No gubernatorial endorsement by Union GOP leader until after the convention

Union County Republican Chairman Carlos Santos won’t take sides in the gubernatorial primary for another three months and will wait until after the county’s GOP Convention, a move that reiterates his campaign pledge to unify the county party.

“I was elected by the will of the people to ensure that the members of the Union County Republican Party have a voice at the table in choosing candidates who truly represent their values and needs,” said Santos.  “This responsibility is one I take seriously, and I intend to fulfill it with transparency, fairness, and a commitment to our shared principles.”

This will be Santos’ first convention since he ousted Glenn Mortimer, the 10-year incumbent, in a race for county chairman in June.  Santos won 62.5% of the county committee vote after working to fill vacant seats in heavily Democratic parts of Union County.

The loss of Mortimer was a blow to State Sen. Jon Bramnick (R-Westfield), who was counting on his favorite-son status and political base in the more Republican western part of the county to win the party endorsement.  Still, if the county organization line disappears as part of a lawsuit, the convention fight is over a slogan.

The new county committee gives two other Republicans, former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli (R-Somerville) and NJ 101.5 radio host Bill Spadea, an opportunity to compete for the endorsement.

Union County has 65,817 registered Republicans, which ranks them 10th out of 21 New Jersey counties, with 4% of the statewide GOP vote.

“I am proud to establish a fair process in this election cycle by hosting a Republican county convention to screen candidates for every office on the ballot. This will allow the full committee to vote for the best candidate to represent our community’s needs,” said Santos. “Only after this process takes place will the Union County Committee and I fully support and endorse the selected candidates and hold them accountable to ensure they represent the residents of Union County and uphold our committee’s priorities.”

Yesterday, Santos joined with three other county chairs to endorse Assemblywomen Nancy Muñoz (R-Summit) and Michele Matsikoudis (R-New Providence) in the 21st district, but if one of them were to lose the convention — Muñoz is widely viewed as the weaker of the two – Santos shift his endorsement.

Former Summit GOP Municipal Chairman Steve Spurr is expected to run.  The 37-year-old former zoning board and housing authority chair ran for an Assembly seat that opened up in 2021 when Bramnick moved up to the Senate.