OCEAN COUNTY – George Gilmore secured another term as chairman of the Ocean County Republican Organization Tuesday night, winning re-election by affirmation without opposition during the county party’s annual reorganization convention, where the emphasis was on unity rather than division.
Although voting machines had been set up at both Ocean County College in Toms River and at The Mainland in Stafford Township to accommodate county committee members from across the county, they ultimately went unused after no challenger emerged either before or during the meeting.
The proceedings began with the nomination of longtime Vice Chair Ruthanne Scaturro of Brick, who also was returned to her leadership position by affirmation. Gilmore’s nomination followed shortly thereafter.
According to Ocean County GOP Executive Director Jennifier Bacchione, enthusiasm from committee members made it difficult to determine exactly who first nominated Gilmore from the floor.
“Ashley Lamb had just begun making the nomination when everybody started yelling and raising their hands,” Bacchione said. Bacchione said Point Pleasant Borough County Committee member Toni DePaula ultimately provided the formal second.
With no additional nominations offered from the floor, Gilmore was re-elected by affirmation.
Following the vote, county committee members representing various factions within the widely divided party lined up to shake Gilmore’s hand and offer congratulations. Among them were an assortment of individuals who had publicly come out against the chairman during his most recent term.
The atmosphere stood in sharp contrast not only to the contentious 2022 Ocean County GOP chairman’s race, when Gilmore defeated Sheriff Michael Mastronardy, but also to last week’s Ocean County Democratic reorganization convention, where Chairman Wyatt Earp prevailed over reform challenger Alison Miller following a contested race that exposed divisions within that party.
Tuesday night’s Republican gathering lacked the tension that had characterized Gilmore’s challenge four years earlier.
Gilmore has served as county chairman for decades, making him one of the longest-serving county party leaders in New Jersey. His long tenure was interrupted after he stepped down in 2019 following federal convictions related to payroll tax violations and a false statement on a bank loan application. Gilmore received a full presidential pardon from President Donald Trump in January 2021 before returning to county leadership and reclaiming the chairmanship in 2022.
By the end of his current four-year term, Gilmore said he will have served a total of 28 years as chairman of the Ocean County Republican Organization.
Asked about his goals for the next four years, Gilmore said his primary focus will be party unity. Among the local priorities Gilmore identified was healing divisions within Toms River Republicans. Gilmore expressed hope that Republicans on opposing sides of local disputes can reduce public infighting. “Let’s try to work together. There’s plenty of time to fight,” he said.
He added that he hopes to accomplish unity between the two Toms River Republican organizations. “Get the club together. Two clubs, not a good thing, but such is life,” Gilmore said. “We have to bring sanity back to the council meetings. I don’t know what either side thinks they accomplished by fighting. It turns me off.”
Gilmore also pointed out that Brick has a Democratic mayor who has another three and a half years in office. With an election for council coming up this year, his goal is to try to take control of the council by seating a Republican in the upcoming election.
Meanwhile, the chairman’s plans are far more extensive as he lamented on the status of statewide issues. “I certainly want to strengthen the Republican Party as much as I can in Ocean County,” Gilmore said. “But more importantly, I want to work to start turning the state around.”
Gilmore acknowledged that complete unity may prove elusive. “We have some people, in all honesty, that will not unite anytime soon,” he said.
Party officials touted strong participation among county committee members, with Bacchione reporting that Republicans filled a number of the county’s 836 available committee seats, although there are still approximately 172 vacancies.
The robust committee participation comes as Republicans continue to maintain a substantial voter registration advantage in Ocean County, which has long been considered New Jersey’s strongest Republican stronghold. According to the latest voter registration figures, Republicans outnumber Democrats by nearly double the number of registered voters countywide.
As committee members filed out without ever casting a ballot, the evening served as a public display of party unity, a notable departure from the divisions that have at times defined Ocean County Republican politics in recent years.
