By Kathy Shwiff
Morristown Democrat Marisa Sweeney is the top vote-getter among four candidates for two Assembly seats in District 25, according to official results of the Nov. 4, 2025, election.
Sweeney will be the first Democrat to represent the district since 1978.
The race was too close to call on election night and for days after, although Republican incumbent Aura Dunn declared victory late Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 5.
The Morris County Clerk’s Office released official election results yesterday, Monday, Nov. 17, and the Passaic County Clerk’s Office did the same today, Tuesday, Nov. 18.
District 25 includes 18 towns in Morris County, including Morristown and Morris Township, as well as West Milford in Passaic County.
The official results show Sweeney with 49,918 votes; Dunn with 49,088; incumbent Republican Christian Barranco with 48,125; and Morristown Councilman Steve Pylypchuk, a Democrat, with 47,723.
“I’m really excited and honored and humbled to be here,” Sweeney said. “Going into the election, just being a Democrat made me the underdog. So the fact that I’m here is something I’m really excited about.”
Results of the election will be certified next week, and Sweeney, a small-business owner and member of the Morristown planning board, has been invited to a Dec. 3 orientation for new legislators.
They will be sworn in Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026.
Sweeney said she is looking for office space in the district. “The idea is to have it in a place where it is accessible to most,” which may not be in Morristown, she said. Dunn moved her headquarters to Morristown earlier this year.
Sweeney also has received a bunch of resumes for staff positions.
“I’ve been taking I guess you could say ‘light moves’ to prepare for January,” she said. “I’m really ready to get to work.”
Sweeney’s running mate, Morristown Councilman Pylypchuk, said he is “super-proud and excited for Marisa to be in there. There’s no doubt in my mind she’s going to do a great job.”
While disappointed that he did not win, he said, “I’m glad we got one of us in there.”
He did not rule out running for the Assembly again in 2027. “A lot can happen in two years. It’s definitely not a no but it’s not a yes.”
MORE COVERAGE OF ELECTION 2025
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