Bucco Selected For Late Father's Senate Seat

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — Assemblyman Anthony M. Bucco has been elected to fill the Senate seat vacated by his father, Tony Bucco's, unexpected death last month.

Bucco was selected by the Morris County Republican Committee last night after being the only candidate to file a letter of intent ahead of an early October deadline. He will likely be sworn in to the 25th District Senate seat next week, New Jersey Gold reported.

Bucco's appointment to the senate could upend the 25th District Assembly race. He is currently on the ballot for reelection in the Assembly, alongside running mate Denville Councilman Brian Bergen. They are being challenged by Democrats Lisa Bhimani and Darcy Draeger.

Because deadlines to withdraw from the ballot have already passed, Bucco is essentially running for election for a position he does not intend to fill. Should he be elected to the Assembly, the Morris County Republican Committee would be responsible for selecting a replacement.

"Anthony Bucco and his team are hoping they can sneak past voters and anoint their hand-picked lackey to public office, regardless of qualifications and without ever giving the people a say. It’s disingenuous to the core and flies in the face of every democratic principle. If Anthony Bucco has no intention of serving in the Assembly he needs to step aside," Bhimani and Draeger said last month.

Bucco has acknowledged that it was a difficult choice to leave his assembly seat in the middle of an election campaign.

"It is unfortunate, but the vacancy law according to the state constitution has placed me in the undesirable position of seeking to fill my father's Senate seat, while at the same time running to preserve my spot in the Assembly. While some have suggested a placeholder may have been the answer, I did not believe that trying to orchestrate such a position, in a backroom deal, was the answer to this dilemma," the Daily Record quoted Bucco as saying.

Senator Anthony R. Bucco died unexpectedly on Sept 16 of a heart attack. The elder Bucco held the 25th district Senate seat for over 20 years; before that, he served in the assembly seat his son is now vacating.