By Stephen Appezzato
MONMOUTH COUNTY – Early voting – in-person and by mail – is now underway in Monmouth County for the June 10 primary election, with a longer voting window in place due to new state legislation. The county announced that early voting, which began Tuesday, June 3, will run through Sunday, June 8.
Gov. Phil Murphy signed a new law March 4 extending the early voting period in non-presidential primaries from three to six days. In presidential years, early voting will be six days as well. Voters can also vote by mail and track their ballots through the Monmouth County Clerk’s website, monmouthcountyvotes.com.
At the state level, there are Republican and Democratic primaries for the gubernatorial race. There are no contested local Democratic primary races in the Two River area this year.
Packed Primaries for Governor
The Republican primary for governor features a crowded field of five candidates vying for the nomination:
Mario M. Kranjac – Make New Jersey Great Again
Bill Spadea – Common Sense Republican
Justin Barbera – Enough Is Enough Uncompromised
Jon Bramnick – Monmouth County First Republican
Jack Ciattarelli – Official Candidate Monmouth County Republican Organization (He was recently endorsed by President Donald Trump.)
On the Democratic side, six candidates are competing:
Steven Fulop – Democrats For Change
Steve Sweeney – Regular Democratic Organization
Mikie Sherrill – Monmouth County Democrats
Josh Gottheimer – Lower Taxes. Democrats of Monmouth County
Ras J. Baraka – Reimagine NJ
Sean Spiller – Monmouth County Democrats Protecting Our Democracy
State and County Contests
In Legislative District 11, there are no contested primary races for state seats. In District 13, Republican voters will choose two from the following for State Assembly:
Gerry Scharfenberger – Official Candidate Monmouth County Republican Organization
Vicky Flynn – Official Candidate Monmouth County Republican Organization
Rich Castaldo – Monmouth County Conservative Republican
For Monmouth County Clerk, Republican incumbent Christine Giordano Hanlon is facing a challenge from Danielle Bellomo for the Republican Primary, representing the Monmouth County Conservative Republicans.
In the County Commissioner race, Republican voters will select two from the following:
Thomas A. Arnone – Official Candidate Monmouth County Republican Organization
Dominick “Nick” DiRocco – Official Candidate Monmouth County Republican Organization Mary Katie Kelliher – Monmouth County Conservative Republicans
Local Races
Most primary races in the Two River area are uncontested, except for Republican races in Colts Neck and Holmdel. In Colts Neck, Republican voters will choose one candidate:
Sue Fitzpatrick – Republicans Against Overdevelopment
John Tobia – Colts Neck First
In Holmdel, Republican voters will pick two among four candidates (see story page 3):
Gregory Buontempo – Holmdel Republicans
Prakash Santhana – Holmdel Republicans
Brian Foster – Official Candidate Monmouth County Republican Organization
Kimberley LaMountain – Official Candidate Monmouth County Republican Organization
Early voting locations and ballot tracking tools are available at the Monmouth County Clerk’s website, monmouthcountyvotes.com.
The article originally appeared in the June 5 – 11, 2025 print edition of The Two River Times.
