By Sunayana Prabhu
MONMOUTH COUNTY – This year’s midterm elections delivered historic wins for the Monmouth County Democrats as they flipped three top tickets, including the county surrogate and two county commissioner positions, seats Republicans have held since 2011.
As Republicans brace for the political shift and Democrats pledge to deliver on their promises, both parties have pointed to Washington as the reason for their wins – and losses.
“National headwinds made this a tough year for Republicans everywhere, but Monmouth County worked hard and showed up,” Shaun Golden, the Monmouth County Republican chair, said in a Nov. 4 statement.
Meanwhile, Democrats have been rejoicing over the “blue tsunami.”
“I think that the reason why it happened is because people are really hungry for change,” Dyese Davis, Monmouth County Democrats chair, said, adding that a lot of this was “anti-President Trump sentiment.”
“Residents were just tired of what had been going on in Washington, and then not seeing any pushback from the Republicans here.”
Absentee and provisional votes are still being counted. According to unofficial results from the Monmouth County Clerk’s Office, Democrats Chelsey Tanner and Sofia J. Ugarte won commissioner seats, defeating the two Republicans, incumbent Erik Anderson, a former Shrewsbury mayor, and current Middletown Mayor Tony Perry.
Democrat Anthony L. Cherry beat incumbent Republican Maureen Raisch in the county surrogate race, according to the unofficial election results.
Davis said the results reflected voters’ desire for change. The last Democrat elected to a county-level office was Amy Mallet, who won a commissioner seat in 2008 and served until 2012.
Republicans will retain a 3-2 majority on the five-member Board of County Commissioners, but the wins give Democrats a presence on the board and in the surrogate’s office.
“The shakeup is really interesting,” Davis said. “Sometimes when you have people who are all of the same party, it tends to be a little bit of a hive mindset.”
“Last night, Monmouth County made history. We don’t take that lightly. It belongs to every voter who turned out, to every volunteer who knocked a door or made a call, and to every person who believed change was possible,” the winning candidates said in a Nov. 4 joint statement to The Two River Times.
The candidates credited their “incredible journey” to grassroots volunteers and said they “stayed focused on the things that matter at your kitchen table, from your tax bill to the services your family counts on. We went town to town, from Asbury Park to Freehold to Middletown, and we listened.”
Democrats reported overall gains in municipal races across Monmouth County, including six mayoral seats and 30 council seats, while preserving two congressional districts: U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-6) and U.S. Rep. Herb Conway (D-3). Incumbent U.S. Sen. Cory Booker was also re-elected.
The incoming Democrats are political newcomers and will be joining a seasoned board of county commissioners. According to Davis, Tanner and Ugarte’s outsider status helped them connect with voters.
The board currently includes Commissioner Director Thomas Arnone, Deputy Director Dominick DiRocco and commissioners Susan Kiley, Ross Licitra and Anderson. Licitra (who did not seek reelection) and Anderson will be replaced by Tanner and Ugarte. They will be sworn in during the reorganization meeting in January at the Hall of Records in Freehold.
Affordability, Budget Review on Agenda
The county Democrats built their campaign around affordability issues and will have to deliver on those promises when they’re sworn in.
“I think the very first thing that’s going to be on their agenda is affordability, and that is looking at the county budget, understanding the county budget, and helping it be more palatable for everyday residents,” Davis said.
Tanner, who has experience with grants and budgets, wants the budget examined “line by line,” Davis said, to identify spending cuts and possible outside funding that could reduce the burden on taxpayers.
Ugarte’s background in energy efficiency could help her identify gaps and opportunities to improve county systems.
Davis said the new commissioners also want to review whether the county’s annual property-assessment program could be conducted less frequently. “Monmouth County is the only county that does property assessments every single year,” Davis said.
Davis is concerned that annual assessments may make it harder for residents to stay in their homes as property values continue to rise, which directly correlates with higher property taxes.
“The reality is that residents are hurting and we are in really unprecedented times because there’s a lot of houses that are being sold, the valuations are really high ever since COVID,” Davis said. The situation is particularly challenging for longtime residents who’ve lived in the neighborhood “for 30, 40, 50 years, and bought their house for $50,000, whereas their new neighbor bought the house for $600,000,” she said.
“Now their valuation goes up, which is great if they want to sell. But these people don’t want to sell; they want to stay in the community,” Davis said.
The proposed reviews are not yet policy changes. Davis said the new officials want to understand how the budget and assessment program work, ensure transparency to residents and determine whether alternatives are available.
District 4 Remains Republican
In Congressional District 4, Republican U.S. Rep. Chris Smith defeated Democrat Rachel Peace, leaving it the only congressional district of 12 statewide “that did not flip,” Davis said, adding that the district’s partisan makeup made the race difficult.
“When you look at the pure numbers of Republicans versus Democrats versus Independents, the numbers lean in the favor of Congressman Smith,” Davis said. However, Peace’s campaign had “moved the needle,” Davis said, indicating that supporters are preparing for Peace to run in the next election cycle.
Republicans Pledge to Stay Active
Commissioner Erik Anderson thanked voters and volunteers in a Nov. 5 statement posted on his social media. “While the results didn’t go the way we had hoped, I am truly grateful for the opportunity I’ve had to serve Monmouth County over the past three years on the Commissioner Board, and honored to have run alongside two amazing running mates, Maureen Raisch, Tony Perry. I look forward to staying involved, and continue working to keep our county the very best place to live.”
Golden congratulated the 34 Republican candidates in 18 municipalities in the county. “Our county races are close, and we will see to it that every single vote is counted. Congressman Chris Smith is going back to Washington to keep fighting for Monmouth County families, and our leadership team, candidates, and volunteers will keep fighting right here at home,” Golden said.
“Despite the outcome, let us be clear: we’re not going anywhere.”
This article originally appeared in the November 12-18, 2026 print edition of The Two River Times.
