By Marion Filler
Republican Aura Dunn declared victory Friday over Democratic challenger Darcy Draeger in her bid to retain her state Assembly seat in the 25th District.
At that point, Dunn led Draeger by 5,632 votes, with 112,229 ballots counted. The final numbers could change as counting winds down, but a reversal of the outcome is considered unlikely.
“In a year when a record number of Republican women were elected to Congress from across the country, I’m proud and humbled to be selected by the voters to add another female legislator ready to get things done for us in Trenton,” Dunn said in her victory statement.
Draeger had not posted a concession on social media as of Saturday.
Dunn’s running mate, state Sen. Anthony M. Bucco, also has declared victory in his race against Democrat Rupande Mehta. She has not conceded, either.
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.
A Mendham resident and mother of three, Dunn was district director for Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen from 2016 until the congressman retired in 2019.
Coincidentally, Dunn and Draeger both lost elections to Bucco last year. Dunn challenged him unsuccessfully in the Assembly primary, and Draeger lost in the general election.
Bucco was appointed last fall to the state Senate seat of his late father, Tony Bucco, and Dunn was appointed to the junior Bucco’s vacated Assembly seat. Both ran in special elections this month.
“As someone who was born on Medicaid and raised on food stamps, I know I have a special responsibility in Trenton for the countless number of struggling families across New Jersey who need a voice from someone who has walked in their shoes,” Dunn said in her statement.
“I pledge to always be a voice for affordability, and to always have their back.”
In a recent debate with Draeger, Dunn opposed defunding the police and was lukewarm on green energy, saying the financial burden was too great at this moment.
Draeger, a financial analyst-turned-farmer in Chester, countered that the goal to go green is long term, and can be as painless as replacing a worn out appliance with one that is energy efficient.
Dunn served as a budget analyst on education policy for the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee from 1997 to 2000, and a policy advisor for the House Veterans Affairs Committee. She also lobbied has for America’s public television stations, Sesame Street Workshop and the Ford Motor Company.
She serves on the board of the Morris County Habitat for Humanity and the Morris County Mental Health Addictions Services advisory board. Dunn also volunteers as a domestic violence crisis counselor with the Mendham Borough Police Department for the Jersey Battered Women’s Service.
Since 2010, Dunn’s family has hosted a New York City child each summer for the Fresh Air Fund.
