TOMS RIVER, NJ – Former Toms River police chief, Sheriff Michael Mastronardy has won his bid for re-election, defeating Democrat Salvatore Frascino 72% to 28% Tuesday night.
Mastronardy received 140,535 votes to Frascino’s 55,365.
Mastronardy’s win comes off an embarrassing loss to Ocean County GOP Chairman George Gilmore in July’s OC GOP Chairman’s election.
Ocean County Commissioner Jack Kelly received the most votes among candidates for the office with 135,096 votes. His running mate Virginia Haines finished second with 134,921 votes. Kelly has outpaced his running mate in each of their elections.
Democrats Catherine Paura and Roxanne Barnes each received just 14% of the vote.
The win solidified a sweep by Ocean County Republicans at the county and federal levels as Congressman Chris Smith and Congressman Jeff Van Drew each won their respective races against their Democrat challengers.
Although the win was good for the Republican Party, the Ocean County GOP organization remains sharply divided as forces aligned with current GOP Chairman George Gilmore continue to do battle across the county with those still aligned with Haines and former OC GOP Chairman Frank Holman.
The battle between the two feuding factions will now shift its focus to Manchester, where Gilmore-backed candidate Robert Arace and Holman faction-aligned candidate Robert Hudak will face off in a runoff election on December 6th.
Haines, although the endorsed candidate by the GOP was the driving force behind the county’s non-endorsement of incumbent Mayor Michael Reina in Jackson Township. Haines was the lone Freeholder to not publicly endorse Reina’s team in that election, opting instead to back his opponents who were defeated on Tuesday.