TOMS RIVER – Bill Spadea clinched the gubernatorial endorsement at the Ocean County Republican Convention, securing 129 votes to defeat Jack Ciattarelli, who received 83. The Ocean County Republican Organization also endorsed legislative and county-level candidates in an effort to strengthen Republican influence in the upcoming elections.
Ocean County GOP Chairman George Gilmore privately predicted that Spadea would win with a 60/40 split as the voting process was underway. His forecast proved remarkably precise, missing the actual result by less than one percentage point.
The Voting Process
Gilmore said he had anticipated a decisive outcome at the convention and defended the endorsement process against criticism. Actual voting booths were set up at the convention location at the Clarion Hotel in Toms River to allow for secret ballots.
“I see several attacks on our organization regarding the fairness of our process, attacking our bylaw procedures,” Gilmore stated. “I want to make it very clear to everybody; those bylaws were enacted 40 years ago. We’ve made some minor changes, but not in regard to the voting.”
The nomination process began with a screening committee, which reviewed all candidates who sought consideration and made recommendations. The only individuals to screen for governor in Ocean County were Monica Brinson, Jack Ciattarelli, Francis Rella and Spadea. The screening committee recommended Spadea.
Despite nominations being taken from the floor, the only contested race was between Ciattarelli and Spadea, while other candidates were endorsed by acclamation. Candidates endorsed in addition to Spadea were broken down as follows:
9th Legislative District Assembly: Brian Rumpf and Gregory Myhre
10th Legislative District Assembly: Paul Kanitra and Gregory McGuckin
12th Legislative District Assembly: Robert Clifton and Alex Sauickie
30th Legislative District Assembly: Sean T. Kean and Ned Thomson
Ocean County Sheriff: Michael Mastronardy
Ocean County Clerk: Jack Kelly
Ocean County Commissioners: Samuel Ellenbogen and Raymond Gormley
According to the bylaws, a candidate needed at least 50% plus one vote to secure the county GOP’s endorsement. A total of 230 voting members were eligible to participate, with 212 casting ballots in the gubernatorial race.
Objections From Women’s Group
A point of contention arose when Vivian Vosbrinck, President of the Ocean County Federation of Republican Women (OCRW), protested the exclusion of her organization from voting. “After 30 years of voting, our name being in the bylaws as the Women’s Club, we were not notified of this,” Vosbrinck stated before the voting began.
Gilmore responded by citing legal counsel and the credentials committee’s decision. He explained that the OCRW was barred from voting due to bylaws prohibiting endorsements in races where multiple Republican candidates were running. “They’re not voting because the national and state bylaws say you cannot endorse a candidate in a primary where there’s more than one candidate.”
Vosbrinck supplied a letter outlining an opinion from Theresa Kosmoski, a Registered Parliamentarian and former executive board member of the National Federation of Republican Women (NFRW). In her letter, Kosmoski referenced the Endorsement Policy of the NFRW, which states that no president, campaign activities chair, or club may endorse when two or more Republican candidates are in the same race for public office. She clarified that this policy was never intended to apply to intraparty races, arguing that party nomination elections are internal and not public contests.
Kosmoski further stated that secret ballot voting could not be construed as an endorsement and that OCRW had followed all guidelines properly. Kosmoski also cited language in the NJFRW bylaws, reinforcing the position that the prohibition on endorsements applies only to general elections, not primary races within the party. She concluded that OCRW’s voting rights should have been preserved, as their participation in the endorsement process did not violate any national or state rules.
“They’re arguing that it’s not an endorsement by voting for a candidate,” said Gilmore. “How do you get the authority from your membership to vote?”
Gilmore added that the Ocean County Young Republicans were not permitted to vote for the same reasons and did not voice objections. Both clubs carried the weight of one vote each.
Vosbrinck said that there are now two federated women’s club and that the OCRW is specifically written into the bylaws as having a vote. The new group also was unable to vote according to Gilmore, who cited the same disqualifications.
“As far as we’re concerned, they violated their own bylaws, by also not giving us the required 30 days notice,” said Vosbrinck. “We have been voting for 30 years, and we feel the organization has disrespected all the women in Ocean County by taking away our vote.”
Spadea’s Call To Action
Following the vote, Spadea delivered a speech thanking his supporters and pledging to win the primary. He complimented the Ocean County model of running conventions that support local candidates and building up the Republican party.
“You’ve been listening to me on the radio. You see me on TV,” said Spadea. “I am in this to win this.”
Spadea said that after winning the primary, he planned to go on to victory in November and change the state. He pointed to Trump’s near-win in New Jersey, insisting that turning the state red is within reach.
“We’re going to take this state back,” continued Spadea. “We’re going to restore integrity and common sense and make New Jersey great again.”
