GOP Incumbents Gain Nomination In NJ 39th Assembly Primary

This story was updated at 11:37 p.m.

NORTH JERSEY — The polls are closed, and unofficial vote totals are in for the 39th District Assembly race.

With 100 percent of precincts reporting, the Associated Press has declared incumbent Republicans Robert Auth and Deanne DeFuccio winners in the primary race.

The unofficial vote totals are listed below:

• Robert Auth (i), R — 5,462
• DeAnne DeFuccio (i), R — 5,242
• John Azzariti, R — 3,265
• Jonathan Kurpis, R — 3,029
• Karlito Almeda, D —
• Melinda Iannuzzi, D —

Azzariti and Kurpis did win Passaic County, but Auth and DeFucci were buoyed by their performance in Bergen County.

Due to the uncontested nature of the Democratic primary, the Associated Press has declared both Almeda and Iannuzzi as winners in the 39th.

Auth has been a member of the General Assembly since 2014, and is a member of three committees: commerce and economic development, financial institutions and insurance, and judiciary.

DeFuccio won a special election in March to take the seat of Holly Schepisi, who was elected to the Senate in 2021, replacing the late Gerald Cardinale.

Almeda, 26, a Mahwah resident, is a graduate of Ramapo College, and a Deputy Legislative Director for Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg.

He hopes to win the seat, paving a path forward for not only the young people who are entering a job market facing "one of the worst economic downturns of our time," but to also address community problems across the district.

"Right now, my peers are entering the job market in one of the worst economic downturns of our time and as a result more young adults live at home with their parents than since the Great Depression. We need Legislators that represent us - the working families wondering in the middle of the night how they're going to pay for their family's medical bills, food, rent, mortgages; the grandmothers who worries she won't be able to afford to live in the community she raised her family in, my peers who want their own chance at the American dream - a good job, affordable housing, a clean environment and quality healthcare," he said, in a Patch Q&A.

Read more: Election Profile: Karlito Almeda For NJ 39th Assembly

Iannuzzi was joined by Senate candidate Ruth Dugan at a polling site in Westwood on Tuesday, even amid storms in the area.

The Tuesday election will determine a party nomination, and the results are unofficial until certified by the county clerk.

Patch will update this story as results come in.

Return to Patch tonight for the latest vote tally. Subscribe to free News Alerts for election results.