Brendan Gill

Brendan Gill (Democratic Party) is an at-large member of the Essex County Board of County Commissioners in New Jersey. He assumed office on January 1, 2021. His current term ends in 2027.

Gill (Democratic Party) is running for election to the U.S. House to represent New Jersey's 11th Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.^[source]

Biography

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Gill earned a B.A. in political science from Seton Hall University.^[1]

At the time of his 2017 run for re-election, Gill was the president and CEO of the BGill Group. His experience also includes work as a senior advisor and the 2014 campaign manager for U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D), the 2008 campaign manager, a senior advisor, and the state director for U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D), the communications director for the New Jersey Department of Transportation, the 2006 campaign director for the New Jersey Coordinated Campaign, and the district director for U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman (D).^[2]

Elections

2026

Note: At this time, Ballotpedia is combining all declared candidates for this election into one list under a general election heading. As primary election dates are published, this information will be updated to separate general election candidates from primary candidates as appropriate.

General election

The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.

General election for U.S. House New Jersey District 11

The following candidates are running in the general election for U.S. House New Jersey District 11 on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	John Bartlett (D)
	Submit photo	Marc Chaaban (D)
	Submit photo	Cammie Croft (D)
		Brendan Gill (D)
		Jeffrey Grayzel (D)
		Justin Strickland (D)
	Submit photo	Anna Lee Williams (D)
	Submit photo	Joe Hathaway (R)

	There are no incumbents in this race.
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Endorsements

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2023

General election

General election for Essex County Board of County Commissioners At-large (4 seats)

The following candidates ran in the general election for Essex County Board of County Commissioners At-large on November 7, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Patricia Sebold (D)	19.1	69,110
✔		Brendan Gill (D)	19.0	68,764
✔		Wayne Richardson (D)	18.8	67,969
✔		Romaine Graham (D)	18.7	67,786
	Submit photo	Joseph Cifelli (R)	6.3	22,657
	Submit photo	Alexandra Campisi (R)	6.2	22,499
	Submit photo	Aristotle Popolizio (R)	6.0	21,690
	Submit photo	Michael Pocelinko (R)	5.9	21,526

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 362,001
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Essex County Board of County Commissioners At-large (4 seats)

Incumbent Brendan Gill, incumbent Romaine Graham, incumbent Wayne Richardson, and incumbent Patricia Sebold defeated Justin Harris in the Democratic primary for Essex County Board of County Commissioners At-large on June 6, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Brendan Gill	24.4	30,611
✔		Romaine Graham	23.6	29,548
✔		Wayne Richardson	23.6	29,533
✔		Patricia Sebold	22.9	28,613
	Submit photo	Justin Harris	5.5	6,912

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 125,217
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Essex County Board of County Commissioners At-large (4 seats)

Joseph Cifelli, Alexandra Campisi, Aristotle Popolizio, and Michael Pocelinko advanced from the Republican primary for Essex County Board of County Commissioners At-large on June 6, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Joseph Cifelli	26.0	3,315
✔	Submit photo	Alexandra Campisi	25.5	3,243
✔	Submit photo	Aristotle Popolizio	24.5	3,121
✔	Submit photo	Michael Pocelinko	24.0	3,060

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 12,739
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Gill in this election.

2020

General election

General election for Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders At-large (4 seats)

The following candidates ran in the general election for Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders At-large on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Patricia Sebold (D)	19.6	247,302
✔		Brendan Gill (D)	19.4	245,701
✔		Rufus Johnson (D)	19.3	244,645
✔		Romaine Graham (D)	19.1	241,755
	Submit photo	Alexandra Campisi (R)	5.8	73,053
	Submit photo	Monique Headen (R)	5.6	70,949
	Submit photo	Gynise Gotto (R)	5.6	70,797
	Submit photo	Bernarda Quezada (R)	5.6	70,475

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,264,677
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders At-large (4 seats)

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders At-large on July 7, 2020.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Romaine Graham	22.4	78,221
✔	Patricia Sebold	21.2	74,055
✔	Brendan Gill	20.5	71,657
✔	Rufus Johnson	20.5	71,533
	Simone Jelks-Bandison	5.3	18,546
	Anthony Diaz	5.2	18,022
	Sabre Burroughs	4.9	17,170

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 349,204
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders At-large (4 seats)

Alexandra Campisi, Monique Headen, Gynise Gotto, and Bernarda Quezada advanced from the Republican primary for Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders At-large on July 7, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Alexandra Campisi	25.4	9,559
✔	Submit photo	Monique Headen	25.0	9,432
✔	Submit photo	Gynise Gotto	25.0	9,425
✔	Submit photo	Bernarda Quezada	24.6	9,282

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 37,698
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2017

See also: Municipal elections in Essex County, New Jersey (2017)

Essex County, New Jersey, held a general election for all four at-large seats and all five district seats on the board of chosen freeholders on November 7, 2017. A primary was held on June 6, 2017. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was April 3, 2017. The following candidates ran in the general election for the at-large seats on the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders.^[3]

Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders, At-Large General Election, 2017
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Brendan Gill Incumbent	20.46%	103,519
	Democratic	Patricia Sebold Incumbent	20.44%	103,424
	Democratic	Rufus Johnson Incumbent	20.23%	102,335
	Democratic	Lebby Jones Incumbent	19.81%	100,243
	Republican	Frank Contella	4.95%	25,024
	Republican	Blanca Lopez	4.91%	24,823
	Republican	John Piserchia	4.80%	24,283
	Republican	Che Colter	4.37%	22,095
		Write-in votes	0.03%	162
Total Votes				505,908
Source: Essex County, NJ, "November 7, 2017 General Election," accessed January 3, 2018

