James Patton concedes to Thaddeus Jones in Calumet City mayoral race
Calumet City Ald. James Patton conceded to Mayor Thaddeus Jones Tuesday night in the city's Democratic primary.
With all 21 precincts reporting, Jones had 2,326 votes, or 60%, compared to 1,533 votes for Patton, according to unofficial results from the Cook County clerk's office. Calumet City filings show no challenger to the Democratic nominee in the April 1 general election.
At the Calumet City VFW Tuesday night, Patton thanked the packed bar of supporters for their aid in his efforts to unseat Jones. He congratulated Jones and said he tried to reach out to the mayor but was unable to reach him.
'Eleven months ago, I stood just in that room over there and set out on a journey that many told me was impossible,' Patton said to his supporters.
'I gave up my seat on the City Council to run this year because I truly believed we needed a different direction in this community,' he said.
Patton is Ward 6 alderman and over the past four years questioned the city's contract bidding process, disputed thousands of dollars of spending Jones charged to a municipal credit card and called a special meeting outdoors to dismiss a lawsuit Jones brought against the city clerk. He also drew parallels between Jones' leadership and that of Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard.
Meanwhile, Jones said in a recent interview that Patton's complaints were not winning issues and predicted coming out on top in Tuesday's primary.
'They want to continue this wrath of chaos and talk about things that don't matter to the voters,' Jones said. 'Voters don't want to hear them talking about mismanaging spending, because I can tell you this definitely — we are not the village of Dolton.'
Several incumbent candidates on Patton's slate were leading Tuesday night, including 2nd Ward Ald. Monet Wilson, 5th Ward Ald. DeJuan Gardner and City Clerk Nyota Figgs. Figgs had 2,019 votes compared to Cassandra Hobert Elston's 1,812, and Wilson had 499 votes to Erica Jenkins' 421. Gardner was leading Roger Munda with 422 votes, or 77%.
Members of Jones' slate leading Tuesday night included Shalisa Harvey in the 1st Ward, with 173 votes to incumbent Ald. Michael Navarrette's 148. Miacole Nelson was leading in the 6th Ward with 295 votes to Garnadette Stuckey's 248.
In a one-vote difference, Melissa Phillips was ahead of incumbent Michael Smith for Ward 7 alderman.
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According to a May 6 report, raw meat was improperly refrigerated, some handwashing stations lacked soap and the person in charge failed to "demonstrate knowledge of food safety." -- Savannah Kuchar and Zachary Schermele One political figure you'd think would have a lot to say about picking the Garden State's next leader is Republican Chris Christie, whose brash-style pre-dated the Trump era. The verbose former governor, who led New Jersey from 2010-2018 and twice ran for president unsuccessfully, hasn't endorsed anyone in this year's contest. He also was quiet across his socials as voters flocked to the polls Tuesday. Asked last week if he planned to support anyone, Christie told The Star-Ledger: 'I haven't decided yet.' Christie mentioned having a 'great working relationship' with Brammick, a Republican state legislator, but he mostly warned the GOP that independents -- who will be critical in the fall for any Republican -- may sour on Trump by the fall. 'If those independents have become disenchanted with what's happening in Washington under Donald Trump, that will put a significant headwind onto Republicans,' he said. — Phillip M. Bailey Rep. Mikie Sherrill is the frontrunner coming into Tuesday evening. In a May poll by Emerson College and The Hill, Sherrill was ahead with 28% of voters' support. She faces Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, and fellow member of Congress Josh Gottheimer, all of whom were sitting at 11% support in last month's poll. New Jersey Education Association President Sean Spiller and former state Sen. President Steve Sweeney are also in the running. -- Savannah Kuchar This race is particularly important for national Democrats because it will be the first major competitive primary since their shattering defeat in the 2024 presidential race. A poll conducted by Emerson College in May found among registered Democratic voters, Sherrill had a solid lead with 28%, but another 24% were undecided. In the last weeks of the race she has faced attack ads for accepting donations linked from a corporate PAC tied to SpaceX, which is owned by Trump 'frienemy' Elon Musk. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka has pitched himself as the candidate most willing to take on Trump. He was thrust into the national spotlight in May after a confrontation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at a federal facility But if electability remains a worry then N.J. Democrats may bet on a safer choice such as U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, who co-founded a bipartisan group dubbed the "Problem Solvers Caucus" that tries to sniff out consensus in Congress. Others in the race, such as Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, are looking for an opening, too. He's been running as a 'pragmatic progressive' for voters fed up with the state's political machine. — Phillip M. Bailey Current New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, is term-limited and cannot run again in this year's race. Murphy has served as top official in the state since 2018 and will conclude his second consecutive term next January. His absence from the race leaves the contest wide open for either party to claim the governor's mansion. The president first announced his support for Ciattarelli in a Truth Social post on May 12. 'Jack Ciattarelli is a terrific America First Candidate running to be the next Governor of a State that I love, NEW JERSEY!' Trump wrote. 'Jack, who after getting to know and understand MAGA, has gone ALL IN, and is now 100%' The two have not always been the best of buds publicly. In 2015, Ciattarelli called Trump a "charlatan." Then in his second campaign for governor in 2021, he kept the then-former president at arm's length. Bygones appear to be bygones, though. Trump told voters in a telephone rally on June 2 Ciattarelli "is the most experienced and battle-tested" candidate. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Recap: Ciattarelli, Sherill wins nominations for governor in NJ
