On Saturday, state Senator Gerry Cardinale won the convention in New Jersey’s 39th district by a wide margin. He got 119 votes from members of the Republican county committee. His opponent—attorney john mccann—got 51 votes. However, in Bergen County, that doesn’t mean that Cardinale will be sailing into the June primary with the endorsement of the Bergen County Republican Organization (BCRO). Instead, BCRO Chairman Paul DiGaetano will take the convention results and other factors into account to make the final decision on who gets the line: Cardinale or McCann.
While the chairman making the final call on who gets the Bergen County Republican line follows precedent set by past chairmen and conventions in 39, a number of circumstances this year make the final outcome particularly volatile. In legislative district 39, it is important to note that, while Cardinale got the support of rank-and-file committee members from the district on Saturday, McCann scored the official endorsement of the Passaic County Regular Republican Organization last week. Furthermore, DiGaetano has said that he favors new leadership in the district and that he supports McCann. Cardinale and DiGaetano have often been on opposing sides of Bergen’s fractured Republican Party. In June, before DiGaetano was elected as the new BCRO chairman, Cardinale was a vocal supporter of former Chairman Bob Yudin. Cardinale also supports a slate fronted by Passaic County Clerk Kristin Corrado in the 40th legislative district over the slate fronted by DiGaetano for the same senate position.
DiGaetano told PolitickerNJ that he will make the decision in district 39 along with the input of the 10 officers of the BCRO the based on what is best for the county.
“Awarding the line in the county is actually awarding the association with our county candidates,” DiGaetano said. “The decision on awarding that line must be made in what is the best interest of the county candidates and the county organization. While there may be some people in district 39 that will be upset if Senator Cardinale doesn’t get the line, there are others who would be happy. It is not about any individual, it is about what is best for the organization.”
According to DiGaetano, no decision has been made at this point and he is not currently favoring either Cardinale or McCann. He told PolitickerNJ that no announcement will be made until well after the March 23 county convention where county and statewide candidates will be selected. DiGaetano said that decision will factor in petition filings to run on the line.
Cardinale said that his win at the convention is indicative of what those in the district want.
“I think that now we have heard from the people who actually live in the 39th district, who are in the county committee in the 39th district, we get a better sense of where this race really is,” said Cardinale. The incumbent senator also called for McCann to withdraw, noting that the county committee had spoken. Cardinale criticized McCann for his position as general counsel for Bergen County Sheriff Michael Saudino, a former Republican who switched parties to run as a Democrat in 2016.
Cardinale has represented legislative district 39 in the state senate since 1982.
