The mudslinging has ramped up in the Jersey City mayoral campaign, with Democrat James Solomon accusing his opponent, Democrat Jim McGreevey, of going full MAGA.

Mr. Solomon, a member of the city council who is vying to win the nonpartisan election for mayor this fall, attacked the a former New Jersey governor after reports surfaced that the Democrat had accepted donations from Republican donors. He took liberties with comments the former governor made about “actively courting MAGA money.”

Mr. McGreevey “was asked about it, do you know what he said?” Mr. Solomon wrote in an email sent to his constituents in Jersey City on Tuesday. “He said: Yup, I sure did — and I did it so I could ask Trump to send JC money. It’s pay to play!”

Mr. McGreevey did admit to courting Republicans in an effort to pull in federal funding for Jersey City should he win the election and become mayor.

“Over the years, I have developed friendships and working relationships with persons on both sides of the aisle who hopefully respect my work ethic and ability to get things done,” Mr. McGreevey said.

Mr. Solomon used the e-mail attack on the former governor’s character to raise campaign donations.

“Jim McGreevey is ACTIVELY admitting to selling us out to Trumpworld. It’s in print — and it underscores why we need REAL change in Jersey City, not the same good ole boys McGreevey,” he writes. “So can we count on you to chip in $10 or whatever you can now to fight back against MAGA Jim McGreevey and Trump’s dirty Money?”

According to campaign finance filings, Mr. McGreevey has accepted donations totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars from more than 2,000 donors who have supported President Trump and Senator Cruz.

Among those who have donated are a New York City grocery store magnate, John Catsimatidis, and financier Kenneth Pasternak, who was charged with fraud in 2005 by the Securities and Exchange Commission.  

Mr. McGreevey, sent out an email of his own in response to Mr. Solomon’s accusations, declaring, “I have been a Democrat my entire life, and I will die a Democrat.”

“The notion that I am aligned with MAGA Republicans is not only ridiculous — it is a deliberate misrepresentation,” he writes in his statement released Tuesday evening. “After more than 30 years of service in public, legislative, and executive roles, I have built strong, respectful relationships across party lines. That is not a weakness; it is a strength.”

He also took the opportunity to sling criticism at his political opponent. “Councilman Solomon has been in office for nearly eight years, yet during that time, our city has become more expensive and more inequitable. While he now speaks out against overdevelopment, he has supported many of the very projects he criticizes,” he said.

“Mr. Solomon comes from a family with considerable wealth and owns a multi-million-dollar home. While financial success is not inherently disqualifying, it can create a significant disconnect from the lived experiences of working families, leading to policies that lack urgency, relevance, or impact.”

This is not the first time that Mr. Solomon has accused Mr. McGreevey of going full-on MAGA since the mayoral campaigning has been under way at Jersey City.

In January, his campaign manager criticized the former governor’s financial filings, showing a $11,500 payment for research and polling to McLaughlin and Associates, a firm known for working with Mr. Trump and that recently touted in a press release that it was “proud” to have worked with him.

“The MAGA/Trump/McLaughlin agenda is going to hurt real people in Jersey City; targeting the vulnerable to help those who already have so much get more,” Mr. Solomon’s campaign manager, Stuart Thomas, said in a statement to Jersey City Times. “Let’s be clear, campaigns are a test of character, and by surrounding himself with people who support, empower, and adore Donald Trump, Jim McGreevey is failing that character test.”

Mr. McGreevey pulled no punches in his response during an interview with Politico.

“For the past decade, every day of my life, I have worked to assist those returning from addiction treatment, prison, and veterans returning from war. Among the most marginalized persons in our city and state,” he said, adding that the comments were a distraction from the real concerns of voters, including property taxes, rent hikes, and crime. 

“My life’s work and my family has been about serving working families. I have not had the privilege and financial wherewithal gifted to me as has James Solomon,” he said.

Mr. Solomon doubled down on his attacks on Wednesday and accused Mr. McGreevey of being “silent” on Mr. Trump’s first 100 days in office.

“People across Jersey City, New Jersey, and the nation spent Trump’s 100th day calling out his maliciousness — but not Jim McGreevey, who was probably too scared to annoy his MAGA donors,” he said in a new email to constituents.