By Matt Rooney
Democrats have gotten plenty of mileage out of Jon Bramnick’s willingness to bash Donald Trump, Save Jerseyans.
Now they’re looking at finally taking his seat.
Union County Commissioner Kimberly Palmieri-Mouded is seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge Bramnick in LD21 in 2027, according to the New Jersey Globe. Her entry gives Democrats a declared contender after their 2025 sweep of the district’s Assembly seats left the veteran Westfield Republican without either of his longtime running mates.
Apparently, having a Republican who refuses to support President Trump and constantly take giant, wet dumps on his own party is nice. Having another Democrat in the State Senate would be even nicer.
Bramnick has spent years selling his distance from Trump as an electoral asset. In 2024, he explicitly said he would not vote for the Republican presidential nominee. That posture helps explain his appeal to crossover voters, but it clearly hasn’t persuaded Democrats to leave his seat alone.
Here’s where the Democratic field stands:
- Kimberly Palmieri-Mouded: The three-term Union County commissioner is running for the nomination, making her the confirmed challenger.
- Andrew Macurdy: The freshman Democratic assemblyman from Summit has been touted as a possible Senate candidate. He remains a name to watch, although the reporting cited here does not establish an announced campaign.
- Vincent “Vinnie” Kearney: The other freshman LD21 assemblyman, from Garwood, also surfaced as a potential challenger. However, he has indicated he will likely pass on a Senate bid. Counting him as an active candidate would overstate the field.
Why the interest? Look at what happened last November.
Bramnick wasn’t defending his relatively affluent suburban New York City Senate seat in 2025. His Republican Assembly partners, Nancy Muñoz and Michele Matsikoudis, were—and both lost. The certified results were:
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Macurdy | Democrat | 54,965 | Elected |
| Vincent Kearney | Democrat | 53,881 | Elected |
| Michele Matsikoudis | Republican | 46,385 | Defeated |
| Nancy Muñoz | Republican | 46,367 | Defeated |
Even the lower-finishing Democrat, Kearney, beat the highest-finishing Republican by 7,496 votes. Combined, Democratic candidates captured approximately 54% of the votes cast for Assembly candidates, compared with 46% for the Republicans. Those are substantial defeats, not recount territory.
Mikie Sherrill also carried LD21 in 2025, defeating Jack Ciattarelli there by 11,869 votes, roughly 55% to 44%, according to the Globe. Democrats have ample reason to believe the remaining Republican seat is within reach.
None of that makes Bramnick an automatic loser. He won reelection in 2023 with 34,435 votes to Democrat Matt Marino’s 29,948, approximately 53.5% to 46.5%. His personal following matters, and a legislative election in 2027 will be a different contest from the gubernatorial election of 2025.
But the political lesson is hard to miss: being useful to Democrats in an argument about Trump doesn’t buy protection when they see an opportunity to expand their majority.
They can applaud your criticism of your own party and still organize to remove you.
After taking both Assembly seats, Democrats appear ready to find out whether they can stop renting the anti-Trump sound bites and buy the Senate seat outright. Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy!
The question now confronting Republicans: if you’re going to have a real fight in LD21, doesn’t it make more sense to go into battle with a REAL Republican candidate?
