Quiet primary ahead for Assembly candidates
Incumbent Republicans representing Morris County in four of six legislative districts face little opposition in the June primary for seats in the New Jersey General Assembly.
Their Democratic challengers also have a clear path to the general election, although most surely will face an uphill battle in Morris, where the GOP — excepting the redrawn 27th — have ruled for years.
Other than the 40th district, which includes Pequannock and Riverdale, and the 24th, which includes Mount Olive, there are no contested Assembly primary battles for Morris County voters to decide.
Each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts elects two members of the Assembly. All 80 seats are up for election this year. Major-party candidates had to submit petitions to run by March 30.
Statewide, only seven districts have competitive primaries. Democrats currently control 48 Assembly seats to the Republicans' 32.
The official candidate list in the 40th shows a Republican primary race featuring incumbents David Russo of Ridgewood and Scott T. Rumana of Wayne, bracketed together on the ballot against challengers Joseph Bubba Jr. of Wayne and and John Capo of Totowa.
Bubba, the son of a state senator who retired in 1998 after 16 years in Trenton, describes himself as a conservative who supports Gov. Chris Christie, and says he played a key role in Christie's campaign efforts in Passaic County in 2009.
"Some families have a history of law-enforcement or military service," he said. "My family has a long history of public service. It's always been on my list. It's in my blood."
Bubba, who runs an insurance company, a tree service and is an administration analyst for the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, has never held an elected public office. This is his first run at the legislature.
In the 24th, Mount Olive Republicans will help decide a primary that will produce two general-election candidates from a field of four.
Topping the field is incumbent Assemblyman F. Parker Space, who will be bracketed on the GOP primary ballot with Sussex County Freeholder Gail Phoebus. The other Assembly incumbent in the 25th — Republican Alison Littel McHose — accepted a job on Jan. 1 as administrator for the Sussex County borough of Franklin and said she would resign from her elected seat. She has not yet resigned, and has no timetable for doing so, according to her office, but is not running for re-election.
Democrats Michael F. Grace, a member of the Stillwater Board of Education, and Jacqueline Stapel of Augusta are bracketed and unopposed in the 24th district primary.
The majority of Morris County falls into the 25th and 26th districts.
In the 25th, Anthony M. Bucco (Boonton Twp.) and Michael Patrick Carroll (Morris Plains) are running unopposed in the primary, and can anticipate running for re-election against Richard J. Cocoran (Boonton) and Thomas Moran (Randolph), who are running unopposed in the Democratic primary.
A similar situation exists in the 26th, where GOP incumbents Jay Webber and BettyLou DeCroce, both of Parsippany, are on the ballot, while Wayne B. Marek (Morris Plains) and Avery Hart (Kinnelon) are unopposed on the Democratic side.
A district redrawing in 2011 brought portions of Morris County (Chatham Township, East Hanover, Florham Park, Hanover, Harding and Madison) into the suburban Essex County-dominated 27th district, led by Sen. (and former governor) Richard Codey. His all-Democratic Assembly team of John F. McKeon (West Orange) and Mila M. Jasey (South Orange) are running unopposed in the June primary, and face a likely general election challenge from Republican candidates Tayfun Selen of Chatham and Wonkyu "Q" Rim of Whippany.
Only two Morris County towns — Chatham and Long Hill — fall into the 21st district, which includes portions of Somerset and Union counties and is represented in the Senate by Tom Kean Jr. None of the 21st Assembly candidates reside in Morris, where voters will find incumbents Nancy Munoz (Summit) and Jon Bramnick (Westfield) on the Republican side. The Democratic opposition will be Jill Anne Lazare of Summit and David Barnett of Springfield.
The primary is June 2. The general election is Nov. 2.
Staff Writer William Westhoven: 973-428-6627; wwesthoven@dailyrecord.com.
Morris County municipalities, by district:
• 21st: Chatham Borough, Long Hill.
• 24th: Mount Olive
• 25th: Boonton, Boonton Township, Chester, Chester Township, Denville, Dover, Mendham, Mendham Township, Mine Hill, Morris, Morristown, Mount Arlington, Mountain Lakes, Netcong, Randolph, Rockaway Borough, Roxbury, Victory Gardens, Washington, Wharton.
• 26th: Jefferson, Kinnelon, Lincoln Park, Montville, Morris Plains, Parsippany-Troy Hills, Rockaway Township.
• 40th: Pequannock, Riverdale.
Source: New Jersey Legislature