There was a time when Mayor Nicholas Sacco could deliver a massive number of votes in North Bergen, but his endorsement of Republican Jack Ciattarelli comes at a moment when his electoral potency is in question.

Sacco’s candidate in the June Democratic gubernatorial primary, Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, carried North Bergen by 189 votes over Rep. Mikie Sherrill, 2,997 to 2,808, 38%-36%, in a six-candidate field.  Sherrill was endorsed by Union City Mayor/State Sen. Brian P. Stack, who is winning a bitter feud with Sacco.

A slate of Sacco’s candidates for State Assembly in the 33rd district Democratic primary also performed unimpressively.  The top vote-getter was former North Bergen school board member Tony Hector, a Sacco-backed candidate who received 3,668 votes.

But the second-place finisher in North Bergen was businessman Larry Wainstein, a fierce Sacco critic who has run against him three times.  With Stack’s support, 3,546 Democrats in North Bergen voted for Wainstein, nine more than Sacco’s candidate, Republican-turned-Democrat Frank Alonso.  Wainstein is now a sure-bet to be an assemblyman next year.

Assemblyman Gabriel Rodriguez (D-West New York), a Stack ally, finished just 307 votes behind Alonso – not the kind of margins Sacco is accustomed to delivering.

The downside for Ciattarelli is that Sacco’s endorsement could just energize Stack, along with other allies: West New York Mayor Albio Sires and Hudson County Executive Craig Guy, the Democratic county chairman.

Eight years ago, when Sacco was heavily invested in Phil Murphy’s campaign for governor, the results were noticeably different: Murphy received 5,030 votes – over 2,000 more than Fulop – and 82% in a six-candidate contest.

In the Democratic primary for Hudson County Sheriff, Sacco was heavily invested behind incumbent Frank Schillari and delivered an 870-vote margin in North Bergen, 56%-44%.  That’s far below what Sacco

Last year, Donald Trump received 45% of the vote in North Bergen, a big jump from Trump’s 34% in 2020 and his 21% in 2016.  In 2021, Ciattarelli received 27% of the vote, and Murphy beat him by 4,997 votes, 7,996 to 2,999.

Sacco’s performance in the general election may be a precursor to the 2027 non-partisan municipal elections.  It’s unclear whether he’ll run again for the post he’s held since 1991, or if he’ll try to hand the baton to a bunch of heir apparents who don’t get along with each other.