MONTVILLE - How do you stand out in a field of 12?

That was the challenge Saturday morning for the dozen Dems seeking to replace Mikie Sherrill in Congress. The primary in CD-11, which covers parts of Essex, Passaic and Morris counties, is Feb 5 and the general election is April 16.

They began a candidates' forum by standing up in unison and waving to the crowd; the township's Senior House was standing room only, which had to be encouraging for party leaders. The event, which was sponsored by NJ11th for Change, a grassroots group, gave each candidate five minutes to speak.

Brendan Gill, who some observers consider one of the frontrunners in the race, was the only candidate to talk about what happens post-primary.

Whoever wins the primary, "We need to be behind that person on Feb 6,"

he said. No one in the room disagreed.

Gill also noted - quite correctly - that there is not a lot of disagreement among the field. In a primary, that's pretty common.

Gill, an Essex County Commissioner, stressed his long involvement in Democratic politics, referring to his past work on behalf of Frank Lautenberg, Cory Booker and Phil Murphy.

The event was in Morris County and that provided candidate Jeff Grayzel with an opportunity.

"I am your Morris County candidate," he said. A Morris Township committeeman, Grayzel's perseverance over the years helped turn the once Republican town into a Democratic one.

He also asked voters to consider a candidate's ties to the district and observed that one candidate in the field does not even live in CD-11.

Those comments were the only ones that could have been considered "negative" in the whole show.

Tom Malinowski is the one who does not live in the district. He formerly represented neighboring CD-7 in the House from Jan. 2019 to Jan., 2023.

Notwithstanding Grayzel's remarks, there are also other Morris County candidates in the race, most notably, perhaps, Justin Strickland, a councilman in Chatham.

Strickland ignored Grayzel's crack and spoke about capping college tuition and supporting a public health care option.

Malinowski spoke last - names were drawn out of a hat.

As a former congressman, he said he'd be ready immediately to help the district in the House, and more broadly, spoke of the special election and the midterms that follow as a "moral test."

At the same time, the president is building a "golden ballroom," he said masked federal agents are raiding citizenship ceremonies.

Malinowski, himself, is an immigrant from Poland.

Condemning Donald Trump is de rigueur for Dems today and on that, everyone held firm.

John Bartlett, a Passaic County Commissioner, said that as a voting rights lawyer, he has fought the Trump Administration to protect the right of all qualified residents to vote.

Tahesha Way, the lieutenant governor, said simply:

"I have been in the ring with Donald Trump." Her point was that as New Jersey Secretary of State, (The LG also holds a Cabinet post) she has helped expand voting opportunities in New Jersey through mail-in and early voting - initiatives not always supported by Trump.

Cammie Croft, who worked in the Obama Administration, said bluntly, "This is the most corrupt administration in our lifetime."

Rhetoric aside, facts are facts.

Democrats may still be on a high following Sherrill's unexpected big win, but one can't forget that just 13 months ago, Trump won the presidency - again.

That was not a "fluke," said candidate Anna Lee Williams. She said it's up to Democrats to do a better job appealing to average people who are struggling financially. She spoke of a "Fair Deal." Proving that few things are truly new in politics, Harry Truman talked about a Fair Deal as well.

J.L. Cauvin, another candidate. agreed that Democrats need better messaging, He said he can do that, because besides being a lawyer working to protect tenants, he's also a comedian. In fact, he's been a Trump impersonator. (It is not unique for a Jersey politician to double as a comedian - see Jon Bramnick.) Analilia Mejia said Democrats need to embrace change and should not be intimidated by those who say some progressive ideas are, well, too progressive. They are needed now, she said.

Many elections are about breaking barriers. Sherrill, for example, is the first woman Democrat to be elected governor.

To that end, Dean Dafis, a Maplewood committeeman, said that if elected, he will be New Jersey's first openly gay member of Congress.

Army vet Zach Beecher summed up the sentiments of the candidates - and probably the audience as well - thusly:

"People are sick and tired of feeling sick and tired."

The "county line" is a thing of the past.

Nonetheless, Morris Dems are set to meet Sunday to make an endorsement. Gill has already won the Essex endorsement, and in Passaic, Way and Bartlett were given a dual endorsement.

With all this going on, there is only one Republican candidate in the primary - Joe Hathaway of Randolph.