Flynn, Scharfenberger win in LD13

Assemblymembers Vicky Flynn (R-Holmdel) and Gerry Scharfenberger (R-Middletown) have won re-election in the 13th legislative district, the New Jersey Globe projects, after having previously overcome a tougher-than-expected challenge in June’s Republican primary.

As of 11:57 p.m. and with nearly all votes counted, Flynn and Scharfenberger each have around 29% of the vote, while Democrats Jason Corley, the Long Branch high school athletic director, and Vaibhav Gorige each have around 21%.

The 13th district, represented in the Senate by State Sen. Declan O’Scanlon (R-Little Silver), covers northern Monmouth County and is solidly Republican. Scharfenberger arrived in the legislature in 2020, while Flynn was elected two years later after Assemblywoman Serena DiMaso (R-Holmdel) clashed with Monmouth GOP Chairman Shaun Golden and was promptly booted off the party ticket.

The wounds from that 2021 primary still haven’t healed, and this year brought a new primary challenge from Rich Castaldo, a self-funding filmmaker aligned with DiMaso. The anti-Golden wing of the Monmouth GOP also allied with GOP gubernatorial candidate Bill Spadea, who was up against Golden’s preferred candidate, Jack Ciattarelli.

Castaldo focused his efforts largely on Flynn – at one point, he unsuccessfully tried to kick her off the ballot because he claimed local Republicans were only supporting Scharfenberger – and said that the reliably conservative lawmaker wasn’t conservative enough. It came surprisingly close to working; Castaldo earned 27% of the vote to Flynn’s 34% and Scharfenberger’s 39%.

While Democrats do have a foothold in Monmouth County in the next-door 11th district, they never considered seriously contesting the 13th, and Flynn and Scharfenberger were essentially guaranteed re-election once the primary concluded.