MORRIS COUNTY — Christian Barranco, candidate for Chairman of the Morris County Republican Committee (MCRC), has responded to a letter from MCRC Chairwoman Laura Ali, and his campaign has picked up new endorsements from three Rockaway Township officials: Council President Howard Morrison, Councilman Pawel Wojtowicz and Committeewoman Donna Suszinski.
In a statement released Thursday, November 12, Barranco said:
“First, thank you to everyone who has called, emailed, texted or stopped me to offer your support since I announced my run for Chairman. The response has been overwhelming. It shows how many people across Morris County want real change in our party.”
“I didn’t respond to Chairwoman Ali’s email yesterday because it was Veterans Day. I spent the day honoring the men and women who served our country, and I wasn’t going to let party politics get in the way of that.”
“Before I respond, I want to share something. Over the past several weeks I have tried many times to reach Senator Bucco and Chairwoman Ali. Nobody has returned my calls. Yet the Chairwoman found the time to write and send a response to my campaign.”
“Some people are saying this race has become personal. It hasn’t. I’m running because I care about Morris County, and I don’t want to watch our party keep going in the wrong direction.”
“So let me answer the Chairwoman directly. If you call dinners at the Jefferson Diner, the Whippany Diner and the Betsy Ross Diner ‘lavish,’ what do you call the Capital Grille?”
“You pointed out that I lost my last two elections. Yes, I lost, and I own that. But let’s look at what Morris County Republicans have lost under your leadership, Chairwoman Ali. Last year, we lost three Assembly seats. This year, we lost a county commissioner seat, the first time a Democrat has won countywide in Morris County since 1973. And we lost council races in towns that hadn’t elected Democrats in years, and in some cases decades: Pequannock, where Democrats won for the first time since 1982; Florham Park, whose council had been all Republican since the 1990s; Long Hill, now under Democratic control for the first time in decades; not to mention losses in Randolph, Morris Plains, Mount Arlington, Rockaway Borough and Wharton.”
“The full list for anyone that is curious is available at savemcrc.com.”
“Chairwoman, do you think a leader with this record should stay in charge?”
“The money tells the same story. I want to thank the Chairwoman for telling everyone that I’m great at raising money. I’ll take the compliment, because MCRC under her leadership is not.”
“When it comes to unions and elected officials withholding financial support from the MCRC, the issue goes beyond those outside the organization. Even your own elected officials are choosing not to contribute. That speaks volumes about the current leadership of the MCRC. I’m far from the only person who feels this way, and more people are expressing the same concerns every day.”
“You say changes at MCRC can wait until June. If we wait that long, we may be saying goodbye to Senator Bucco next year. The fix is simple: MCRC has to represent Morris County, not other counties.”
“Morris County deserves better than this. Senator Bucco, it’s time to wake up. This is not new to you. You have agreed to remove her once before. You were actually going to take the position yourself. What has changed? We can’t wait until June. Morris County Republicans need better leadership now.”
Barranco said his team continues to grow, and named his newest endorsements from Rockaway Township:
- Council President Howard Morrison
- Councilman Pawel Wojtowicz
- Committeewoman Donna Suszinski
“Thank you all for standing with us, both publicly and privately. Together, we will Save Morris County,” Barranco said.
To view the campaign’s list of Republican losses, click here.
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