Grueling Primary Expected In South Jersey As Republicans Vie To Replace Sen. Madden

By Nikita Biryukov, New Jersey Monitor

May 1, 2023

Republicans in the Fourth Legislative District are gearing up for a primary that could see a member of their party seated there for the first time in more than a decade, though there are fears a broader intraparty tiff could undercut the GOP’s chances in the general election.

The fight in the Fourth comes as New Jersey Republicans have an eye on flipping some Democratically controlled seats in November when all 120 legislative seats are on the ballot. The Senate seat here is now held by Sen. Fred Madden, a Gloucester County Democrat who is not seeking reelection after 20 years in the Statehouse.

Newly drawn legislative district boundaries give the GOP some hope in this South Jersey district that includes towns mostly in Camden and Gloucester counties. The new district lost towns like Lindenwold which went for Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy in 2021 and added some like Waterford which went heavily for Murphy’s Republican challenger, Jack Ciattarelli.

The end result is a district that would have backed Ciattarelli for the governorship by five points in 2021 (Murphy won the Fourth under the old boundaries by two points that year). This year’s elections are the first to be run under the new district lines.

Micah Rasmussen, director of Rider University’s Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics, said he thinks the Fourth District’s primary is unlikely to push disaffected GOP primary voters to cast ballots for Democrats in the fall, but warned Republicans that an ugly fight could keep some of their voters at home.

“The real risk is that disaffected voters choose to sit out the fall, and while you could certainly see that, the question is whether it would be in large enough numbers to matter,” he said.

The two Republicans vying for their party’s nod for the Senate seat are Gloucester County Commissioner Nick DeSilvio and former Washington Township Councilman Chris DelBorrello. Ideologically, there’s not much space between them.

Both said they aim to reduce residents’ tax burdens if sent to Trenton by voters, and each derided how Democrats who control both houses of the Legislature have handled taxpayer funds.

“Me and my opponent, we’re for a lot of the same things,” said DelBorrello, a former aide to Assemblyman Donald DiCicco, the only Republican to represent the district in the last 20 years. “We want to control spending. We want to promote good family values. We want to raise our kids and our grandkids here in the state.”

DeSilvio additionally said he would seek changes to the state’s school funding formula, which has drawn attention this year after a spate of larger-than-expected state aid cuts to 157 New Jersey school districts.

“You could move around some of this money to reduce the tax burden on property taxes because we all know school taxes are like 52% of your tax bill,” DeSilvio said.

Sen. Fred Madden is not seeking reelection this November, setting up a fight for control of the Fourth District/Hal Brown for New Jersey Monitor

The winner of this GOP primary will face nine-term Assemblyman Paul Moriarty (D-Gloucester), who is running unopposed in his primary.

More than the differences between the candidates, the primary in the Fourth District is notable because of a feud that has seen Republican county organizations split on whom to back for the party’s nomination.

Gloucester County Republicans and their chairwoman, Jacci Vigilante, have awarded DeSilvio a spot on their organizational line. Atlantic County Republicans and their chair, Don Purdy, support DelBorrello. Camden County Republicans initially backed DeSilvio but swapped their support to DelBorrello shortly before a March deadline for candidates to file nominating petitions with the state.

“We made a decision that will benefit our organization along with the almost 60,000 Republicans we represent,” Camden GOP Chair Tom Crone said. “Camden County Republicans now could have a state senator and the courtesy that comes with it, along with giving a boost to our down-ballot races in the Fourth District. It was the right decision for the right reasons.”

By courtesy, Crone meant senatorial courtesy, an unwritten but immovable rule that allows senators to indefinitely — and unilaterally — block gubernatorial nominees from their home county or legislative district.

If DelBorrello wins the Senate seat, Republicans would be able to block Murphy’s nominees from the Democratic stronghold of Camden County because DelBorrello lives there. But the party would have limited ability to do this outside of a handful of Camden County towns if DeSilvio wins (he lives in Gloucester County).

Four other Republican county chairs from outside the district, including Sen. Michael Testa (R-Cumberland), have backed DelBorrello.

Camden Republicans’ turnaround, which DeSilvio characterized as a blindside, risks a rift in Republican unity come November.

“Most likely, there’ll be sour grapes at the end, and the Democrats are going to win,” DeSilvio said. “I’m not saying that it’s specifically his fault for running against me. I’m just saying that the process exists for a reason — to prevent situations like this.”

He added he might have skipped a run if DelBorrello had sought party support earlier but said “it’s too late now.”

South Jersey is no stranger to contentious primaries, and those races have sometimes hurt Republicans at the general election polls.

That was the case in a bruising 2020 congressional primary between former Hill International CEO David Richter and former Burlington County Freeholder Director Kate Gibbs that saw repeated attacks against both candidates’ characters. Rep. Andy Kim (D-Burlington) defeated Richter that November by nearly eight points.

Assemblywoman Beth Sawyer’s (R-Gloucester) primary challenge of Sen. Ed Durr (R-Gloucester) in the neighboring Third District has already spilled over into the Fourth.

DelBorrello and his Assembly running mates — Amanda Esposito and Matthew Walker, a former Buena Borough council president — have bracketed with Sawyer’s slate of Gloucester County Commission candidates.

Meanwhile, DeSilvio and running mates Michael Clark and Denise Gonzalez, a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 351, are running with county commissioner candidates backed by Durr.

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