Convicted Ocean County GOP boss George Gilmore dealt a blow as ally Jim McGreevey lost the Jersey City mayoral race in a 68% to 32% landslide
JERSEY CITY, NJ – Former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey’s bid for political redemption ended in defeat Tuesday night, delivering an embarrassing setback not only to the onetime Democratic governor but also to one of his most unlikely allies — Ocean County Republican Chairman George Gilmore.
McGreevey lost the 2025 Jersey City mayoral runoff election to City Councilman James Solomon, whose grassroots campaign defeated the well-financed former governor in a race defined by political irony and old alliances.
The loss marks the end of McGreevey’s long-awaited political comeback attempt, more than two decades after he resigned from the governor’s office in 2004 following a scandal involving a personal sex affair with a male aide.
Unlikely alliance draws attention
In the final weeks of the campaign, McGreevey’s ties to Gilmore — a powerful figure in Ocean County Republican politics — raised eyebrows across both parties. The pair’s connection became public after McGreevey attended a fundraiser hosted by Gilmore at B2 Bistro in Bayville, where tickets went for $1,000 per person.
Though the Jersey City mayoral contest is officially nonpartisan, McGreevey’s appearance alongside a GOP county chair convicted of tax evasion in 2019 and later pardoned by President Donald Trump drew criticism and confusion among Hudson County Democrats.
Gilmore, who has long been an influential power broker in Republican circles, has in recent years championed openly gay candidates, including former Atlantic City Mayor Don Guardian and U.S. Senate hopeful Curtis Bashaw, who lost his race to Congressman Andy Kim earlier this year.
McGreevey’s scandal-scarred legacy loomed large
McGreevey’s defeat highlights the enduring weight of the scandal that ended his governorship and how many Democrats were turned off with his political affairs with Gilmore.
In August 2004, he resigned after acknowledging an extramarital affair with Golan Cipel, an Israeli national he had appointed as his homeland security adviser despite Cipel’s lack of qualifications and inability to obtain U.S. security clearance.
Cipel later threatened to file a sexual harassment lawsuit, prompting McGreevey to preemptively resign and publicly come out as gay, declaring during his televised resignation speech, “My truth is that I am a gay American.”
The admission made McGreevey the nation’s first openly gay governor.
His 2025 campaign for Jersey City mayor attempted to reframe that legacy, highlighting his years of work in prisoner reentry and rehabilitation programs. But critics argued that his political alliances and his history of personal scandal made his message of redemption ring hollow.
Gilmore’s political gamble backfires
For Gilmore, McGreevey’s loss represents a public setback after years spent rebuilding his influence following his own legal and criminal troubles. Once convicted of tax evasion, Gilmore was pardoned by President Trump in 2021 and has since reemerged as a key player in Ocean County’s political scene, but has only been able to win at the county level in the majority Republican county.
By backing McGreevey — a Democrat and one of the state’s most polarizing political figures — Gilmore sought to expand his reach beyond the Republican base and strengthen relationships across party lines. Instead, McGreevey’s defeat in Jersey City has left Gilmore politically exposed, with critics questioning his judgment and alliances.
Gilmore’s political and financial connections to New Jersey Democrats haven’t gone unnoticed. He was named as a chief consultant for Optimus Partners, a political lobbying firm in South Jersey run by Phillip Norcross, brother of South Jersey Democrat powerbroker George Norcross.
Prior to that, Gilmore was a partner at 1868 Public Affairs, a political lobbying firm owned by the New Jersey State Democratic political chairman. Gilmore was removed from that company after his tax conviction, where he was sentenced to federal prison for year.
Republicans in Ocean County were not happy with Gilmore’s association to McGreevey and neither were North Jersey Democrats.
“The fact that McGreevey has the gall to put this convicted crooked politician’s name on a formal printed invitation shows that he has no shame. It speaks volumes about his arrogance and lack of integrity,” said Jeff Dublin. “We can’t let the most corrupt governor in N.J. history become the most corrupt mayor. That is not going to happen.”
“A Trump-pardoned MAGA acolyte who is determined to beat Kamala Harris and elect a Republican Governor in 2025. Jim McGreevey’s willingness to take money from anyone – but especially from a MAGA party boss – says loudly and clearly that his priority is not changing Jersey City; it’s doing the same old corrupt politics people are sick of. There is only one candidate in his race with the backbone to stand up to developers and the machine and that’s James Solomon,” said one North Jersey politician.
“It’s outrageous that Jim McGreevey is raising money with GOP party leaders,” Ali said in a statement. “It’s hard to believe that he has Jersey City’s best interests at heart while accepting donations from a close ally of Donald Trump. He should return the money immediately and cancel the fundraiser — otherwise, how can the voters of Jersey City trust anything he says?” said Former JC School Board President Mussab Ali.
These quotes were obtained from NJ Insider.
Republicans in Ocean County were slow to publicly attack the chairman who has a thirst for personal revenge against dissent.
“While Republicans lost elections in towns like Brick and Jackson in his own backyard, the chairman was bending over backward and forward for Jim McGreevey,” said one county committeeman who wished to remain anonymous. “While he should have been working on down-ballot Republicans in Ocean County, he was too busy lending his hand to McGreevey, and sabotaging Jack Ciattarelli whenever he could.”
End of a comeback, and a cautionary tale
McGreevey’s loss to Solomon signals the end of one of New Jersey’s most unusual political partnerships — a former Democratic governor and a Republican party boss uniting in a city known for deep Democratic roots.
For McGreevey, it closes the door on a long effort to return to elected office. For Gilmore, it serves as a reminder that even powerful alliances can falter when tested at the ballot box and that while he can win the easy Republican elections in Ocean County, his track record at the state and federal level since he was pardoned for his felonies has been less than impressive and somewhat questionable.
