In what comes as no surprise, Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla, who last week announced that he would not seek a third term in office, this morning announced his candidacy for the 32nd District, State Assembly seat. Ironically, the Assembly seat is currently held by freshman, Democrat John Allen, Bhalla’s former Chief of Staff in City Hall.
Bhalla intends to run in the Democratic Primary this summer. It is not known at this time whether he would have the support of the Hudson County Democratic Organization. The other Assembly person currently serving in the 32nd Legislative District is Jersey City’s Jessica Ramirez. Both Allen and Ramirez had the support of the HCDO during the election two years ago.
In a press statement released this morning, Bhalla stated, “As a two-term mayor, I believe Trenton needs more mayors who get things done. In the State Assembly, I will fight to ensure that New Jersey leads the way on curbing both traffic fatalities and climate change, and address the housing crisis that is squeezing so many residents in Jersey City, Hoboken and throughout the state. With Donald Trump back in the White House and the Republicans in control of both houses of Congress, the role of states and cities is more important now than ever. We are the laboratories of democracy that will move our state and country forward.”
The release goes on to say, “Taking leadership on making Hoboken a safer place to walk, bike and drive, Mayor Bhalla launched and implemented its Vision Zero program. As a result, today, January 15th, marks the 8th year Hoboken has gone without a single pedestrian fatality in the city. This initiative was lauded by U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg as a nation-wide model for safe streets.
Hoboken is one of only 10 cities around the world to receive an “A” rating from the environmental impact non-profit, CDP for its climate change mitigation and adaptation initiatives. The initiatives range from providing plentiful electrical vehicle charging options to creating state of the art resiliency parks designed with infrastructure to combat flooding. This year, under the mayor’s leadership, Hoboken was the 1st in the State of New Jersey to establish a separate Department of Climate Action & Innovation.”
Bhalla has consistently spoken out against discrimination, racism, antisemitism and intolerance. For 7 years in a row, Hoboken has received a perfect 100% score from the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) Municipal Equality Index (MEI) for its LGBTQIA+ inclusive policies and laws.
Bhalla has strongly opposed NJ Transit rate hikes, the turnpike expansion, the commercialization of Liberty State Park and the gutting of the state open records law (OPRA).
Elected as Mayor in 2017 and re-elected in 2021, Bhalla served on the Hoboken City Council from 2010 to 2017, serving as Council President for part of his tenure. As a civil rights attorney, Bhalla led a successful campaign to reform the federal government’s visitation policies at correctional facilities nationwide.
Mayor Bhalla ran for Congress last year. In the 2024, 3-way Democratic Congressional primary, he received more than 60% of the vote in the 32nd Legislative District.