Where Have All The Democrats Gone In Ocean County?

No petition filed.

It's a familiar refrain on the Ocean County Clerk's Office's list of municipal candidates who filed to run in Tuesday's June primary. And it's only found next to blank spaces where Democrats' names should be.

Democrats have failed to file to run in 15 municipalities, almost half of the 33 towns in Ocean County.

Some of the towns were once Democratic bastions. What went wrong?

Probably money, or the lack of it. It's almost an act of courage to run as a Democrat in Ocean County. Money for campaigns is almost non-existent. That's in contrast to the Republican party, where candidates have no problem obtaining money to run their campaigns, thanks to the Ocean County Republican Organization and Ocean County Republican Party Chairman George R. Gilmore.

So when you pull the curtain to vote in a number of towns, especially the smaller municipalities, you won't have much choice.

The towns where no Democrats have filed to run include:

- Ocean Gate

- Pine Beach

- Seaside Heights

- Seaside Park

- South Toms River

- Bay Head

- Mantoloking

- Tuckerton

- Barnegat Light

- Ship Bottom

- Plumsted Township

- Eagleswood

- Lakehurst

- Lavallette

Why do you think so many Democrats are not running? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Image: Infoplease.com