Pallotta joins race for GOP Assembly nod in 39th

Frank Pallotta, a conservative former investment banker who challenged Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-Tenafly) in 2020 and 2022, has formally entered the race for the Republican nomination for the State Assembly in the 39th legislative district.

Pallotta said his campaign will focus on “public safety, law enforcement, flood mitigation, crumbling infrastructure, overdevelopment, and the high cost of living.”

He’s challenging two incumbents, Assemblymen Bob Auth (R-Old Tappan) and John Azzariti, Jr. (R-Saddle River).  Saddle River Councilman John Kurpis and Mahwah Councilman Ward Donigan are also in the race; Woodcliff Lake Mayor Carlos Rendo, the 2017 Republican nominee for lieutenant governor, filed a letter of intent to seek the endorsement of the Bergen County Republican organization but has not yet formally announced his candidacy.

In his campaign launch, Pallotta announced that he won’t participate in the Bergen County GOP convention – a process that will award a slogan but no longer a ballot advantage that comes with the organization line.

“While I have great respect for the Bergen County Republican Organization’s approximately 800 Committee members, of which I remain an active member, I cannot in good conscience participate in an obsolete and antiquated convention process that can drag on for months, draining tens of thousands of dollars and critical resources away from what really matters – direct voter engagement,” Pallotta stated.  “Every minute spent courting a small circle of political insiders is a minute stolen from the families, workers, and small business owners who make our community strong.”

Pallotta won two Republican congressional primaries against candidates who ran on the organization line.  In 2022, he received 47% of the vote in the 39th district municipalities that were in the 5th congressional district as an off-the-line candidate.

Trump endorsed Pallotta in 2020.

As an Assembly candidate, Pallotta can self-fund his campaign; he spent nearly $1.7 of his own money on his two House races.

He slammed Auth for endorsing State Sen. Jon Bramnick (R-Westfield), a critic of President Donald Trump, in the Republican gubernatorial primary.

“This kind of betrayal cannot be ignored. It’s time for a change in District 39,” said Pallotta.  “I know that I am better qualified to represent the good people who call District 39 home.”

The 39th includes Allendale, Alpine, Cresskill, Closter, Demarest, Dumont, Emerson, Harrington Park, Haworth, Hillsdale, Ho-Ho-Kus, Mahwah, Midland Park, Montvale, Northvale, Norwood, Oakland, Old Tappan, Park Ridge, Ramsey, River Vale, Rockleigh, Saddle River, Upper Saddle River, Waldwick, Washington Township, Westwood, and Woodcliff Lake.