Bergen County Republican Chairman Jack DeLorenzo will not seek re-election to a second term when his term expires in June, and former Upper Saddle River Councilman Vincent Durante is favored to replace him.
DeLorenzo, a former Hasbrouck Heights mayor, was elected two years ago after Jack Zisa stepped down. His departure had been expected over the last few months; after the March 23 filing deadline, DeLorenzo’s plans became clearer when the local Republicans in his hometown filed zero candidates for county committee seats in the June primary.
Thomas Toscano, Jr., the District 37 GOP chairman, will run for vice chairman on the Durante slate.
The deadline to file a nominating petition to run for county chairman is in May. Republicans are going into the primary election with over 500 unfilled county committee seats, which means candidates who win write-in campaigns or get appointed to fill vacancies will be disenfranchised from the process to pick a new leader.
Durante ousted four-term incumbent Benedict Focarino last year to become the Republican State Committeeman from Bergen County. He won by 48 votes, 278-230, after a change in the law allowed county committee members to select State Committee members for a four-year term rather than put the office on the ballot.
Bergen County Republicans had a county executive, a sheriff, three freeholders, and a congressman as recently as 2013, the last time the GOP won a countywide race there.
Donald Trump came within 3 percentage points of winning Bergen County, but Republicans were unable to build on that result. Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill carried Bergen County by 37,779 votes and 11 points last year.
