Gopal has 8-1 cash lead over Dnistrian in 11th district Senate contest

In Monmouth County’s 11th district, where a Democratic state senator and two Republican assemblywomen are seeing re-election, Democrats have built up an early cash lead in perhaps the state’s most competitive legislative district.

Senate Majority Conference Leader Vin Gopal (D-Long Branch), a two-term incumbent, has $415,370 in his warchest after raising $390,845 and spending $365,61.

Republican Steve Dnistrian, a political newcomer and marketing company executive, has raised $60,754 since entering the Senate race in February.   He’s spent $12,315 and has $48,439 cash-on-hand.

Assemblywoman Marilyn Piperno (R-Colts Neck) has $34,258 banked after raising $21,584, and Assemblywoman Kim Eulner (R-Shrewsbury) has $20,245 after a $14,250 fundraising haul.

Their Democratic challengers lag behind: Ocean Township Councilwoman Mayor Margie Donlon has raised $11,285 and has $11,118 cash-on-hand; former Asbury Park Municipal Court Judge Luanne Peterpaul has $25,316 in the bank after bringing in $26,736.

A joint account for Gopal, Donlon and Peterpaul has $56,690, while the Dnistrian-Piperno-Eulner joint account has $34,491.

The former chief operating officer of Omnicom Group, a multi-billion dollar advertising and public relations firm, Dnistrian has put $2,600 of his own money into the race.  He’s also received $3,000 from Jack Ciattarelli’s Mainstream Majority PAC, $2,500 from the Cape May County Regular Republican Organization, and $4,185 from the campaign account of Gopal’s nemesis, Sheriff Shaun Golden, the Monmouth County GOP Chairman.

Dnistrian also received donations from State Sen. Declan O’Scanlon (R-Little Silver), Assemblyman Gerald Scharfenberger (R-Middletown), and Assemblywoman Vicky Flynn (R-Holmdel).

Gopal’s largest donors are Assembly Budget Committee Chair Eliana Pintor Marin (D-Newark) and the New Jersey Association for Justice PAC, which each contributed $8,200.

Ciattarelli carried the 11th district by two percentage points in 2021 against Gov. Phil Murphy and Joe Biden won it by thirteen points in 2020.