PATERSON, N.J. – The votes are still being counted, but Frank Pallotta felt confident enough to declare victory on Wednesday night.
According to the campaign’s tally, their candidate – a first time officer seeker with a background in the financial industry – had garnered roughly 50% of the vote in the fourt-way NJ-05 GOP House primary.
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“I am truly honored and humbled to have earned the support of Fifth District Republicans in this important first step toward finally taking back our District for the people,” said Pallotta in a statement. “From the beginning of this campaign, I vowed that we would fight for every vote, and that no community would be left behind. After years of Josh Gottheimer’s irresponsible leadership, I felt that the voters of this District deserved to be heard by a political outsider with a sympathetic ear and an open heart. This week, the voters have rewarded our team’s consistent and purpose-driven outreach, and I could not be more grateful for the trust they have placed in me.”
Votes were still set to be counted in Bergen and Passaic counties on Thursday morning; Pallotta appeared to have romped in the district’s western reaches while his major rival John McCann led by only 1,177 votes in Bergen (8,660 vs. 7483 for Pallotta) as of the end of counting on Wednesday night despite McCann having been controversially granted the line there.
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