In the days leading up to the general election, the field of candidates for the Republican nomination for State Assembly in the 39th district, where two incumbents are running again, continues to grow.
Mahwah Councilman Ward Donigian has become the fifth candidate to join the race for the seats held by Assemblymen Bob Auth (R-Old Tappan) and John Azzariti (R-Saddle River).
Donigian, a Trump supporter who wants to shake up Trenton, has set his sights on Azzariti, a freshman Republican, and said he supports Auth, a friend and ally, for a seventh term in the legislature.
“Nothing is being done down there. It takes an outsider with business acumen and a record of community service to get things accomplished. New Jersey is dead last in just about everything. We need conservative representation for northern Bergen County in our statehouse,” Donigian said. “I will take on the establishment, just as I have done numerous times in Mahwah—from fighting Trenton Democrats’ mandates on high-density housing that will destroy our quality of life, to opposing the governing body’s fiscally irresponsible projects.”
Former congressional candidate Frank Pallotta and Saddle River Councilman John Kurpis joined the race over the last two days. Pallotta has formed an exploratory committee; Kurpis and Donigian have formally announced.
An Eagle Scout and baseball coach who works in the environmental remediation industry, the 61-year-old Donigian served as a councilman from 1995 to 2003 and again since 2022.
The 39th district has not elected a Democrat since 1977.