Dunn, Barranco: Morris primary results are the will of the people

With two candidates endorsed by the Morris County Republican Party seemingly losing their primaries on Tuesday, Morris County Assemblymembers Aura Dunn (R-Mendham) and Christian Barranco (R-Jefferson) said today that the results represent the choices of an engaged and informed electorate.

“I believe in the electoral process,” Barranco said. “I think at the end of the day the people will always decide who represents them, and not party machines. What you saw on Tuesday was the will of the people.”

In the race for the 11th congressional district, former Assistant Passaic County Prosecutor Paul DeGroot upset Morris County Commissioner Tayfun Selen; while Selen did win Morris County, he did so by a paltry 40-36% margin, which allowed him to get swept away by DeGroot’s huge margin in Passaic County.

Morris County Commissioner Tom Mastrangelo, meanwhile, has very likely defeated party-endorsed Mendham Committeewoman Sarah Neibart. Mastrangelo unexpectedly lost the Morris GOP endorsement for a fifth term at their convention in March, but he continued his campaign and argued, apparently successfully, that Neibart wasn’t conservative enough on some social issues.

As Dunn noted, Morris Republicans didn’t have a line at all until last year, and some voters may not yet be accustomed to having a party-recommended candidate on their ballots.

“It’s pretty young in comparison with other counties – I think the system is taking root,” she said. “It shows you that we have educated voters. That’s the best kind of voter, an engaged voter. And they made their choices on Tuesday.”

Both Dunn and Barranco committed to supporting the nominees that did emerge from Tuesday’s primary. The three nominees for county commissioner are heavy favorites in November, while DeGroot is a significant underdog against Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair).

“It’s about unifying behind the candidates, and really bringing what’s best for New Jersey and the district,” Dunn said. “And I believe that’s through our Republican policies.”