canvas and fundraise for this group,” said NJ LGBTQ Democrats Chair Lauren Albrecht.

The list of 2022 Candidates endorsed by NJ LGBTQ Democrats are as follows (*asterisk denotes incumbent):

Hope Cohen for Hunterdon County Commissioner
Dr. Julia Hankerson for Cape May County Commissioner
Rebecca Williams for Union County Commissioner*
Betsy Driver for Flemington Mayor*
Reed Gusciora for Trenton Mayor*
Randy Bishop for Howell Council*
Dr. Wartyna Davis for Bloomfield Council*
Joseph Forte for Lawrence Township Council
Pat Hansen for Evesham Township Council*
Lauren Herman for Waldwick Council
John Jackson for Red Bank Council
John Kashwick for Clinton Council
Kadja Manuel for Trenton Council At-Large
Steven McIntyre for North Plainfield Council*
Erynn Murray for Hillsborough Council
Tony Parker for Flemington Council*
Rich Rockwell for Bloomfield Council*
Sonia Ron for Washington Borough Council*
Steven Russell for Matawan Council
Dr. Michael Penna for Asbury Park Schoolboard

For more information on the NJ LGBTQ Dems, please contact us at NJLGBTDems@gmail.com or visit facebook.com/njlgbtdems