Bucco re-elected Senate minority leader

New Jersey Senate Republicans today re-elected Anthony M. Bucco as their minority leader for the next session, when they return in 2024 with fifteen GOP senators.

Republicans could not gain in Tuesday’s general election, reclaiming the temporary loss of Sam Thompson’s Senate seat after his party switch in February, but losing one-time giant killer Ed Durr.

Bucco, who became leader in June after Steve Oroho (R-Franklin) decided to retire, now won a full two-year term without opposition.   Senators were re-elected to four-year terms this year, giving Bucco until 2027 to regroup for the next Senate election.

His leadership team remains unchanged: Joseph Pennacchio (R-Montville) and Robert Singer (R-Lakewood) as deputy minority leaders; Holly Schepisi (R-River Vale) as conference leader; Decan O’Scanlon (R-Little Silver) as budget officer; and Kristin Corrado (R-Totowa) as ranking minority member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The newest additions to the Senate Republican leadership are Michael Testa, Jr. (R-Vineland) and Vincent Polistina (R-Little Egg Harbor) as deputy conference leader.  Testa is also the Cumberland County GOP chairman, and he led his local organization to an all-Republican county commissioner board and flipped the sheriff and surrogate offices.

Next year’s Senate will include four new Republicans: Carmen Amato (R-Berkeley), Owen Henry (R-Old Bridge),  Parker Space (R-Wantage), and Latham Tiver (R-Southampton).

In a statement, Bucco made it clear that Republican senators will continue to raise objections to policies from the state’s Democratic governor, Phil Murphy, and Democratic legislative leaders.

“I am going to be joined by a strong leadership team that will help us to be successful on both the political and policy sides going forward,” Bucco said.  “This should be a sign to everyone that Senate Republicans remain committed to continuing to provide a reasonable alternative to the out-of-touch progressive Democrat agenda that is making it harder for families to afford to live in New Jersey.”

Still, two of the seven Senate GOP leadership team members, Polistina and Singer, voted for Murphy’s budget last year.

Election observations

After losing Durr and failing to oust Democratic seats in the 4th, 11th, 14th, 16th, and 38th districts,  Bucco acknowledged that “Tuesday was a difficult night for Republicans.”

Bucco cited massive spending by Democrats in the first election under a new map as one of the reasons the GOP could flip key districts even after raising more money than they have in a decade.

“Democrats hit us with a massive onslaught of millions of dollars of spending, both through their campaigns and well-funded outside special interest groups,” he said.  “We were massively outspent in a challenging, low-voter turnout environment that produced a good night for Democrats in New Jersey and beyond.”

Besides the money, Bucco admitted that Democrats have a significant advantage on vote-by-mail and early voting.

“(Republicans) witnessed the impact of many Republicans not embracing their ability to vote-by-mail, which led to Democrats having big leads before Election Day even arrived,” Bucco stated.  “That is a particular obstacle in low-turnout years like 2023.  We will learn from this year’s effort and plot a path forward to ensure the success of future campaigns.”