While all 21 New Jersey counties have countywide elections this fall, only four are competitive, and only one will determine which party controls county government.
Gloucester County has a control election — also a deep divide among Republicans seeking to take a majority of county commissioner seats for the first time in a generation — and Democrats are defending their Sheriff in Atlantic and county commissioner seats in Cumberland and Passaic.
Most counties are non-competitive. Republicans could win Burlington and Somerset under the right circumstances, but that’s an uphill climb; the GOP hasn’t won a countywide race in Hudson since 1956, and Democrats haven’t taken Morris since 1973. Minority parties haven’t scored victories in Camden, Cape May, Essex, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Morris Ocean, Sussex, Union and Warren in this century.
ATLANTIC
Republicans see an opportunity to expand their 7-2 majority on the Board of Commissioners and to unseat Sheriff Eric Scheffler. Democrats might be able to keep the at-large seat Caren Fitzpatrick is giving up to run for State Senate and possibly defeat a longtime GOP incumbent, John Risley.
Risley, re-elected three years ago by just 670 votes, is teamed up with Linwood Councilwoman June Byrnes. They face Democrats Kim O’Brien and Habib Rehman, who lost the district race against Amy Gatto in 2021.
The race to watch is sheriff, where Scheffler faces a rematch with Republican Joe “Tokyo” O’Donoghue. Sheriff beat O’Donaghue by ten points in 2020.
Dennis Levinson, the longest-serving county executive in state history, is seeking his seventh term. Newcomer Joyce Pratt, a late replacement candidate after the original Democratic nominee, Peggy Capone, died last month at age 60 after a long illness, faces an uphill climb.
Republican Andrew Parker is defending his third district commissioner seat against Hector Tavarez, a retired police officer. When he ran in 2020, Parker lost to Democrat Thelma Witherspoon by 286 votes. But a judge ordered the race re-run after the county clerk, a Democrat, sent the wrong ballots to some voters; an entirely different political climate gave Parker, a former Egg Harbor Township Committeeman, a solid 57.6% of the vote.
CUMBERLAND
With several Democratic retirements, Republicans see an opportunity to expand their 4-3 majority on the Board of Commissioners, to win the open Surrogate seat, and unseat Sheriff Robert Austino.
In 2022, with State Sen. Michael Testa (R-Vineland) as county chairman, the GOP flipped two commissioner seats, giving them a 4-3 majority on the Board.
Three Democratic seats are up this year, and two incumbents, Carol Musso and Donna Pearson, have opted not to seek re-election. The lone incumbent on the ballot, John Capizola, Jr., was appointed earlier this year after George Castellini resigned.
Capizola ran for Assembly in the 1st district two years ago and lost the Cumberland County portion of the district by 3,569 votes. Now he’s running with newcomers LaRae Hilda Smith, an educator and small businesswoman, Dr. Joeigh Perella, a Vineland dentist, and Bridgeton Democratic Municipal Chair Damita White-Morris.
They are running against Republicans James Sauro, Sandra Taylor, and Arthur Marchand, Jr.
Sauro won a freeholder seat in 2014 but gave it up after three years to make an unsuccessful bid for the State Assembly in 2017. Taylor lost a race for freeholder in 2011, trailing Musso by 1,646 votes. Marchand’s father was a popular freeholder and surrogate who lost re-election in 2008 when Barack Obama carried Cumberland with 60% of the vote.
Republicans are also eyeing two constitutional offices.
Douglas Rainear, the surrogate since 2009 and an elected official for decades, is retiring. Democrat Nicasio Acevedo faces Republican Rudolph “Skip” Luisi. Acevedo is an attorney who headed the state Commerce Department’s Policy and Small Business office under Gov. James E. McGreevey.
Luisi, a mortician who owns the DeMarco-Luisi Funeral Home in Vineland, for Surrogate. He is a former Vineland Jaycees president and founder of the Italian-American Benevolent Association and the North Italy Beneficial Association.
There will be a rematch for the sheriff’s race, pitting five-term incumbent Democrat Robert Austino against Republican Michael Donato, a retired Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office lieutenant Austino beat Donato in 2020, 53.6%-46.6%.
A GOP sweep would leave Democrats with just one countywide officeholder, County Clerk Celeste Riley, a former assemblywoman who ousted longtime incumbent Gloria Noto in 2014.
GLOUCESTER
All eyes are on Gloucester County again this year, where control of county government is up for grabs, as well as two State Senate seats and six Assembly seats in the 3rd and 4th districts. Gloucester voters have tilted Republican, but GOP infighting – the wounds of a divisive primary remain unhealed – makes them underdogs in their second shot to win a majority.
