Democrats win Gloucester County landslide, crushing GOP hopes of taking control

Democrats scored a landslide victory in Gloucester County on Tuesday, easily re-electing three incumbent county commissioners and delivering a crushing defeat to Republicans who had hoped to take control of county government for the first time in 45 years.

Commissioners Jim Jefferson, Matt Weng and JoAnn Gattinelli held overwhelming leads over Republicans Martino Cartier, Katherine Falcone and Barbara McCormick, with Democratic candidates receiving roughly twice as many votes as their Republican opponents.

With 23.14% of election districts reporting, Jefferson led the field with 39,775 votes, followed by Gattinelli with 39,748 and Weng with 39,107.

McCormick, a retired Air Force colonel, led the Republican ticket with 20,100 votes, followed by Falcone, a former Monroe Township councilwoman, with 19,550.

Cartier, a controversial Washington Township salon owner and charity founder, finished dead last among the six candidates, receiving just 19,267 votes, less than half the total received by each Democratic incumbent.

The results represented a particularly emphatic rejection of Cartier, whose candidacy had attracted controversy during the campaign.

Democrats entered the election holding a 5-2 majority on the Board of County Commissioners. Republicans needed to flip two of the three seats to regain control, something they had not accomplished since 1981.

The GOP’s last breakthrough in Gloucester came in 2021, when Republicans won two commissioner seats.

The Democratic landslide is particularly striking in a county that Donald Trump carried by three percentage points in 2024. Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill carried Gloucester by five points in 2025.

Tuesday’s results suggest a substantial shift toward Democrats in a South Jersey county that has been increasingly competitive in recent elections.

The results remain unofficial, with fewer than one-quarter of election districts reporting.