During the Mayoral debate in Camden, New Jersey last week, it seemed one candidate stood out from the others on the stage. Francisco “Frank” Moran, Councilman and long time city official, was a prime target of the other candidates Ray Lamboy and Theo Spencer.

Pegged as the only candidate who is the part of the political establishment in the city, Moran has been endorsed by political leaders throughout the city including the current Mayor Dana Redd, who has decided not to run for a third term in the election on June 6th.

Typically, the election for mayor in the city of Camden has been seen as a mere formality as those who have been chosen by the party tend to take the seat.

Several factors have led to the election results in the past, including the very small voter turnout in the city where as little as 20% of Camden’s 46,000 registered voters show up to the polls.

Though Moran is the party’s favorite, adding to his list of supporters former representative in the New Jersey Assembly for the 5th district and Deputy Clerk for City Council Angel Fuentes, his opponents believe they can beat him through grassroots canvassing.

And this effort has not fallen on deaf ears, Moran told the Philadelphia Inquirer in April that his campaign would not be taken lightly, “I’m not taking anything for granted,” Moran, 48, said. “Rest assured that my campaign and my team will be making the maximum effort to reach out to every constituent in the city.”

Moran’s determination was seen on the debate on Thursday. Though the shouts from the crowd seemed to differ with Moran on some of his policies, the candidate ended the debate with a standing ovation when mentioning he never left the city of Camden, unlike his opponents.

“I’ve been in this city my whole entire life. I raised my children here. I married the woman I met in junior high school. And I’ve been working hard for the betterment of this city since day one,” said Moran. “And the fruits are what you see throughout the city of Camden with the progress that we’ve done. I’m running for Mayor because I’ve been a part of what’s been done so far. My vision is to improve the quality of life for everyone in the city of Camden.”