By Jamie Lynn Connors
Thousands of votes remain to be counted, but state Sen. Anthony M. Bucco thinks he’s seen enough. The Republican from Mountain Lakes is claiming victory over Democratic challenger Rupande Mehta of Denville in the 25th District Senate race.
“I’m extremely humbled to have earned the support once again of the residents of Morris and Somerset counties in this year’s campaign,” Bucco said in a statement. “It is never an easy decision to run for elected office and campaigns require a great sacrifice by our families.”
As of Thursday afternoon, Bucco led Mehta by 6,387 votes, according to the Morris County Clerk’s Office.
Some 98,514 ballots have been tallied so far in this vote-by-mail race. It’s unclear how many mail-in ballots still must be counted; the district’s population totaled just under 216,000 residents, according to the 2010 census.
Provisional ballots also must be counted. About 12,500 were cast on Election Day, the county Board of Elections told Morristown Green last week.
Bucco’s running mate, state Assemblywoman Aura Dunn, held a 3,277-vote lead over Democrat Darcy Draeger as of Thursday afternoon.
Morris Freeholder Tayfun Selen also led Democratic contender Cary Amaro by 5,147 votes.
Final results may not be available until Nov. 20, 2020, according to Morris County Clerk Ann Grossi’s website. She must certify the outcomes by Nov. 23.
Mehta’s campaign and county Democratic Chairman Chip Robinson could not be reached for comment on Thursday evening.
If Bucco’s lead holds, he will retain the Senate seat of his late father, Tony Bucco, who held it from 1998 until his death last year.
The son, who had served in the Assembly since 2010, was appointed by fellow Republicans to his father’s Senate until this month’s special election.
Dunn was appointed to the junior Bucco’s vacated Assembly seat in an identical scenario.
“I’m proud of the campaign Aura and I ran together. She was a great partner and teammate throughout this challenging election year,” said Bucco, a 58-year-old father of six.
“Given the remaining numbers, I’m confident her lead is only going to grow in the coming days and she’ll be back working for taxpayers in Trenton soon enough.”
The 25th District includes 20 municipalities in Morris, including Morristown and Morris Township; and Bernardsville in Somerset County.
Long a GOP stronghold, Democrats have narrowed the gap. As of August, about 34 percent of the District’s registered voters were Republicans and 31 percent were Democrats. Approximately 35 percent were unaffiliated.
During the campaign, Anthony M. Bucco cited his Assembly votes for the Diane B. Allen Equal Pay Law in 2018, and for legislation requiring insurance companies to pay claims from women under the minimum age for breast cancer testing. Bucco also helped found Daytop New Jersey, a substance- and mental health treatment center, in 1992.
Bucco, a lawyer, vastly outspent Mehta, an analytical specialist for a Fortune 100 company. Records show he raised $600 thousand, compared to about $65 thousand by Mehta.
“I want to commend Ms. Mehta for putting her name forward and thank her for the campaign she ran,” Bucco said.
He said he would strive to lower taxes that are driving people from New Jersey, pursue bipartisan leadership through the pandemic, and act as a “check-and-balance” on Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy.
