It might be easier to ask who isn’t running in LD39 this spring, Save Jerseyans.
Early this morning, 2017 lieutenant governor candidate and Woodcliff Lake Mayor Carlos Rendo told New Jersey Globe that he’s joining the Assembly race in LD39. Rendo ran unsuccessfully for statewide office eight years ago alongside then-Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno who has since left the Republican Party.
What makes this GOP legislative primary unusual is that there are two incumbents, and both of them are seeking reelection: Bob Auth of Old Tappan and John Azzariti, Jr. of Saddle River. In addition, Mahwah Councilman Ward Donigan, Saddle River Councilman John Kurpis, and ex-NJ-05 U.S. House candidate Frank Pallotta of Mahwah have also announced their intention to seek nomination.
Auth’s voting record is unambiguously conservative, but Pallotta cited Auth’s controversial support for avowed Never Trumper and 2025 gubernatorial candidate Jon Bramnick as a major motivating factor behind his candidacy.
“While Auth calls himself a ‘conservative,’ his actions tell a far different story,” complained Pallotta, a veteran of the banking industry and also a frequent critic of the Bergen County Republican establishment. “He remained silent when Bramnick defended Democrats who supported the ill-named ‘Freedom to Read Act’ (or ‘Grindr bill’) that allows for the placement of inappropriate, sexually explicit reading materials in school libraries. Politico also reported in 2024 that Bramnick ‘vowed to not vote for the former president in the 2024 presidential election’ and even hosted a cocktail reception for Democratic Governor Phil Murphy at his home.”
Auth’s district includes the Bergen County municipalities of Allendale, Alpine, Cresskill, Closter, Demarest, Dumont, Emerson, Harrington Park, Haworth, Hillsdale, Ho-Ho-Kus, Mahwah, Midland Park, Montvale, Northvale, Norwood, Oakland, Old Tappan, Park Ridge, Ramsey, River Vale, Rockleigh, Saddle River, Upper Saddle River, Waldwick, Washington Township, Westwood, and Woodcliff Lake.
While LD39 isn’t considered a likely swing district this cycle (Jack Ciattarelli won it by 7.8-points in 2021, 53.6% to to 45.8%), this relatively affluent suburban Bergen County district is also not deep red in the modern age; Donald Trump narrowly bested Kamala Harris here by 2.2-points in 2024 (50.1% to 47.9%). An ugly GOP primary could, theoretically, give Democrats an opening depending upon a variety of factors including opposition candidate recruitment, the end result of the GOP intra-party contest, the impact on the political environment from D.C. and, critically, the final gubernatorial landscape come November.
The State Senate (including LD39 incumbent Holly Schepisi) isn’t on the ballot in 2025 but all 80 Assembly seats are up this year. Democrats boast a strong majority in the chamber but Republicans could, in a perfect storm, fight to a tie (or close to it). Here’s my analysis if you missed it…
