Former Assembly member and IBEW brother says the party must rebuild from the ground up after first countywide Democratic win since 1973
MORRIS COUNTY – A week after Morris County Republicans suffered their worst defeat in more than half a century, Christian “Chris” Barranco today announced his candidacy for Chairman of the Morris County Republican Committee, pledging to rebuild the party’s organization, recruit candidates in every town and win back the voters it lost on Tuesday.
On Election Night, Democrat Christopher Russo unseated three-term Republican County Commissioner Tayfun Selen, becoming the first Democrat to win a countywide race in Morris County since 1973 and ending the longest countywide Republican winning streak in New Jersey. The losses didn’t stop at the top of the ticket. Republicans lost in towns they hadn’t lost in years, including Florham Park, Long Hill, Pequannock and Mount Arlington, and lost control of the town government in Randolph.
“This is not something new,” Barranco said. “Two years ago, one of our local trade union leaders met with our Senate Leader Anthony Bucco and myself to discuss new leadership at MCRC. Senator Bucco was in full agreement and prepared to take it on himself, but his obligations in the Senate would not allow him to give it the time it needed. We then spoke with several people, including mayors, and no one could find the time to do it. Back then, we couldn’t find the person capable of handling it. I believe now that I have the drive, the experience and the time. I am that person, and now this is my call.”
Over the past week, Barranco has tried to reach Senator Bucco and Chairwoman Laura Ali to discuss the state of the party and why new leadership is the only path forward. “I know there is a lot of pressure on the Senator right now to make a call, and I wanted him to hear it from me directly,” Barranco said. “He has known for a long time that changes need to be made. This is the best move for our candidates, our volunteers and our voters, and I’m confident he will see it that way.”
Barranco also said he agrees with the chairman of the America First Republicans of New Jersey, whose letter to the editor in Morris Focus this week called on Senator Bucco, the Republican leader in the State Senate, to tell MCRC Chairwoman Laura Ali and Vice Chair Peter King to resign.
“Mike Crispi is right,” Barranco said. “Senator Bucco needs to tell Laura Ali and Peter King to resign. He can no longer stay silent on this.”
Barranco’s campaign already has support from local leaders. Morris Township Republican Committee Municipal Chairman John Biehl and the Morris Township Republican Committee have endorsed Christian Barranco and Save Morris County. So have Jefferson Township Republican Committee Municipal Chairman Frank Molina, Randolph County Committeewoman Debby Rauch Lissaur, and leadership in Parsippany and Rockaway Township.
“I want to personally thank everyone who has publicly come forward to support our campaign, as well as those who have expressed their support privately and asked that their names remain confidential for the time being,” Barranco said. “I respect their wishes and appreciate their confidence in what we’re trying to accomplish. I’ve also spoken with other committee chairs across Morris County who will be speaking out soon about the need for a change in leadership at MCRC.”
“If you want to see how bad it’s gotten in Morris County, I encourage you to visit SaveMCRC.com,” Barranco added. “It has nothing but the facts about how bad things have gotten for Morris County Republicans under Laura Ali and Peter King’s leadership.”
Barranco said he does not view the chairmanship as a permanent post. Instead, he sees it as a temporary role to get MCRC fixed, financially strong and organized on the ground before passing it on to the next generation of leaders.
Save Morris County has already raised over $10,000 to support that effort. “The trades agree,” Barranco said. “There will be money in MCRC again. No more embarrassments. We will clean up this mess.”
Barranco also announced that Save Morris County will support Anthony Somma for Assembly in the 25th Legislative District and Jay Webber for Senate in the 26th Legislative District. “Rebuilding this party means standing behind strong Republican candidates, and Anthony Somma and Jay Webber are exactly the kind of candidates we need in LD25 and LD26, and I know that from experience,” Barranco said.
Last week, Barranco met with members of IBEW Local 102 and multiple building trades leaders to share his vision for Morris County. A proud IBEW brother himself, Barranco has made working families and the trades central to all of his campaigns, and this one is no different.
“The men and women of the building trades keep the lights on in Morris County — literally,” Barranco added. “They care about good jobs, affordable homes, safe streets, and property taxes that don’t drive our children and the rest of us out of NJ. Those are Republican values, and this party should be fighting for those families every single day, not just in November.”
Barranco was first elected to the NJ General Assembly in 2021 after winning the first-ever Morris County Republican convention, and he previously served on the Pompton Lakes Borough Council.
“Morris County has been the backbone of the Republican Party in New Jersey for generations,” Barranco said. “We can be that again, but only if we’re honest about what went wrong and willing to do the work to fix it. That work starts now.”
