GOP voters pick party-backed Assembly slate over Auriemma twins in LD36

The Auriemma twins – firefighter Chris and real estate agent Craig, both U.S. Army veterans – have been running for office in the 36th legislative district for years, pitching themselves as pro-Trump Republicans in a part of the state that’s recently become friendlier to the GOP. But local Republican primary voters don’t seem inclined to reward them for their perseverance.

In tonight’s Republican Assembly primary for the 36th district, which covers southern Bergen County and the city of Passaic, the Auriemmas lost to Diane DeBiase and Christopher Musto, the New Jersey Globe projects. DeBiase and Musto had the support of the Passaic and Bergen County Republican organizations, while the Auriemmas ran on an independent slate.

As of 10:26 p.m., Musto has 32% of the vote, DeBiase has 30%, Chris Auriemma has 21%, and Craig Auriemma has 17%.

In both 2021 and 2023, Chris Auriemma was the GOP’s nominee for State Senate and Craig Auriemma was one of the party’s candidates for Assembly. Each year resulted in defeat; the twins weren’t helped by their running mate, Joseph Viso, who had a closet full of jaw-dropping skeletons that included smearing feces on a daycare in 2009.

(Chris Auriemma also ran as an independent for Congress in 2020, receiving 2.3% of the vote against Rep. Bill Pascrell.)

DeBiase and Musto, meanwhile, could both point to a track record of winning elections in the district. DeBiase was appointed to the Carlstadt Borough Council in 2019 and has won three re-election campaigns since then; Musto is a former member of the Lyndhurst Board of Education who worked for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for 20 years.

The 36th district unexpectedly voted for Donald Trump by 4.5 percentage points last year, potentially putting the district on the GOP’s radar after the party had ignored it in prior elections. But it will be an uphill climb: Assemblymen Gary Schaer (D-Passaic) and Clinton Calabrese (D-Cliffside Park) won by a combined 61%-39% margin in 2023.