In 2021, the GOP captured two county commissioner seats and defeated the longtime Democratic sheriff. But last year, they narrowly lost their bid to flip the courthouse.
Democrats want to defend their 5-2 majority on the Board of Commissioners and hold onto their Surrogate. Republicans need to win two of the three seats up this year.
Democrats are running incumbent James Jefferson; Matt Weng, a Pitman committeeman who received the nomination following four-term incumbent Lyman Barnes’ decision not to run; and JoAnne Gattinelli, Washington Township’s mayor, who selected after incumbent Heather Simmons decided to seek a State Assembly seat in the 3rd district.
The Democrats will go against a fractured Republican party, with candidates Adam Wingate, a former Harrison Township Committeeman who lost last year, Franklin Township Committeewoman Heather Flaim, and East Greenwich Committeeman James Philbin, a former GOP county chairman. All three won off-the-line victories in the June primary.
Similarly, the Republican candidate for Surrogate, Samuel Maccarone, defeated the Republican-backed candidate in the primary; he now faces Democratic incumbent Giuseppe Chila, who also served as a County Commissioner.
This Republican divide emerged over a fight for legislative seats when Assemblywoman Beth Sawyer (R-Woolwich) and Chris Del Borello decided to mount renegade campaigns against party-backed Senate candidate incumbent Ed Durr (R-Logan) in the 3rd and County Commissioner Nick Di Silvio (R-Franklin) in the 4th.
PASSAIC
Democrats are defending a 6-1 majority on the County Board of Commissioners and the County Clerk.
After Republican Nicolino Gallo narrowly upset Democratic Commissioner Assad Akhter in 2021, Republicans have been trying to win more commissioner seats, but they came up short last year.
This year, Democrats are backing incumbent Bruce James and Orlando Cruz, who currently serves as the Greater Paterson and Greater Wayne Chamber of Commerce president. Cruz got the party nod following the early departure of T.J. Best.
Republicans are running Kelly Amico, a Passaic County Republican State Committeewoman, and Andrea Pegel, a former West Milford committeewoman and the current president of the Passaic County Republican Women’s Club.
The Democrats are also defending the county clerk, Danielle Ireland-Imhoff, against Republican Rosemary Pino, a Clifton Councilwoman. Republicans lost the seat in 2018 after Kristin Corrado (R-Totowa) resigned to become a state senator.
BERGEN
There are two County Commissioner seats up for election. Democrats are running incumbents Joan Voss and Rafael Marte. Republicans are running Agninshalah Collins and Mary Jo-Ann Guinchard.
Voss, a former Fort Lee councilwoman and four-term assemblywoman, seeks re-election to a fifth term as a county commissioner. After 2011 legislative redistricting moved Fort Lee from the 38th into the 37th district – the move made the 38th considerably more competitive — Voss side-stepped a primary fight with incumbents Valerie Vainieri Huttle and Gordon Johnson by replacing another Democrat, Bernadette McPherson, on the Bergen County Board of Freeholders.
Marte won a special election convention earlier this year after Ramon Hache resigned to take a job as president of the Ridgewood YMCA.
Guinchard, a former mayor of Tuxedo, New York, mounted an off-the-lone bid for county commissioner last year on a slate headed by GOP congressional candidate Frank Pallotta. Collins works in the insurance industry and is a political newcomer from Lyndhurst.
BURLINGTON
The County Clerk and two County Commissioner seats are up for election. Democrats are running all incumbents: Balvir Singh and Tom Pullion for commissioners and Joanne Schwarz for Clerk. Republicans are running lawyer and U.S. Army veteran Alfonso Gambone and Larry Vernamonte, an optometrist, for commissioner and Bass River Mayor Deborah Buzby-Cope for county clerk.
CAMDEN
There are two County Commissioner seats up for election. Democrats are running two incumbents, Louis Cappelli Jr. and Jonathan L. Young Sr. Republicans are running Jason Fanning and Norman Rebel Jr.
CAPE MAY
The sheriff, surrogate, and two County Commissioner seats are up for election. Democrats are running Patricia O’Connor for Commissioner against Republicans Melanie Collette and incumbent Will Morey. Republicans are running Robert Nolan for sheriff. Republicans are running incumbent E. Marie Hayes for surrogate against Democrat Beverly McCall.
Hayes became a surrogate after Dean Marcolongo resigned to become a Superior Court Judge.
ESSEX
There are four at-large commissioner seats, five district-based commissioner seats, and the county surrogate up for election this year. For the at-large seats, Democrats are running incumbents: Brendan Gill, Patricia Sebold, Wayne Richardson, and Romaine Graham. They are going up against Michael Pocelinko, Alexandra Campisi, Aristotle Popolizo, and Joseph Cifelli.
