By Sunayana Prabhu
MONMOUTH COUNTY – Amid a Democratic “blue wave” nationwide during the midterm elections, Monmouth County also saw some GOP setbacks, including in commissioner and surrogate races. Locally, Democrats pulled off some surprise wins, although most races for federal offices and municipal and school board positions maintained the status quo.
Absentee and provisional votes are still being counted after polls closed at 8 p.m. election night, Nov. 3, but unofficial results from the Monmouth County Clerk’s office show Democrats winning in unexpected places.
The midterms were a battleground for control of Congress, with both U.S. Senate and House of Representatives races on the line. In New Jersey, incumbent U.S. Sen. Cory Booker was easily reelected with 62.10% of the statewide vote (51.79% in Monmouth County). New Jersey voters have not sent a Republican to the U.S. Senate since Clifford Case won reelection in 1972.
In the House of Representatives, all 12 of the New Jersey district seats were up for election. Nine have been Democratic strongholds, but this year Democrats flipped two districts, claiming 11. The lone exception was in the Fourth District, which covers parts of Ocean and Monmouth counties, including Two River-area towns Colts Neck, Middletown, Eatontown, Tinton Falls and Shrewsbury. Republican U.S. Rep. Christopher H. Smith won reelection over Democrat challenger Rachel Peace with 52.55% of the Monmouth County vote; Peace received 47.33% of the Monmouth County vote. Smith will be serving his 23rd, two-year term.
Democrat U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. won reelection to his 20th two-year term in District 6, another Monmouth County district, over Republican opponent Hillary Herzig of Oceanport. District 6 includes the Bayshore and 12 communities along the Atlantic Coast, including Atlantic Highlands, Fair Haven, Highlands, Little Silver, part of Middletown, Oceanport, Red Bank, Rumson and Sea Bright. Pallone received 61.80% of the Monmouth County vote; Herzig won 37.96% in Monmouth County.
Midterm elections, which take place every two years halfway through the four-year presidential term, are generally perceived as a barometer of presidential performance. According to national preliminary election results, Democrats have taken control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
This recalibration of power was also evident in Monmouth County races where Democrats Sofia J. Ugarte and Chelsey Tanner won two county commissioner seats, ousting Republican incumbent Erik Anderson and defeating Middletown Mayor Tony Perry, who has held the position for the county’s largest municipality since 2019.
In the Monmouth County Surrogate race, Democrat Anthony L. Cherry, a Monmouth County criminal defense attorney, defeated Republican incumbent Maureen T. Raisch. The county surrogate serves a five-year term and processes court-related and estate-related services.
The county has long been a Republican stronghold, but the unofficial Democratic victories appear to have ended that decades-long trend. The Board of County Commissioners remains a Republican majority, however, with three of the five commissioners Republican. Their seats were not up for reelection this year.
“The fact that we got it done, the things that this team had to go through to get here, and the support we got throughout the process is why we’re able to say Monmouth County is part of the blue wave,” Cherry said during the Democrats’ election night watch party in Long Branch, where he celebrated with Tanner, Ugarte and Pallone.
In a joint statement, the candidates added: “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.”
According to the Monmouth County Clerk’s Office, the county has 508,599 registered voters; 234,716 votes were cast, for a 46.15% voter turnout.
Some local races saw Democratic victories, too.
In Fair Haven, Democrats Marian Croak and former council member Christopher Rodriguez won both open borough council seats and former council member and Democrat Michal Albanese DiMiceli was elected to fill the mayor’s seat. The council will now be evenly split with three Republicans and three Democrats. Fair Haven’s current Republican Mayor Josh Halpern chose not to run for reelection.
In Sea Bright, all three Democrats running for council seats were also elected.
Mail-in and provisional ballots will be counted until Nov. 9. Final certified results will be announced by the New Jersey Division of Elections. As of press time Wednesday, Nov. 4, the Monmouth County Clerk’s Office website shows the following results for Monmouth County votes cast. Names of winners are highlighted in italics:
U.S. Senate
Cory Booker (D): 120,178 (51.79%)
Justin Murphy (R): 107,035 (46.13%)
Veronica Fernandez (I): 3,084 (1.33%)
Joanne Kuniansky (I): 1,446 (0.62%)
U.S. House of Representatives
District 4
Christopher H. Smith (R): 49,765 (52.55%)
Rachel Peace (D): 44,819 (47.33%)
District 6
Frank Pallone Jr. (D): 48,466 (61.80%)
Hillary Herzig (R): 29,768 (37.96%)
Monmouth County Board
of County Commissioners
Chelsey Tanner(D): 116,792 (25.60%)
Sofia J. Ugarte (D): 115, 119 (25.23%)
Erik Anderson (R): 112,105 (24.57%)
Tony Perry (R): 111,768 (24.50%)
Monmouth County Surrogate
Anthony L. Cherry (D): 116,630 (51.10%)
Maureen T. Raisch (R): 111,388 (48.80%)
The article originally appeared in the November 5 – 11, 2026 print edition of The Two River Times.
