DePhillips, Barlas hold seats for GOP in LD40

Assemblyman Christopher DePhillips (R-Wyckoff) and freshman Assemblyman Al Barlas (R-Cedar Grove) won re-election in the 40th legislative district, the New Jersey Globe projects.

As of 1 a.m., DePhillips and Barlas led their Democratic challengers, former Caldwell council President Jeffrey Gates and former Woodland Park Councilman Ron Arnau, by a combined 53.4%-46.6%. The 40th, a suburban Bergen-Essex-Passaic district, voted for Donald Trump by 7 points in 2024 and Jack Ciattarelli by 12 points in 2021.

On the state level, though, the 40th embraces Republicans: it’s the only district that has never once elected a Democrat since the state’s 40-district system was implemented in 1973.

DePhillips, a former mayor of Wyckoff, is the GOP conference leader, making him the chamber’s No. 3 Republican, and Barlas has led the state GOP on elections issues like redistricting and ballot design.

In July, the New Jersey Globe reported that a north Jersey physician had accused Arnau of domestic abuse during their nearly two-year relationship from 2014 to 2016. Arnau, who is now married to a different man, denied the allegations.

Mikie Sherrill demanded Arnau produce proof of his innocence or end his campaign, as did the district’s three Democratic county chairs; Jeannine LaRue, the chair of New Jersey’s largest LGBTQ+ advocacy organization; and Gates, who was never truly allied with his running mate. Arnau did not drop out, but his campaign was scaled back nonetheless.

Republicans vastly outspent the Democrats in the 40th.