NJ 13 Republican Primary: DiMaso Fights For Her Political Life

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — To dissuade anyone who thought local elections were boring, there is a very competitive Republican primary in New Jersey's 13th legislative district (Monmouth County).

Three candidates will run for two Assembly seats; on Tuesday, Monmouth County Republican voters will be asked to select two:

• Assemblywoman Serena DiMaso (incumbent)
• Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger (incumbent)
• Vicky Flynn

Polls close at 8 p.m. Tuesday. Voters should vote at their regular polling place.

This is a race where DiMaso is trying to save her political life. She has held this Assembly seat since 2018, and she and Scharfenberger are longtime political allies.

However, earlier this spring, DiMaso was very publicly rejected by the Monmouth County Republican Party; she and party boss Sheriff Shaun Golden have been quietly at odds with each other for years. Golden has accused DiMaso of unspecified "unethical behavior and missing key votes while on vacation."

In March, Golden announced he would still back Scharfenberger but was pulling the party's support for DiMaso. Instead, the Monmouth GOP would back Flynn, current president of the Holmdel Board of Education. Flynn has been eager to advance in Monmouth County Republican politics for some time now; in 2020, she ran for Holmdel Township Committee and lost. This is her first time running for a statehouse seat.

(Both DiMaso and Flynn live in Holmdel; Scharfenberger lives in Middletown and used to be on the Middletown Township Committee.)

After she lost the backing of her party, DiMaso instead decided she would run on her own, still as a Republican, but off the line and unaffiliated with the county party. DiMaso's name will appear under Phil Rizzo's Tuesday on the ballot.

Does DiMaso have enough popularity to buck the will of party higher-ups and retain her seat on her own?

Monmouth County Republican voters will answer that question on Tuesday.

This NJ 13 race has also revealed deep division and tension within the Monmouth County Republican Party: Former Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno broke with party boss Golden to endorse DiMaso and Commissioner Lillian Burry broke with all the other Monmouth County Commissioners to back DiMaso.

"I don't like the methodology of what was done and they know that. I told them that," said Burry on Friday, referring to Golden and GOP party leadership. "It wasn't right; it wasn't right at all what was done to her. Was there any sound basis for it?"

"She (DiMaso) is an incumbent of the highest quality," said Burry.

This race is not so much about specific issues as it is about finding candidates who can keep this part of Monmouth County squarely in Republican control, and fend off an ever-rise tide of New Jersey "blueness" that has taken over the state.

The 13th legislative district includes Aberdeen, Atlantic Highlands, Fair Haven, Hazlet, Highlands, Holmdel, Keansburg, Keyport, Little Silver, Marlboro, Middletown, Monmouth Beach, Oceanport, Sea Bright, Rumson and Union Beach. It includes many wealthy towns.

Still, DiMaso has been extremely active this spring on issues dear to the hearts of many a New Jersey Republican: She and Scharfenberger both spoke at on-campus rallies fighting the Rutgers COVID vaccine mandate, and DiMaso introduced legislation that seeks to prevent Rutgers from requiring students get the vaccine (her bill has failed to find many backers).

DiMaso also fought to keep New Jersey's religious vaccine exemption in place after Middlesex County Democrat state Sen. Joe Vitale tried — unsuccessfully — to remove the religious exemption in late 2019.

For his part, Scharfenberger introduced a bill in the Assembly that would ban vaccine passports from being used in New Jersey. He and DiMaso also both spoke at this May 15 rally in Middletown to end mask wearing in New Jersey.

And although she's running off the line, DiMaso is leading the 13th legislative district in fundraising, raising more money for her re-election than either Scharfenberger or Flynn, New Jersey Globe reports.

Whichever two Republican candidates win the June primary will go on to face the two Democrats in November.

Legislative district 13 Assembly seats: (chose two)

Scharfenberger (Republican)

DiMaso (Republican)

Flynn (Republican)

Erin Howard (Democrat)

Allison Friedman (Democrat)

Legislative district 13 state Senate seat: (chose one)

Declan O'Scanlon (Republican)

Vincent "Vinny" Solomeno (Democrat)

How to vote in the June 8 primary:

In-person voting:

Unlike in the fall of 2020, in-person voting is available to all registered voters. Voters may vote in person at their assigned polling place. To locate a polling location, click here.

Those who receive a Vote by Mail ballot but do not return their ballot may still vote in person with a provisional ballot at their assigned polling place. You can also vote by mail if you wish.

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