New Jersey primary 2025: Here’s what to know about Camden Mayor Vic Carstarphen’s reelection bid and City Council races

What questions do you have about the 2025 elections? What major issues do you want candidates to address? Let us know.

Camden voters will head to the polls on June 10 to elect a mayor and three at-large city council members — a pivotal local contest unfolding alongside New Jersey’s 2025 gubernatorial race.

The municipal election in Camden during the primary will be tantamount to the general election due to the overwhelming majority of registered Democrats in the city, in addition to no Republican candidate filing a petition to run for a municipal office.

Who is running for mayor?

Democratic incumbent Vic Carstarphen is running for his second term as Camden’s executive. He has been mayor since 2021 following the resignation of Frank Moran.

Carstarphen, who easily won the primary four years ago, touted as recently as his State of the City address last May his successes: crime being at a 55-year low, investments in the city’s technical infrastructure and several construction projects that are underway, including the $250 million overhaul of the Walter Rand Transportation Center.

Challenging the incumbent is Theo Spencer, who has run for the office in 2017 and 2021. In a statement on his Facebook page, Spencer said he wants “to be part of the movement that restores control of the city back to its residents.”

“For over 25 years, I have watched the political machine of Camden diminish the power and influence of the residents of our fair city,” he said.

Carstarphen is closely tied to South Jersey Democratic powerbroker George Norcross, whose indictment on racketeering charges is in legal limbo after a judge dismissed the charges and Attorney General Matt Platkin filed an appeal. The Appellate Division has given prosecutors until June 23 to file an updated brief.

Who is running for Camden City Council?

Both mayoral candidates are running with a slate of candidates for City Council.

Under Carstarphen’s slate, known as “Team Vic,” are incumbents Angel Fuentes and Nohemi Soria-Perez. Fuentes is the current city council president.

Also joining the incumbents is Nurah Z. Muhammad, a self-described “community actionist.” In her profile for the Camden County Freedom Medal from 2019, it states that Muhammad founded Enlightening, Empowering, Engaging: E3 for Young Women and Girls to support adolescents. She is also a blogger and hosts a weekly podcast.

Spencer’s slate is known as “Community First: Real Democrats for Camden.” The only incumbent on the slate is Sheila Davis, who is running for a third term on the council. Also running on the slate is Tyann La’Shae Harris and Corinne Powers.

Harris filed a lawsuit against the city after it blamed a “clerical error” on leaving 13 Black and Latina female county committee candidates off of the ballot. According to the lawsuit, a clerk’s photocopier jammed while processing petitions brought by Harris. The petitions were returned to Harris without her being notified of the issue.

Powers is the founder and namesake of the award-winning restaurant “Corrine’s Place.” In 2022, it received the America’s Classics Award from the James Beard Foundation. Powers also received the first key to the city handed out by Carstarphen, who called her a “legendary, iconic” pillar of the community.