By Stephen Appezzato, Photos by Patrick Olivero
LONG BRANCH – State Democrats’ pricey campaign paid off Tuesday evening when they flipped both Assembly seats in Legislative District 11 (LD11) and Sen. Vin Gopal won reelection for a third term.
According to unofficial results from the Monmouth County Clerk’s Office, Gopal secured victory over Republican challenger Steve Dnistrian by more than 11,000 votes. Running mates for Assembly, Margie Donlon and Luanne Peterpaul, followed suit, beating Republican incumbents Marilyn Piperno and Kim Eulner by more than 6,000 votes each.
At his election night watch party, Gopal praised Monmouth County voters for believing in “civility,” “decency” and “bipartisanship” in this year’s election.
“We are in a trial time in our country right now where people have shown a complete lack of civility when it comes to politics and government. But tonight, here in Monmouth County, this election was never ever about me, Margie or Luanne. It was about all of you, the residents of Monmouth County,” Gopal said.
Peterpaul said she was “humbled to be making history as the first openly gay woman” elected to the Legislature. “I stand on the shoulders of countless trailblazers who fought for equality and opened the door for people like me to serve my community in elected office,” she said in a release.
Donlon will be the first female physician elected to the state Legislature.
Gov. Phil Murphy, who attended the watch party, called the win “huge.”
“This is a big deal,” Murphy said. “I feel really good about what these folks have done. They deserve the victory they’ve had and we’re going to do a lot of great things together,” he added.
“For the naysayers out there across the country and anywhere that might think that politics has gotten too tough, it’s gotten too negative, it’s gotten to vitriolic, they’re going to read about New Jersey elections today,” said Gopal.
The race for LD11 control garnered attention across the state and country.
Setting The Stage
After losing the race for state Assembly in 2011, Gopal became chairman of the Monmouth County Democrats. In 2017, he launched a campaign for state Senate, beating Republican incumbent Jennifer Beck to become the first Indian-American elected to the office.
Gopal made a name for himself, becoming one of the state’s most influential Democrats. But in the 2021 election, the senator barely squeaked out a win when Republicans statewide regained votes; Jack Ciattarelli nearly unseated Murphy for governor that year and Piperno and Eulner won seats in LD11, splitting the district.
After the 2021 election, the district – which encompasses Two River area towns Colts Neck, Fair Haven, Red Bank, Shrewsbury and Tinton Falls – quickly became a political battleground with Democrats and Republicans butting heads. Winning reelection in 2023 would be Gopal’s hardest race yet.
Choosing Sides and Platforms
In early 2023, political newcomer Steve Dnistrian announced he would run as a Republican for the LD11 Senate seat alongside Piperno and Eulner. Republicans looked to overturn Gopal’s Democratic foothold in Monmouth County, funneling resources to Dnistrian’s campaign to secure the district. Democrats tapped Peterpaul, a former county prosecutor and municipal judge, and Donlon, a physician and deputy mayor of Ocean Township, to oust the Republican assemblywomen.
The race quickly heated up as the two parties formulated platforms. Republicans pushed back on Murphy’s bail reform policies, linking them to a wave of break-ins and car thefts that hit the county. Alongside pledges of fiscal discipline and opposition to offshore wind projects, the slate also focused on bolstering parental rights in local schools, reversing state influence in public education.
In particular, the candidates zeroed in on transgender student guidelines – a hot point with many across the state – demanding “notification policies.” If a student wants to be addressed by a different pronoun, name or identity, Republicans want to compel schools to inform the student’s parents.
Gopal, Donlon and Peterpaul’s campaign emphasized expanding mental health services for residents, combating food insecurity, lowering prescription drug costs, protecting women’s access to health care, including the right to an abortion, and making New Jersey more affordable for all through the ANCHOR and StayNJ programs.
Curtains Close on a Costly Campaign
Amid a rising red tide, state Democrats recognized how difficult it would be to maintain the LD11 Senate seat, let alone flip two Assembly seats. The party focused resources in the district, spending more than $8 million on Gopal, Donlon and Peterpaul’s campaigns.
Republicans spent less than that in their attempt to unseat Gopal and maintain Eulner’s and Piperno’s positions. As of press time, just under one-third of voters in LD11 cast their vote; mail-in ballots can be received and counted up to six days after polls close. But the margin of victory is wide and it is clear Democrats regained their foothold in LD11.
Despite the 2023 election landing in an off-year, Gopal said the election turnout was significant. “Monmouth County showed up in numbers we have not seen before in an off-year election, and we are thrilled that our entire ticket has earned the overwhelming support of voters,” Gopal said.
Gopal will serve a four-year term (senators serve four-year terms except for the first term of a new decade, which is only two years, a “2-4-4” cycle) while Donlon and Peterpaul will each serve two-year terms.
“For the Republicans, Democrats and Independents that put Monmouth County first, thank you for what you did tonight,” Gopal said.
For full election results visit monmouthcountyvotes.com.
The article originally appeared in the November 9 – November 15, 2023 print edition of The Two River Times.
