Joe Salerno defeated Tim Alexander by 445 votes in the June 4 Democratic primary
Atlantic County Democratic Chairman Michael Suleiman is recognizing Joe Salerno as the Democratic nominee for Congress in New Jersey’s 2nd district against three-term Republican Jeff Van Drew.
After an elongated count that took nearly two weeks, Salerno defeated Tim Alexander by 445 votes.
Tim deserves the time to process the election results so that he can make an informed decision on whether to pursue a recount; however, in the interim, we need to start organizing for the general election. We’re already a week behind because of the closeness of this race,” Sulieman said. “I was a Tim Alexander supporter, but now that Joe Salerno has won the primary, I’m supporting Joe 100 percent.”
Suleiman praised Alexander, who won Atlantic County Democratic conventions in 2022 and 2024, but he wants the party to come together in support of Salerno, who now faces a difficult fight against Van Drew.
“We have seen what happens when hard feelings persist after a grueling primary election. Over the past three months, I’ve had some people tell me they will vote for Tim or Joe if they win the primary, but they ‘won’t work for them.’ This is the wrong mindset to have and will only strengthen Van Drew’s chances of winning,” the county chairman stated. “Equally important, some people sitting on their hands will hurt our county and local candidates down-ballot, for their success partially depends on coattails from the top of the ticket.”
Alexander told the New Jersey Globe on Monday that he was still mulling his options.
Cape May County Democratic Chair Marie Blistan, who was neutral in the primary, today endorsed Salerno.
