Diane Testa

In North Arlington (pop. 15,181), a blue collar town in Southern Bergen County that went for John Kerry in 2004 by just six votes, John McCain beat Barack Obama by 46 votes, 49.7%-48.9%.

In the U.S. Senate race, Democrat Frank Lautenberg beat Dick Zimmer 55%-45%, with a margin of 542 votes. U.S. Rep. Steven Rothman had a 945 vote plurality (58%-42%) over Republican Vincent Micco.

Republican County Clerk Kathleen Donovan won 53%-47% (302 votes) over Democrat Diane Testa, but in the race for Freeholdder, North Arlington voters backed the Democratic incumbents, Bernadette McPherson (2,950) and David Ganz (2,785) over GOP challengers Christopher Calabrese (2,675) and Jeffrey Heller (2,567). In the race for a two-year unexpired term, Rev. Vernon Walton, the Democratic incumbent, carried North Arlington by 187 votes over Republican Paul Duggan (52%-48%).

In the race for Borough Council, Democrats held the 4-2 majority on the Borough Council. Councilman Steven Tanelli (3,513) was re-elected, along with fellow Democrat Mark Yampaglia (3,198).  They defeated Republicans James Herrmann (2,801) and James Bocchino (2,746).

With two prominent Democratic leaders indicted, a subpoena dropped on the clerk of the Democratic controlled freeholder board shortly before the election, and running against three incumbents who all had been voted out of municipal offices in their hometowns over the last couple years, Bergen County Republicans still could not pick up a single freeholder seat.

“Those guys did an outstanding job, to be honest. We were in this thing right until the end. So from that perspective, I thought it was a huge improvement – especially over four years ago,” said Republican consultant Thom Ammirato, who ran the campaign.

It’s not as if the Republicans had everything working for them. Ammirato argued that, despite the corruption issue, Democrats had a myriad of advantages, most of all having Barack Obama at the top of the ticket, not to mention the power of incumbency. Presidential years in Bergen County are generally the strongest ones for Democrats. It’s the off years that Republicans tend to come closer.

With absentee ballots counted in eight of Bergen County's seventy municipalities, Barack Obama leads John McCain 54%-46% -- 1,118 to 956.  Four years ago, George W. Bush carried these same towns (Allendale, Alpine, Bergenfield, Bogota, Edgewater, South Hackensack, Woodridge and Wyckoff) by a 51%-49% margin over John Kerry.  

In the race for Congress in the 5th district, where absentee ballots in only Allendale, Alpine, Bergenfield, and Wyckoff have been counted, incumbent Scott Garrett leads Dennis Shulman by a 52%-48% margin -- 591 to 549.  In 2004, Garrett carried these four towns by a 55%-45% margin.

Bergen County Clerk Kathleen Donovan leads challenger Diane Testa by a 63%-37% margin on absentee ballots in these eight towns, while Democratic U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg leads Republican Dick Zimmer by a 53%-47% margin on absentee ballots.  That puts Donovan, a Republican, 17 points ahead of McCain and 16 points ahead of Zimmer. 

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- Almost immediately after Bergen County Clerk Kathleen Donovan returns home, her reelection campaign will kick into high gear.
Donovan, a Republican delegate from the 9^th Congressional District, has four events lined up for Saturday related to her reelection campaign against Democratic challenger Diane Testa.

But you won’t hear Donovan use the same kind of rhetoric about Bergen County Democratic Chairman Joe Ferriero, who’s under investigation, as the freeholder candidates beneath her on the Republican ticket. Donovan won’t comment on Ferriero, but she said that’s not because she’s still hoping that her allies will find an opportunity to appoint her to a judgeship, she said.

“We run together but we have different issues. That’s the best way I can explain that,” said Donovan, who after 20 years in office remains the last Republican county-wide officeholder in the once solidly GOP county. “I don’t comment on any kind of investigation. I’m not involved in anything in my capacity as county clerk, so I don’t talk about that at all.”