Democrats have retained control of the 36th legislative district in southern Bergen County and the city of Passaic, with State Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Wood-Ridge), Assemblyman Clinton Calabrese (D-Cliffside Park), and Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D-Passaic) winning against a flawed Republican slate, the New Jersey Globe projects.
As of 12:15 a.m., Sarlo leads Republican Chris Auriemma by a massive 61%-39% margin, though lots of votes remain to be counted. In the Assembly race, Schaer and Calabrese similarly have a combined 61% of the vote against challengers Craig Auriemma and Joseph Viso; the two Auriemmas are brothers.
During the campaign, the New Jersey Globe reported on Viso’s many past troubles, which included drug and gun charges, personal bankruptcy, and a 2009 incident in which he smeared feces on a daycare following a dispute with the owner. Somehow, all of these problems had escaped the attention of local GOP officials who are supposed to be in charge of vetting their candidates.
Even without Viso’s difficulties, though, Republicans would have had a hard time winning the 36th district. The state GOP barely invested in the race at all, while Sarlo and his running mates campaigned as seasoned politicians with lots of money to spend.
Sarlo will now return to Trenton for his 15th year leading the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, which oversees the annual state budget and is among the legislature’s most powerful bodies. He also won re-election tonight as mayor of Wood-Ridge, meaning that he’ll continue to be one of New Jersey’s few remaining dual officeholders; Schaer is another one, having won another term on the Passaic City Council earlier this year.
See all 2023 election results HERE.
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