By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff
TRENTON — Republicans trounced Democrats in Atlantic County for local, county and state legislative seats, with the GOP potentially even winning the Governor’s Office in a race that’s too close to call.
Jack Ciattarelli easily defeated Gov. Phil Murphy in the county, taking 35,549 votes to 21,155. The overall margin was about 15,000 votes, with the victor swinging back and forth throughout the day Wednesday.
Marty Small was one of the few Democrats winning any seat in the county, defeating his challenger for Atlantic City mayor.
Assemblyman Vince Mazzeo and his running mates were handily defeated at the polls, losing to Republican Vince Polistina and his team.
Mazzeo, a Democrat from Northfield representing the Second Legislative District, was seeking the state Senate seat vacated by Republican Chris Brown. He was joined by County Commissioner Caren Fitzpatrick of Linwood, who was seeking an Assembly seat, and incumbent Assemblyman John Armato.
Polistina, an Egg Harbor Township resident, was joined by Don Guardian and Claire Swift.
In the Senate race, Polistina outpolled Mazzeo 24,929 to 17,801, or 58 percent to 42 percent. The Assembly was a four-way race, with Swift claiming 25,061 votes, Guardian 24,731, Armato 17,189 and Fitzpatrick 16,349.
Polistina previously served in the Assembly from 2008-12. Prior to that, he served as a member of the Atlantic County Republican Campaign Committee and as chairman of the Atlantic County Republican Finance Committee.
Guardian is a former mayor of Atlantic City and Swift is a former deputy attorney general.
Mazzeo, whose family owns B.F. Mazzeo Fruit & Produce on Route 9 in Northfield, served on City Council (2003-07) there and as mayor (2007-14) before joining the Legislature in 2014.
Fitzpatrick, a Linwood resident, is serving her second term on the Atlantic County Board of Commissioners. She serves at-large, representing the entire legislative district.
Atlantic County Board of Commissioners Chairwoman Maureen Kern of Somers Point also easily defeated her challenger, Linwood resident Jelani Gandy.
Kern served seven years on Somers Point City Council, including as council president, before being elected to the Board of Commissioners in 2015. She was re-elected in 2018 and became the first woman to chair the board in its 182-year history in 2019.
Along with Kern, Republicans Frank Balles (at-large), Andrew Parker (District 3) and James Bertino (District 5) all won seats on the Board of Commissioners.
Republican dominance continued locally, with GOP candidates winning the three challenged seats in Somers Point and Northfield. In fact, Democrats won three seats in Atlantic City and two in Buena Borough, but lost every other contest.
City Council President Janice Johnston, a Republican who represents Ward I in Somers Point, defeated Elizabeth “Lisa” Bender 880 to 551, or 61.5 percent to 38.5 percent. It will be Johnston’s first full term.
Longtime Ward II Councilman Howard Dill ran unopposed.
Councilman Greg Dewees defeated Councilman Frank Perri for the at-large seat in Northfield, taking 1,352 votes to 916, or nearly 60 percent to 40 percent.
The Republican Club will appoint someone to fill Dewees’ Ward II seat at the annual reorganization meeting, when he moves into the at-large position.
Newcomer Carolyn Bucci defeated incumbent Ward II Councilwoman Barbara Madden, a Democrat who was seeking a second term. Bucci collected 777 votes to Madden’s 431, or nearly 65 percent to 35 percent.
Ward I Councilman Brian Smith ran unopposed.
Councilman Paul Utts will be the lone Democrat on the board, a role long played by Perri.
In Linwood, Blair Albright won election unopposed to fill the seat of Ward II Councilman Todd Gordon, who decided not to seek re-election after serving since January 2012.
At-large Councilman Matthew Levinson won his first full term unopposed. He was appointed to City Council in 2019 to fill the unexpired term of at-large councilman Darren Matik, who was elected mayor without opposition. Last year he ran unopposed for the final year of that term.
Councilwoman June Byrnes won re-election unopposed to a second term in Ward I and Councilman Todd Michael, who was appointed March 19 to replace Brian Heun, won election to a one-year unexpired term in Ward II.