Ocean County Republicans have easily held onto most of their dark-red seats, the New Jersey Globe projects. Republican incumbents and challengers have retained control of the 9th and 10th districts and two of three seats in the 30th district; it’s still too early to call the race for one of the 30th district’s Assembly seats, which hosted a highly unusual campaign this year.
The 9th district in Ocean County’s southern reaches is witnessing a substantial changing of the guard this year. Berkeley Mayor Carmen Amato was chosen without opposition to succeed retiring State Sen. Christopher Connors (R-Lacey), while Stafford Mayor Greg Myhre ousted Assemblywoman DiAnne Gove (R-Long Beach) at the Ocean GOP convention last March.
Amato defeated Democrat Gabriel Franco to hold the seat for Republicans, and Myhre and Assemblyman Brian Rumpf (R-Little Egg Harbor) beat Democrats Joseph Atura and Sally Collins.
In the 10th district, which is based in Toms River, State Sen. Jim Holzapfel (R-Toms River) defeated Jeff Horn, while Assemblyman Greg McGuckin (R-Toms River) and Point Pleasant Beach Mayor Paul Kanitra beat John LaMacchia and Emma Mammano; Horn and Mammano are both local Democratic party leaders. Kanitra will take the seat of Assemblyman John Catalano (R-Brick), who ran instead for mayor of Brick.
To make it to the general election, McGuckin and Kanitra had to overcome opponents affiliated with Ocean GOP Chairman George Gilmore at the county GOP convention. But while Gilmore may have fallen short of installing friendly legislators in the 10th district delegation, he was highly successful in the 9th district; both Amato and Myhre are close Gilmore allies.
Finally, 30th district State Sen. Bob Singer (R-Lakewood) and Assemblyman Sean Kean (R-Wall) have won re-election against Democrats Stephen Dobbins and Sal Frascino in a district that includes Lakewood, Howell, and Wall. Assemblyman Ned Thomson (R-Wall), however, is locked in a much more competitive race.
Orthodox Jewish leaders in Lakewood, the hub of New Jersey’s Orthodox community, decided this year that they wanted a member of the majority Democratic caucus to advocate for their interests in Trenton. They rallied behind Rabbi Avi Schnall, who has a real chance of unseating Thomson and becoming the first-ever member of the legislature from Lakewood’s Orthodox population.
See all 2023 election results HERE.