Somma ends county commissioner campaign

Anthony Somma, a Republican County committeeman from Randolph, told the New Jersey Globe today that he will not be continuing his campaign for Morris County Commissioner after losing the county line last weekend.

Somma had launched his campaign to unseat Commissioner Tayfun Selen (R-Chatham) in January, arguing that the incumbent was insufficiently conservative. But Selen kept the bulk of the Morris Republican establishment in his corner and won 62% of the vote at the March 4 convention; Somma finished in third place with 17%.

The second-place finisher, former congressional candidate Paul DeGroot, has not announced his own plans. DeGroot and Selen faced off once before, in the 2022 Republican primary for the 11th congressional district, a contest which DeGroot won (though he lost the Morris County portion of the district).

With Somma out, DeGroot – or any other county commissioner candidate who emerges – could be an asset to other off-the-line candidates in Morris County. Four other Republicans who didn’t the line for legislative seats are still forging ahead, and all of them would benefit from the addition of a county commissioner candidate to their slate, since it would give them a chance of winning the best spot on the primary ballot.