Hoboken Elects First Sikh Mayor in New Jersey History

Hoboken City Councilman Ravi Bhalla won the city’s mayoral race on Tuesday night to become the first Sikh mayor in the state of New Jersey. Bhalla beat out five opponents to claim the post currently occupied by Dawn Zimmer, who announced she would not seek a third term over the summer. “Thank you for having faith in me, for having faith in our community, faith in our state, and faith in our country; this is what America is all about,” Bhalla said after his election win, according to The Jersey Journal. Bhalla’s victory came just days after he was smeared as a “terrorist” in racist campaign fliers emblazoned with a photo of him wearing his turban. He vowed not to “let hate win” after the incident, and on Tuesday night he called for the city to “come together” after a “bruising campaign.”