MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County’s Democratic Committee holds a commanding financial advantage over its Republican counterpart heading into the fall campaign season, according to new figures from the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission.
The Morris County Democratic Committee reported $88,971 in cash on hand as of June 30, compared to just $9,852 for the Morris County Republican Committee — a nearly nine-to-one edge that state analysts flagged as one of the more lopsided county-level financial gaps in New Jersey.
The money will help fund what is, locally, a modest ballot this November: just one seat on the Morris County Board of County Commissioners is up for election. Republican incumbent Tayfun Selen of Chatham is seeking another term and faces Democrat Christopher (Chris) Russo, a Morristown councilman who ran unopposed for his party’s nomination. The commissioners serve staggered three-year terms, with either one or three seats up in a given year; the other six seats are not up again until 2027 or 2028.
A Selen loss would be a watershed moment for county politics. The seven-member board has been entirely Republican since 1973, the longest single-party streak of any county governing body in New Jersey.
In the 2025 General Election, Parsippany lost three Republican seats to Democrats. Mayor Pulkit Desai defeated former Mayor James Barberio, and Council Vice President Frank Neglia and Candidate Jigar Shah, lost to Democrat Diya Patel and Matthew Kavanagh.
The two county parties are led by chairs based on opposite sides of Morris County. The Morris County Democratic Committee is chaired by Darcy Draeger, who lives in Chester Township. The Morris County Republican Committee is chaired by Laura Marie Ali, who lives in Chatham.
The disparity in committee cash places Morris among the counties where Democrats hold what analysts describe as an outside chance at competitive county elections this fall, alongside Hunterdon County. Both are considered less certain battlegrounds than Atlantic, Cumberland and Gloucester counties, which are expected to see the most competitive county races statewide.
The Morris County numbers reflect a broader statewide pattern. Democratic county organizations across New Jersey raised nearly $4.8 million during the first six months of the year, compared to $1.1 million for Republican county committees — a nearly four-to-one advantage. Democrats also outspent Republicans by a similar margin, $4.31 million to $1.15 million, and held more than three times as much cash in reserve statewide, $3.57 million to $905,659.
Fundraising accelerated sharply during the second quarter for both parties. Democratic fundraising statewide rose 138 percent over the first-quarter total, while Republican fundraising grew 88 percent. Republican organizations managed to grow their combined cash reserves by 36 percent during the period, from $665,324 to $905,659, even as Democratic reserves dipped slightly.
The statewide totals mark a substantial pullback from a year ago, when New Jersey was in the midst of what became the most expensive gubernatorial election in state history. Combined county-party fundraising is down 43 percent from the same point last year, and spending has fallen 29 percent.
The figures are drawn from campaign finance reports filed with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission through late August.
