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Election Day Big Day For County Republicans
 | | --Photo by Desiree deLeeuw Freeholders Gerry Little and John Bartlett enjoyed a victory celebration on Tuesday after being reelected to their seats on the board. |
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OCEAN COUNTY - Nationally, it was a very good year for the Democrats, who closed gaps in both Houses of Congress, putting them on the brink of controlling both Congress and the Senate.
But in Ocean County, the day was once again a Republican day.
Republican Freeholders John C. Bartlett and Gerry P. Little were re-elected with little trouble on Tuesday, coasting to a victory with 10-point leads.
Bartlett garnered 96,188 votes and Little 91,156, outpacing Democratic challengers Tamar Gail Sherer, who received 61,005 votes, and Karleen Spano, with 64,290.
Longtime Sheriff William Polhemus enjoyed a similar margin of victory.
Ocean County voters also clung to their Republican representatives in Congress, re-electing Congressmen Chris Smith and James Saxton by wide margins even as the rest of the country leaned Democratic in race after race. Smith enjoyed better than 68 percent of the vote, Saxton just under 65 percent, in wins over Carol Gay and Rich Sexton, respectively.
While Robert Menendez enjoyed a United States Senate victory in the rest of the state, in Ocean County Thomas Kean Jr. won in a walk, pulling in 57 percent of the vote and outpacing Menendez by almost 30,000 votes. It would not be enough, however; the county's traditional strong Republican support was washed away by the surge of Democratic votes.
--Eric San Juan
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