GOP commissioners will seek re-election in Morris County
December 11, 2023
By David Wildstein
Democrats haven’t won a countywide race in 50 years, but Biden, Booker, Dem congressional candidates won Morris in 2020
Three Republican incumbents will seek re-election as Morris County Commissioner next year.
The announcement by Deborah Smith, John Krickus, and Stephen Shaw included endorsements from Morris County GOP Chair Laura Marie Ali, all twelve members of next year’s Morris County legislative delegation, Sheriff James Gannon, County Commissioners Doug Cabana, Christine Myers and Tayfun Selen, and 28 mayors.
“We are honored to have earned the overwhelming endorsement of Republican leaders at the state, county, and local levels,” Smith, Krickus and Shaw said. “As former local officials we know that no one is more in touch with residents then our town leaders, and their overwhelming support is gratifying.”
Missing from the list are Parsippany Mayor James Barberio, County Clerk Ann Grossi, and County Commissioner Tom Mastrangelo.
One possible challenger is Robert Peluso, a former Parsippany councilman who ran for State Assembly in this year’s GOP primary on a ticket with Mastrangelo.
“This unprecedented support also indicates that the Morris County Republican party is ready to unite early so we can start working right away in 2024 to elect Republicans and focus our resources on the fall campaign,” the incumbents stated.
Democrats have not won a county office in Morris since 1973, when Douglas Romaine road the Watergate Democratic wave that year to a single term as a freeholder.
This year, incumbent Tayfun Selen was re-elected by 6,220 votes, 53%-47%, in an election with a 30% voter turnout. Morris County backed Republican State Senate candidates by 9,585 votes, 54%-46%.
In 2020, Joe Biden carried Morris County by 12,747 votes, 51%-47%, against Donald Trump; U.S. Senator Cory Booker also won Morris County, by 4,775 votes, 50%-48%, and Democratic congressional candidates won the county by a narrow 3,981 votes, 50%-49%.
But in the race for county commissioner, Selen defeated Democrat Cary Amaro by 12,758 votes, 52%-48%.
