Rahway Independent Mayoral Candidate Sues to Get Back on the November Ballot
A Democratic Party official filed the petition that led to Hope Moran's disqualification. A judge has scheduled a hearing for Monday.
A June 2026 photograph of Rahway City Hall. (The Central Jerseyan)
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Chris Howell | June 18. 2026
An independent candidate for Rahway mayor is suing to get back onto the November ballot after the Union County Clerk’s office ruled she had fallen three signatures short of the threshold required to qualify. The determination was triggered by a challenge filed by a current member of the Union County Democratic Committee.
Hope Moran, who confirmed the lawsuit, said tracking down the names on the challenged ballots has been an ordeal. “I’m sorry, it has been the roughest week of my life,” she said.
Moran, who is running against incumbent Mayor Raymond Giacobbe Jr. and Republican candidate Casey Granieri in the Nov. 3 general election, submitted 297 nominating petition signatures on June 2. Robert Rachlin, a Rahway resident listed on the county Democratic Committee’s official roster as a First Ward representative, filed a written challenge to her petition on June 8. Eight days later, the Union County Clerk’s office ruled that 49 of Moran’s signatures were invalid, leaving her with 247, three fewer than the 250 required to appear on the ballot.
The lawsuit argues that the Clerk’s office wrongly rejected at least three signatures and that reinstating them would put Moran over the threshold. The complaint identifies the three voters, and all three submitted sworn certifications confirming their registrations.
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The complaint also raises a procedural due process argument, alleging that the Clerk’s office failed to identify which specific voters were being challenged by name, gave Moran no opportunity to respond or cure defects, and withheld exhibits from Rachlin’s original challenge letter.
The Union County Clerk’s Office did not return a request for comment.
Moran’s attorney is Alan R. Levy, a Rahway resident who is himself a Republican candidate for city council in November. Levy is separately a plaintiff in an active civil lawsuit against members of the Rahway Democratic political organization over the administration of a local Facebook group.
In a Facebook post Sunday, Moran said she was surprised to find that Republicans had been more supportive than members of her own party.
“The Republican Party has been more cooperative and helpful toward me than the Democratic Party,” she wrote. “Members of my own party are the ones objecting to my participation in the democratic process.”
In a Facebook post on Monday, Levy said, “I could not sit idly by at this affront to Democracy, and as a lawyer, there’s something I can do about it.”
Rachlin’s attorney, Kraig Dowd, declined to comment.
Rachlin is identified in the complaint as a former Rahway City Council member. His current membership on the Union County Democratic Committee is confirmed by the committee’s official roster, published on the Union County Clerk’s website. The Democratic County Committee is the formal governing body of the county Democratic Party, composed of elected representatives chosen in the June primary. Its powers include filling vacancies in elected offices.
Public records also show that Union County currently employs Rachlin in the Department of Economic Development.
Moran filed suit in Superior Court in Union County on June 15. Union County Superior Court Judge John M. Deitch granted her Order to Show Cause the same day, scheduling a hearing for June 22 at the Union County Courthouse in Elizabeth.
If Moran prevails, the court would order the Clerk’s office to certify her petition as valid and place her name on the November ballot. If she loses, she would be excluded from the race.
Editor’s note: The Central Jerseyan is free to read and supported by advertising. If you value this kind of local reporting and want to help sustain it, you can become a citizen supporter on Patreon. Your contribution helps fund continued coverage of local government, schools, and community issues.