Republican Candidates Lead Across Cape May County in Low-Turnout Primary

COURT HOUSE, N.J. — Republican candidates swept primary contests across Cape May County on Tuesday, with no Democrats filing petitions for any county or local offices. In the race for county clerk, longtime Republican Rita Rothberg received 9,600 votes, running unopposed. Two Republican incumbents, Andrew Bulakowski and Robert Barr, advanced in the county commissioner race, earning 8,184 and 8,066 votes, respectively.
Across local municipalities, Republican candidates faced little to no opposition. In Dennis Township, Matthew Cox and Zeth Matalucci secured nominations for two open committee seats with 502 and 523 votes. In Lower Township, Joseph Wareham won the uncontested GOP nomination for the 2nd Ward Council seat with 743 votes.
Middle Township’s lone committee seat saw James Norris advance with 1,516 Republican votes.  In North Wildwood, Edward Heuser and Salvatore Zampirri competed for the mayoral nomination, with Zampirri taking a clear lead with 569 votes to Heuser’s 66. Council races followed suit, with Patrick Rosenello earning 571 votes for the at-large seat, Margaret Bishop receiving 334 votes in the 1st Ward, and Cheryl Crowe collecting 239 in the 2nd Ward.
Stone Harbor’s Republican candidates included Frank Vaul and Robert Ross for two council seats, with 118 and 108 votes. Kenneth Biddick earned 114 votes for the one-year unexpired term. In Upper Township, Victor Nappen II and Tyler Casaccio both advanced with over 1,200 votes each. Woodbine’s GOP council nominees were Mary Helen Perez with 92 votes and Eduardo Ortiz with 85.
Unofficial results will be updated through June 16, as mail-in and provisional ballots are still being counted. Full results can be found on the county’s website.