Democrats running incumbent Robert Mercado in District 1, A’Dorian Murray-Thomas in District 2, Tyshammie Cooper in District 3, Leonard Luciano in District 4, and Carlos Pomares in District 5. All are incumbents except Murray-Thomas, a Newark school board member seeking an open seat.
Republicans are running Adam Kraemer in District 4 and Kristen Bolschak in District 5. Independent Khalil Kettles is running in District 2.
For surrogate, Democrats are running incumbent Alturrick Kenney; Republicans are running Peter Russo.
HUDSON
Nine commissioner seats and the county executive are up this year. Democrats are running a full slate of incumbents: Kenneth Kopacz in the 1st district; William O’Dea in the 2nd; Jerry Walker in the 3rd; Yraida Aponte-Lipski in the 4th; Anthony Romano in the 5th; Fanny Cedeño in the 6th; Caridad Rodriguez in the 7th; Robert Baselice in the 8th; and Albert Cifelli in the 9th.
Republicans are running Leandro Lachica in the 1st, Joseph Branco in the 5th, and Jorge Dos Santos in the 9th.
Democrats are running Guy Craig for County Executive.
HUNTERDON
A County Commissioner and a County Surrogate are up for election. Republicans are running incumbent Shaun Van Doren for commissioner against Democrat Daniel Connor.
For surrogate, Republicans are running Heidi Rohrbach, the wife of former Rep. Leonard Lance, against Democrat Wendy Beyer. The incumbent, Republican Susan Hoffman, is not seeking re-election.
MERCER
This year, there are elections for two commissioner seats, County Executive and sheriff. Democrats are running incumbents Lucylle Walter and John Cimino for commissioners. Republicans are running Joseph Stillwell and Denise Turner.
Assemblyman Dan Benson (D-Hamilton) is seeking to become the County Executive; he is running against GOP County Chair Lisa Richford. Benson’s 2-1 victory at the Mercer County Democratic convention pushed five-term incumbent Brian Hughes out of the race.
Democrats are running incumbent John Kemler for sheriff against Republican Bryan “Bucky” Boccanfuso. Three years ago, Kemler defeated Boccanfuso with 70% of the vote.
MIDDLESEX
There are two commissioner seats up for election. Democrats are running incumbents Charles Tomaro and Leslie Koppel against Republicans Gary Hagopian and Pedro Pisar.
MONMOUTH
Two commissioner seats are up for election. Republicans are running incumbent Ross Licitra and Shrewsbury Mayor Erik Anderson against Democrats Arthur Schlossbach and Alison Denoia. A GOP incumbent, Lillian Burry, is retiring.
MORRIS
One commissioner seat and the County Clerk seat are up for election. Republicans are running incumbent Tayfun Selen for commissioner against Democrat Jonathan Sackett.
For county clerk, Republicans incumbent Ann Grossi fsaces Democrat Caroline O’Brien.
OCEAN
A commissioner seat and a surrogate seat are up for election. Republicans are running Frank Sadeghi for commissioner against Democrat Roxanne Barnes; the winner will replace Joseph Vicari, who is retiring after 39 years in county government.
For surrogate, Republicans are running incumbent Jeffrey Moran against Democrat Charles Dauer.
SALEM
There is one commissioner seat up for election. Republicans are running incumbent Edward Ramsay against Democrat Nelson Carney Jr. Salem was politically competitive just six years ago; now it’s solid red.
SOMERSET
There are two commissioner seats up for election. Democratic incumbents Paul Drake and Doug Singleterry are defending against Republicans Don Lemma and Daniel Gallic.
SUSSEX
There is a commissioner and surrogate seat up for election. Republican Jack DeGroot will take on Democrat Lira Damaris for commissioner; Republicans are running incumbent Gary Chiusano for surrogate.
DeGroot, a 24-year-old farmer and graduate student, beat two-term incumbent Herb Yardley in the GOP primary by 23 percentage points.
UNION
There are three commissioner seats and the sheriff up for election this year. Republicans are running Cathy Jakositz, Brian Johdos, and Carlos Santos against Democrats Lourdes Leon, Joseph Bodek, and Michele Delisort. Leon is seeking her second term. Bodek won a special election convention earlier this year to succeed Christopher Hudak, who was elected surrogate in 2022, and Delisort, a Union Township committeewoman and former mayor, is replacing retiring Commissioner Angela Garretson.
Democratic incumbent Peter Corevelli is defending his position as sheriff against Republican Gerardo Napolitano.
WARREN
There is one commissioner seat up for election. Republican incumbent Lori Ciesla is defending her seat against Democrat Elizabeth Gittins.
RELATED ARTICLES
-
-
March 25, 2020 -
March 21, 2020