Thomson defeat, retirements means a revamped Assembly GOP leadership team

Update: John DiMaio was re-elected minority leader, with Chris DePhillips as conference leader, Nancy Munoz as budget officer, Antwan McClellan is the assistant minority leader,  and Bob Auth as head of a new position on vote-by-mail issues.  The minority whip post was not filled today.  (10:53 AM). 

The defeat of Assembly Minority Conference Leader Ned Thomson (R-Wall) on Tuesday and the retirements of  Minority Budget Officer Hal Wirths (R-Wantage), and Kevin Rooney (R-Wyckoff),  the deputy conference leader, opens the door to new members of the Republican leadership when the now-depleted 29-member caucus meets this morning in Trenton.

John DiMaio is widely expected to get a second term as minority leader – no one has said they will challenge him, and some acknowledge his hard work during the campaign – but there are some members of his caucus who want him first to offer an explanation of what happened on Tuesday.  They want to hear his thoughts on how the GOP lost five seats and what his plans are going forward.

It’s not yet clear if Republicans will rely on their old system of promoting from within and moving people up the leadership ladder as vacancies occur, or if they will look at which legislators stepped up and helped GOP Assembly candidates this year. 

Some legislators helped fund the Assembly Republican campaign operation, others gave money directly to candidates, and some used their own campaign funds to pay for mailers attacking Democratic incumbents outside of their own district. 

Several lawmakers told the New Jersey Globe that they expect Nancy Munoz (R-Summit) to give up her post as deputy minority leader,  the number two leadership position, in order to replace Wirths as budget officer.  That would represent a shift for Republicans as they exchange a conservative Republican for a moderate.

Christopher DePhillips (R-Wyckoff), the assistant minority leader, is a possible candidate to replace Thomson. 

Aura Dunn (R-Mendham) and Vicki Flynn (R-Holmdel) have asked to be considered for leadership posts.  So has Bob Auth (R-Old Tappan).    Ocean County has five of the 29 Republican Assembly seats and won’t want to be forgotten.