TOMS RIVER, NJ – Toms River Democrat Ben Giovine says he can fix the problems in Toms River, but according to filings with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission, the candidate is in serious debt.
Giovine, who preached fiscal responsibility, reported over $27,000 of unpaid campaign debt this week to the state as his floundering campaign heads into election day.
According to records, Giovine has overspent and was unable to raise money from his own party to mount a campaign against his opponent, Dan Rodrick.
Sources inside the Democrat party say Giovine was blacklisted for party fundraising. Sources told Shore News Network that Democrat donors felt Giovine’s campaign was a long shot and instead invested in a hotly contested race in Brick. Other usual Democrat donors stayed away from Giovine’s campaign after it was reported that a convicted child sex offender attended events with his running mate, Rhetta Jackson Fair.
Seeing the race as a lost cause, Democrats across the state stayed out of one of the biggest mayoral elections of the 2023 election cycle. Congressman Andy Kim, his boss made a sizable donation, but that’s where it ended.
Now, deeply in debt, Giovine will have to find a way to raise money to pay the vendors and expenses he incurred during his campaign.
His campaign’s net worth as of the October 31st filing deadline was -$27,143.03.
“Ben’s campaign is an example of how he would run Toms River,” Rodrick said today. “Into the ground. But we can’t take it for granted. We need to make sure everyone gets out there and votes today so we can put Toms River back on the right track and start making the right decisions for the future of our town.”