This is a big one, Save Jerseyans…
The gubernatorial campaign (and potential senatorial future) of Jon Bramnick was dealt a serious blow on Monday when Carlos Santos, a retired ironworker, defeated long-time Union County GOP Chairman Glen Mortimer at the county reorganization meeting.
Santos prevailed will more than 60% of the vote over the ten-year incumbent.
A strong Trump backer, Santos spent recent months laboring to fill vacant committee seats across the county while Mortimer relied on the support of party leaders, notably his close ally Jon Bramnick (R-21) who is presently seeking the 2025 gubernatorial nomination.
Mortimer’s loss not only represents a major changing of the guard in the formerly-Republican county (now reliably blue), but it also could doom Bramnick’s gubernatorial chances since he can no longer necessarily count on the “line” (assuming it still exists next year) in is home county. Santos would also presumably be less-than-included to back Bramnick for reelection in 2027 assuming the state senator attempts it.
