Union County Republicans built out an unusually impressive slate of candidates for county commissioner that could boost Rep. Tom Kean, Jr. (R-Westfield)’s performance in the hotly contested congressional race in New Jersey’s 7th district.
Republicans are running three proven vote-getters: former Westfield Councilman Mark LoGrippo, former Berkeley Heights Councilwoman Jeanne Kingsley, and former Cranford Township Committeewoman Mary O’Connor. The candidate recruitment process was spearheaded by Kean’s campaign manager, Kean MacLelland.
O’Connor, whose hometown was remapped into the 10th district, lost a bid for county commissioner last year. She is the niece of the late James Dugan (D-Bayonne), a former state senator and Democratic state chairman who served in the Assembly in 1970 and 1971 with Kean’s father, a former Speaker and two-term governor.
The GOP hasn’t won a countywide election in Union since 1995, but running three quality sacrificial lambs might attract some votes to Kean and boost down-ballot Republicans in the process.
Still, the GOP had a resurgence last year when they elected a mayor and took control of the city common council in Summit and, in a campaign run by MacLelland, picked up four council seats in Westfield. Summit and Westfield have been Democratic strongholds in recent years.
LoGrippo, Kingsley and O’Connor are expected to face three Democratic incumbents: Alex Mirabella, Kimberly Palmieri-Mouded, and James E. Baker, Jr.
Union County Republicans unanimously picked Darius Mayfield for a rematch against Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Ewing) in the 12th district.
To run against Rep. Donald Payne, Jr. (D-Newark) in the 10th district, one of the most heavily Democratic seats in the nation, Union County Republicans picked Carmen Bucco by a 37 to 14 vote over Ramon Hernandez.
Bucco is a perennial candidate making his 10th bid for public office. He won 25% of the vote against State Sen. Joseph Cryan (D-Union) last year after losing bids for Belleville school board in 2007 and 2010, Essex County Freeholder in 2011, Kenilworth councilman in 2018 and 2020, and Union County Commissioner in 2021 and 2022.
Payne was re-elected to a seventh term with 78% of the vote in 2022.
Hernandez was Bucco’s running mate in 2023, losing a bid for State Assembly.