Nicki A. Burke, the last standing Democratic county official in Salem County and a popular vote-getter, will not seek re-election to a fifth term as Surrogate this year, making Republicans the favorites in a county that has become decidedly red in recent years.
“It’s time to retire and spend time with my grandchildren,” Burke told the New Jersey Globe.
County Commissioner Mickey Ostrum appears to be the leading candidate for the Republican nomination. Former Assemblywoman Bethanne McCarthy Patrick (R-Mannington) has also been seeking support for the post. Other potential candidates include former County Counsel Mike Mulligan and former Salem County CFO Katie Coleman.
The candidate selection process for the Democrats will begin this month.
As recently as 2018, Democrats controlled the Salem County Board of Freeholders; now, the GOP has a 5-0 majority.
After four-term Republican Geneva B. Wood announced her retirement in 2005, Burke, the deputy surrogate, defeated Republican Julie Acton by 1,928 votes, a ten-point margin. She won 55% against Helen Petrin, a former deputy surrogate, in 2010 and 58% against Linwood H. Donelson III, now the Salem County GOP chairman, in 2015.
Burke’s final victory was her closest: she defeated McCarthy Patrick by 673 votes, 51%-49%, in 2020.
Donald Trump carried Salem County by 19 percentage points in 2024, up from his 13-point win in 2020. In the 2021 governor’s race, Republican Jack Ciattarelli won Salem County by 29 points against Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy.