Above Image: Republican U.S. President Warren G. Harding (1921-1923).
“I have no trouble with my enemies. I can take care of my enemies all right. But my damn friends, my #&@-damned friends!” Republican U.S. Senator Warren Harding, before becoming President in 1920.
In 2021, Republicans in New Jersey seemed to be on the verge of a comeback. Jack Ciattarelli nearly defeated Democrat Governor Phil Murphy. Republicans gained a seat in the State Senate and 6 in the Assembly. Republicans had 16 seats in the State Senate against 24 Democrats. The State Assembly had 34 Republicans and 46 Democrats.
However, the Republican Party in 2021 was really a slow-moving train wreck. In 2023, Republicans lost all 6 Assembly seats they gained in 2021. Last November, in 2025, Jack Ciattarelli lost to Democrat Mike Sherrill by 479 thousand votes. Republicans lost 5 more Assembly seats, and the State Senate seat they had gained in 2021.
There are now 25 Democrats and 15 Republicans in the State Senate, and 77 Democrats and 23 Republicans in the General Assembly.
Above Image: Click Here for Link to Post: A Book Review: The Blueprint, How Democrats Won Colorado (and Other States)
During the entire 2025 campaign, we repeatedly warned all of the Republican candidates who spoke at our weekly breakfasts that they were not addressing the issues that mattered most to voters. However, they all ignored us and took the advice of their well-paid consultants instead.
Democrats are using the power of the Governor and supermajorities in both houses of the Legislature to push their radical, far-left, socialist agenda everywhere. They are raising utility rates to promote their “climate” agenda and give low rates to Democrat voters. They are blocking immigration enforcement. They are radicalizing and sexualizing public school students. They are hiring “community organizers” to make even more voters dependent on government benefits dished out by Democrats and mostly paid for by Republicans.
Republicans in Atlantic County are doing little or nothing to stop them. At our February 15 fundraiser, State Senator Michael Testa gave very sound and detailed advice on how to change that. However, the Atlantic County Republicans who needed to hear that message were not there.
Atlantic County Sheriff “Tokyo Joe” O’Donohue and Atlantic City Councilman Jesse Kurtz were the only Republican leaders from Atlantic County who were with us last Sunday.
The Atlantic County Republican Party is a private club organized as a non-profit corporation. Like any church, sports club, or fraternal group, it has members, by-laws and officers. The Atlantic County Democratic Party is also a private club that is run the same way.
Any registered voter can choose to be a member of either the Republican or the Democratic Party. You don’t have to attend any meetings or pay any dues. You do it by declaring yourself to be either a Republican or Democrat if you vote in the June 2 Primary Election.
New Jersey law recognizes only two legal political parties–Republicans and Democrats. You can check boxes with other labels when you register to vote. However, if you check a box marked Conservative, Green, or Libertarian, you do not join any legal political party. You are simply disqualifying yourself from voting in the June Primary Election.
If you change your mind and want to switch from one party to another, you must file a “Party Affiliation Declaration Form” by April 8.
Republican and Democratic Party members nominate their party’s candidates in June Primary Elections”. Every four years, including this year, Democrats and Republicans also elect “county committee” members to run their club according to its by-laws.
Atlantic County Republicans elect 240 members of a “County Committee.” Egg Harbor Township elects 44. Galloway has 34, Hamilton Township or Mays Landing has 24, Hammonton has 16, and Brigantine has about 12.
All 240 members of the County Committee elect a County Chairman. The County Committee members of each of the 23 towns form a “city”, “town” or “township committee”. Each local committee chooses a municipal Republican leader.
The Atlantic County Republican Party is run by the County Chairman together with the 23 municipal leaders. Right now, the Republican Party Chairman for Atlantic County is Don Purdy of Galloway Township.
If you want to be on the County Committee in your town, go to your local Republican Club and volunteer. Most County Committee candidates run unopposed. If your local leader does not put you on the “Regular Republican”, you can put yourself on the June 2 Primary Election ballot. You do that by filing a nominating petition with the signatures of the proper number of Republican or “unaffiliated” voters by March 23.
If you do not like the candidates or policies of the Republican Party, you must persuade or replace its members or officers.
The Democratic Party of Atlantic County is also a private club. It also has members, officers, and similar bylaws.
Both Republicans and Democrats also have clubs in each of the 23 cities, towns and townships in Atlantic County. They usually meet every month. They hold various social and fundraising events to their party’s candidates.
Atlantic County Republicans and Democrats also hold county “conventions” before the March 23 deadline for candidates to file nominating petitions. If more than one person in the party wants to be nominated for the same office, delegates at these convention vote on which candidate they support.
Atlantic County Republicans had their “County Convention” last Saturday, February 21 at The Carriage House in Galloway Township. Democrats will hold theirs at the Renault Winery in Egg Harbor City on March 8.
Candidates with the most votes at County Conventions almost always win the June Primary Elections.
The rules of the Atlantic County Republican Party give a handful of party insiders almost absolute power to decide which candidates win at County Conventions.
- Towns that elect Republicans with “super-majorities” get “bonus” delegates. This means that Republican towns like Linwood get up to 25% more delegates even when their candidates run unopposed and do little to win votes for other Republicans. This punishes Republicans in Democrat leaning towns like Atlantic City, Pleasantville and Egg Harbor City who face hard fights against Democratic opponents.
- The Republican Convention permits “Block Voting”. This rule lets a town cast all of its votes to the candidate who wins only a majority of them. If 24 delegates of a town with 40 votes choose Candidate A and 16 choose Candidate B, Candidate A will get all 40 votes and Candidate B will get none. This helps towns run y “power brokers” who make deals to push their favorite candidates. It punishes towns with leaders who let the each of their members decide.
In 2021, the Republican County Convention chose Don Guardian and Claire Swift as their Assembly candidates instead of Atlantic City Councilman Jesse Kurtz. In 2023, 2024, and 2025, the Republican Convention nominated several candidates for county commissioner (freeholder) who did little to win votes for other Republican candidates.
Do Republicans pick their candidates the same way in other counties in New Jersey? Does this explain why Republicans lost so many elections here during the past 25 years?
Do more than vote! Being an active member of a political party is just as important as voting in November. That includes joining your local political club, taking part in the County Convention, and voting in the June Primary Election.
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