Edison Mayor Sam Joshi and his running mates easily win primary
EDISON – Mayor Sam Joshi and his slate of township council candidates easily secured victories in June 10's Democratic primary.
With all 78 districts reporting, unofficial results show Joshi with 8,717 votes followed by businessman Lav Patel with 2,245 and Councilman Richard Brescher with 1,893, according to the Middlesex County Clerk's website.
"Thank you. Everything we do is for the residents of Edison. On to the general election in November," Joshi said in a Facebook post shortly before midnight Tuesday and added an image of the poll results, adding the numbers are not final and his margin is growing.
Joshi will face two new challengers for his second term in the November general election, Republican Gloria Dittman who received 2,103 votes in the GOP primary and David Tingle, an independent candidate running with the "People's Choice 2025" slogan.
Joshi's township council running mates significantly outpolled their opponents. Unofficial results show Biral Patel with 6,956 votes followed by Kelli Dima with 6,882 and Robert Kentos with 6,815.
The results show Lav Patel's running mates Jayesh Mehta with 3,144 votes, Yingnan "Ingrid" Chen with 3,070 and Anthony DeAmorin with 2,810 votes.
More: With victory, Mikie Sherrill finally comes out swinging — at Jack Ciattarelli | Opinion
Some of Brescher's campaign signs had also included Joyce Ship-Freeman as a council candidate. Ship-Freeman, who formerly served on the council, received an unofficial 2,378 votes in the primary.
The Democratic council victors will face Republicans Russell Azzarello, Kartik Nath and Samiksha Sharmas in the November general election, along with independent candidate Elizabeth Conway who running under the "People's Choice 2025" slogan.
Unofficial results show Azzarello received 2,074 votes, Nath 1,622 and Sharmas 1,589 in the uncontested primary.
Email: srussell@gannettnj.com
Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Edison Mayor Sam Joshi and his running mates easily win primary
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Conservative Josh Hawley introduces bill to raise federal minimum wage to $15 an hour
Conservative Josh Hawley introduces bill to raise federal minimum wage to $15 an hour Show Caption Hide Caption Lawmakers advance bill to lower pay for trainees Florida lawmakers are advancing bills that would allow employers to pay certain workers in training below the minimum wage for up to 12 months. Fox - 35 Orlando WASHINGTON - Ultraconservative Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley introduced a bill on June 10 with Democratic Vermont Sen. Peter Welch to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, making him one of the few Republicans to support the cause. The bill, dubbed the 'Higher Wages for American Workers Act,' would raise the minimum wage starting in January 2026 and allow it to increase on the basis of inflation in subsequent years. The federal minimum wage is currently $7.25 per hour and it's been unchanged since 2009. It is unclear whether the legislation will be taken up for a vote. Members of Congress have previously tried to raise the minimum wage, but to no avail. In 2021, Democratic lawmakers tried to tack a $15 per hour minimum wage provision in former President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus package, but a Senate official ruled that the measure couldn't be included in the bill. President Donald Trump said in December 2024 that he would 'consider' raising the minimum wage. However, he revoked a 2024 executive order that set the minimum wage for federal contractors at $17.75. 'For decades, working Americans have seen their wages flatline," Hawley said in a statement. One major culprit of this is the failure of the federal minimum wage to keep up with the economic reality facing hardworking Americans every day." Welch, a member of the Senate Finance Committee, echoed a similar sentiment. 'Every hardworking American deserves a living wage that helps put a roof over their head and food on the table–$7.25 an hour doesn't even come close,' he said. The Employment Policies Institute, a think tank dedicated to researching employment growth, opposed Hawley and Welch's push, arguing that it would result in a loss of jobs. 'Sen. Hawley should know better,' Rebekah Paxton, research director of the institute, said in a news release. 'This proposal would more than double the minimum wage and slash over 800,000 jobs. An overwhelming majority of economists agree that drastic minimum wage hikes cut employment, limit opportunities for workers, and shutter businesses.' The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found in an analysis that raising the minimum wage would 'raise the earnings and family income of most low-wage workers' but would cause other low-income workers to lose their jobs and their family income to fall. Hawley in February teamed up with progressive firebrand Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders to introduce a bill capping credit card interest rates at 10%, saying it would "provide meaningful relief to working people." He's also been a vocal critic of Medicaid cuts.

