TOMS RIVER, NJ – The dust hasn’t yet settled. The food from B2 Bistro in Toms River has not yet been digested and many inside the losing faction in Ocean County’s GOP Chairman’s race are still working off a serious hangover. Commissioner Ginny Haines hasn’t yet taken all of the “G” keys off the keyboards after her late-night visit to clear out the party’s campaign headquarters with black plastic bags in hand.
Related: There’s a New Sheriff in Town as Gilmore Defeats Mastronardy in OC GOP Chairman’s Election
When the sun rose this morning, George Gilmore was the new Ocean County GOP Chairman, defeating the Sheriff, Michael Mastronardy for the seat of chairman of the party.
But talk is already circulating that the Holman faction of the GOP is already looking at ways to get back in power. One of those ways is possibly forming a new political party and decertifying the Ocean County GOP at the state level.
Bob Hugin, State GOP Chairman was on hand last night to celebrate the victory for Sheriff Mastronardy and Former Chairman Frank Holman but was seen rushing out the back door quickly to escape the bloodbath that took place earlier.
Now, operatives within the GOP have told Shore News Network that some in the now defeated faction intend to form a new Republican party and have the existing one decertified with the state committee. It’s not like they haven’t done it before.
Two years ago, after failed attempts to take over the Toms River Republican Club, Toms River Mayor Maurice Hill and Toms River Council President Kevin Geoghegan formed a new club and quickly convinced Holman to officially recognize it as the official Republican club of Toms River.
The same can be done at the county level, but it’s a battle the Holman clan will surely lose, even with former U.S. Senate candidate Softee Bob Hugin as the party chairman. With Holman and crew being defeated by Gilmore on his own turf, the county chairman’s election, it’s like a kid losing a contest challenging his opponent to ‘double or nothing’. Holman’s allies would surely end up with nothing.
It’s a task Gilmore with many longtime statewide connections, will surely win. It would be like casual checkers players challenging a chess master to a game of chess in his own house, with his own board.
Gilmore today shrugged off the notion that Holman and company were plotting a coup, saying he isn’t concerned about it and would be confident he would easily win that challenge.