Democrats are holding on to a narrow lead in races for two Somerset County Commissioner seats with nearly 16,000 ballots still left to count.
Sara Sooy leads Nick Cuozzo by 2,355 votes, a margin that will likely grow – Franklin has three times as many uncounted ballots as Bridgewater – but is significantly less than the 13,000 votes two Republican incumbents lost by four years ago.
Kamala Harris leads in Somerset by 9 percentage points, less than Joe Biden’s 21 points and Hillary Clinton’s 13 points. Andy Kim leads Curtis Bashaw in the Senate race by 9 points, less than Cory Booker’s 16-point margin in 2020.
The other Democratic county commissioner, Shanel Robinson, is running 855 votes ahead of Sooy. The other GOP challenger, Rocky Ganta, is 4,980 votes behind Robinson.
The borough council race in Bound Brook is again close: GOP incumbent David Morris (1,623) and his running mate, Mark Speed (1,584) lead Democrats Trina Folkes (1,498) and Abel Gomez 1,487). There’s an open Democratic seat at risk.
Last year, Speed lost by one vote, and Gomez lost by 12.
In Raritan, Republicans Kenneth DiGraziano (1,751) and Dave Fritzinger (1,746), lead Democrats Catherine “Moran” DeBellis (1,598) and Hetah Hofmeister (1,529).
South Bound Brook is also close: Republicans Kristin Lush (788) and Aleksey Olovyannikov (771) lead Democrat Elizabeth Konkle (720) and Jimmy Shah (715).
Democrat Marcel Akende’s ineligibility to serve because he doesn’t meant Watchung’s residency requirement is moot: he and his running mate lost by a wide margin to Republicans Chrisine Ead and Curt Dahl.
Republicans won local racers in Bedminster, Bernards, Bernardsville, Branchburg, Green Brook, Hillsborough, Manville ,and Warren.
Democrats prevailed in Montgomery, North Plainfield, Somerville.
In Peapack-Gladstone, one Democrat and one Republican ran unopposed.