Incumbent Patricia Sebold, incumbent Rufus Johnson, incumbent Brendan Gill, and incumbent Lebby Jones were unopposed in the Democratic primary for the at-large seats on the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders.^[3]

Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders, At-Large Democratic Primary Election, 2017
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Patricia Sebold Incumbent	25.51%	41,799
	Democratic	Rufus Johnson Incumbent	25.25%	41,378
	Democratic	Brendan Gill Incumbent	25.01%	40,987
	Democratic	Lebby Jones Incumbent	24.17%	39,609
		Write-in votes	0.06%	102
Total Votes				163,875
Source: The Essex County Clerk's Office, "2017 Primary Election," June 15, 2017

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

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2023

Brendan Gill did not complete Ballotpedia's 2023 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Brendan Gill did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

2017

Gill's campaign website highlighted the following issues:

“

Transportation and Infrastructure
Sound and accessible infrastructure is essential for the sustainable development of communities, flow of commercial activity, and the safety of road users everywhere. Having worked at the New Jersey Department of Transportation and for the late U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg, much of my experience in public service has focused on road safety and transportation policy.

As a member of the county freeholder board, I proposed and voted to pass New Jersey's first county Complete Streets policy. Roadway safety for all users - drivers, pedestrians, and mass transit users alike - is a key priority for our growing communities. Endorsed by the AARP and supported by the efforts of Rutgers University's School of Planning & Public Policy and Together North Jersey, Complete Streets has allowed communities across New Jersey and the United States become better prepared for safe transit routes in the future.

In his 2013 State of the Union speech, President Barack Obama noted that there are 70,000 structurally deficient bridges nationwide. In Essex County, I've voted to approve over $5 million in bridge rehabilitation funding, including $1 million for the Centre Street Bridge in Nutley. We have also worked to make our county roadway intersections compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act by adjusting our sidewalks, on-ramps, and traffic signals to ensure optimal accessibility and safety for all users.

Parks, Recreation & Open Space
With the oldest county park system in the nation, Essex is home to 6,000 acres of parkland, reservations, and recreational facilities. I’ve worked with the Department of Parks and Recreation to address some of the concerns of park conservancy groups across the fifth district so that facilities and grounds are properly maintained.

During my first term on the freeholder board, parks in my district, including Anderson Park, Kip’s Castle, Glenfield, and Essex County Brookdale Park have undergone various design and rehabilitative improvements. In years to come, I look forward to working more on initiatives like these, with all of our park conservancy groups, so that we can better promote the protection and diligent use of open space.

As freeholder, I introduced Essex County's idle-free policy, supported by the county Environmental Commission, which codified state laws at the county level, and which reinforce our ban on the unnecessary release of toxins into the air. Whether it's school zones, supermarkets, or playing fields, we all have a stake in keeping our air clean, and I'm proud to say that in Essex County, we are doing just that.

Transparency in Government
Part of governing successfully includes making government open and accessible to all constituents. During my first year on the freeholder board, I proposed an ordinance that will ensure transparency in Essex County's insurance contracting process. Also, as technology develops, keeping in touch with residents remains a necessity, but one that is now more expedient and streamlined than ever before. Using both conventional and new media, I do my best to keep in contact with constituents from my district by taking phone calls, responding directly to emails and letters, regularly discussing ongoing county business, and maintaining an online directory of key county projects and policies that are ongoing or forthcoming.^[4]

”

—Brendan Gill's campaign website, (2017)^[5]

Campaign finance summary

Campaign finance information for this candidate is not yet available from the Federal Elections Commission. That information will be published here once it is available.

External links

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Footnotes

↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named officialbio
↑ LinkedIn, "Brendan Gill," accessed October 19, 2017
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 Essex County Board of Elections, "2017 Important Election Dates," accessed July 19, 2017
↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
↑ Brendan Gill - Essex County Freeholder, "Issues," accessed October 19, 2017

[show]

New Jersey's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Cory Booker (D)

Andrew Kim (D)

Representatives

District 1

Donald Norcross (D)

District 2

Jeff Van Drew (R)

District 3

Herbert Conaway (D)

District 4

Chris Smith (R)

District 5

Josh Gottheimer (D)

District 6

Frank Pallone (D)

District 7

Thomas Kean (R)

District 8

Robert Menendez (D)

District 9

Nellie Pou (D)

District 10

LaMonica McIver (D)

District 11

Mikie Sherrill (D)

District 12

Bonnie Coleman (D)

Democratic Party (11)

Republican Party (3)

[officialbio-1] Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named officialbio

[2] LinkedIn, "Brendan Gill," accessed October 19, 2017

[candidatelist-3] 3.0 ^3.1 Essex County Board of Elections, "2017 Important Election Dates," accessed July 19, 2017

[quotedisclaimer-4] Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.

[5] Brendan Gill - Essex County Freeholder, "Issues," accessed October 19, 2017

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Brendan Gill

Biography

Elections

2026

General election

General election for U.S. House New Jersey District 11

Endorsements

2023

General election

General election for Essex County Board of County Commissioners At-large (4 seats)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Essex County Board of County Commissioners At-large (4 seats)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Essex County Board of County Commissioners At-large (4 seats)

Endorsements

2020

General election

General election for Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders At-large (4 seats)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders At-large (4 seats)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders At-large (4 seats)

2017

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

2023

2020

2017

Campaign finance summary

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

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