Montclair Residents Face Off in District 34 Primary

In the District 34 race, incumbent New Jersey State Sen. Nia Gill is facing a challenge from Mark Alexander, a Seton Hall University law professor and Montclair resident, and Vernon Pullins, Jr., a former East Orange Board of Education President.

Gill has served in the legislature since 1994.

Alexander is seen as Gill's biggest competition. As of the end of April, Alexander had raised $214,000 compared to Gill's $227,000, according to NJ Spotlight, trimming the incumbent's edge.

Reports also indicate that Alexander has spent a lot of time hitting the streets, reaching out to voters at train stations and local stores while also campaigning door-to-door.

A criticism made against Gill is that she has not made herself accessible to the public, nor has she done enough to court local officials in her district, a claim she denies, NJ Spotlight reported.

Financial filings with the state seem to support the claim.

According to NJ.com, most of Gill's funds were donated by special interest groups' political action committees and companies. A majority of Alexanders' donations came from individuals.

Rounding out the race is Pullins, whose fundraisering fell well shy of the totals raised by Gill and Alexander. The deficit will make it difficult to compete, he told NJ Spotlight, but he's spent the past couple of months campaigning the old fashioned way: talking to people about real issues.