an hour ago
Hegseth says the Pentagon has contingency plans to invade Greenland if necessary
WASHINGTON -- WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared to acknowledge that the Pentagon has developed plans to take over Greenland and Panama by force if necessary but refused to answer repeated questions during a hotly combative congressional hearing Thursday about his use of Signal chats to discuss military operations. Democratic members of the House Armed Services Committee repeatedly got into heated exchanges with Hegseth, with some of the toughest lines of questioning coming from military veterans as many demanded yes or no answers and he tried to avoid direct responses about his actions as Pentagon chief. In one back-and-forth, Hegseth did provide an eyebrow-raising answer. Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., asked whether the Pentagon has plans to take Greenland or Panama by force if necessary. 'Our job at the Defense Department is to have plans for any contingency,' Hegseth said several times. It is not unusual for the Pentagon to draw up contingency plans for conflicts that have not arisen, but his handling of the questions prompted a Republican lawmaker to step in a few minutes later. 'It is not your testimony today that there are plans at the Pentagon for taking by force or invading Greenland, correct?' said Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio. As Hegseth started to repeat his answer about contingency plans, Turner added emphatically, 'I sure as hell hope that is not your testimony.' 'We look forward to working with Greenland to ensure that it is secured from any potential threats,' Hegseth responded. Time and again, lawmakers pressed Hegseth to answer questions he has avoided for months, including during the two previous days of hearings on Capitol Hill. And frustration boiled over. "You're an embarrassment to this country. You're unfit to lead," Rep. Salud Carbajal snapped, the California Democrat's voice rising. 'You should just get the hell out.' Hegseth's use of two Signal chats to discuss plans for U.S. strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen with other U.S. leaders as well as members of his family prompted dizzying exchanges with lawmakers. He was pressed multiple times over whether or not he shared classified information and if he should face accountability if he did. Hegseth argued that the classification markings of any information about those military operations could not be discussed with lawmakers. That became a quick trap, as Hegseth has asserted that nothing he posted — on strike times and munitions dropped in March — was classified. His questioner, Rep. Seth Moulton, a Massachusetts Democrat and Marine veteran, jumped on the disparity. 'You can very well disclose whether or not it was classified,' Moulton said. 'What's not classified is that it was an incredible, successful mission,' Hegseth responded. A Pentagon watchdog report on his Signal use is expected soon. Moulton asked Hegseth whether he would hold himself accountable if the inspector general finds that he placed classified information on Signal, a commercially available app. Hegseth would not directly say, only noting that he serves 'at the pleasure of the president.' President Donald Trump has said multiple times that he wants to take control of the strategic, mineral-rich island nation of Greenland, long a U.S. ally. Those remarks have been met with flat rejections from Greenland's leaders. 'Greenland is not for sale,' Jacob Isbosethsen, Greenland's representative to the U.S, said Thursday at a forum in Washington sponsored by the Arctic Institute. In an effort not to show the Pentagon's hand on its routine effort to have plans for everything, Hegseth danced around the direct question from Smith, leading to the confusion. 'Speaking on behalf of the American people, I don't think the American people voted for President Trump because they were hoping we would invade Greenland," Smith said.

Los Angeles Times
an hour ago
- Los Angeles Times
Gov. Abbott deploys over 5,000 Texas National Guard troops ahead of planned ‘No Kings' protests
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Thursday he has ordered the deployment of more than 5,000 Texas National Guard troops, along with more than 2,000 state police, to help local law enforcement manage protests against President Donald Trump and the ongoing federal immigration raids. Abbott's announcement did not detail where the troops were sent, but some were seen at a protest Wednesday night in downtown San Antonio near the Alamo. That protest drew hundreds of demonstrators but did not erupt into violence. More protests are planned on Saturday in San Antonio and across Texas in cities such as Houston, Austin and Dallas as part of the national 'No Kings' movement. Protests earlier this week in Austin and Dallas led to brief clashes with police who used chemical irritants to disperse the crowds. About a dozen were arrested. 'Peaceful protests are part of the fabric of our nation, but Texas will not tolerate the lawlessness we have seen in Los Angeles in response to President Donald Trump's enforcement of immigration law,' Abbott said. 'Anyone engaging in acts of violence or damaging property will be arrested and held accountable to the full extent of the law.' The Republican Texas governor's move stands in sharp contrast to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, who has publicly clashed with Trump over his decision to deploy National Guard and Marine personnel in Los Angeles. Mayors in San Antonio and Austin have said they did not ask for Abbott to mobilize the National Guard to their cities. Abbott, who has been governor since 2014, has been aggressive in deploying the Guard in the past, particularly for immigration enforcement on the border. Since 2021, the Texas Guard has played a prominent role in Abbott's Operation Lone Star, and thousands of troops have been deployed to help clamp down on border crossings. An agreement with the Trump administration in February gave Texas National Guard soldiers the authority to arrest and detain people for entering the U.S. illegally from Mexico. Texas also has established a permanent border base for Guard troops, an 80-acre (30-hectare) installation that will house up to 1,800 troops when completed. Vertuno writes for the Associated Press.