The election cycle begins earlier than you may expect. Several candidates have stepped forward to run in Ocean County for Sheriff, County Commissioner and Congress, as well as local office.

Each election cycle, the Screening and Recruitment Committee is formed to find candidates who are willing to run for public office and determine which candidates are most suitable for the role. Periodically before the Ocean County mini-convention, the members of this committee interview candidates who are running for county, state, and federal positions. Once the committee has met with all of the candidates who are running in the primary, the committee will make a recommendation to the mini-convention.  All County Committee members are automatically delegates to the mini-convention. 

Helmed by Committee Chair David Wright, former candidate for State Senate (2021) and County Commissioner (2019), the committee has hosted two meetings to date. Thus far, the committee has screened questions from candidates who are running for Congress in district 2. Candidates Timothy Alexander, Carolyn Rush, and Hector Tavarez were asked questions about their campaign strategy, their background and their position on core Democratic issues such as police reform, gun control, the cost of college education, women’s rights, and their support for the LGBTQ+ community. The candidate that secures the nomination will compete against Jeff Van Drew of NJ-02 this November. 

If you are interested in finding out more about running for Congress, Sheriff  County Commissioner (formerly Freeholder) or local office should email [email protected].