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Politics & Government

GOP: We Can't Ignore Morris' Independents

It's a right-leaning county, but unaffiliated voters are Morris' biggest block

Republicans represent just 35 percent of the registered voters in Morris County. And yet, the county is perceived to be staunch GOP territory.

Perhaps this is where numbers lie and perception is reality.

The county votes so reliably Republican that while New Jersey voters flocked to support the Democratic candidates in the last two Presidential elections, Morris still backed the Republican candidates by large margins. And, of course, the county backed Republican Gov. Chris Christie, who lives in Mendham, in a big way.

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Clearly, the Republicans did not produce those numbers by themselves.

The difference, Morris Republicans said, is that they do not ignore the large voting block of unaffiliated voters, which represents generally 42 to 44 percent of all voters annually.

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Democrats average about 22 to 24 percent of the electorate.

Former Morris County Freeholder James Murray of Chester Township, who forced his way onto the November 2007 ballot with a shocking primary defeat of incumbent Freeholder John Inglesino, said the unaffiliated voters tend to favor Republican positions.

"They have the same issues: lower taxes, smaller government, responsibility and transparency," Murray said.

This week, Patch explores the changing face of Morris County's Republican party in 'Morris GOP: 2011.' Check back throughout the week for more, and return next week for "Morris Democrats: 2011."

Murray said the unaffiliated voters tend to be generally in same economic strata as Morris Republicans: well-educated, with higher salaries, and living in higher-value homes.

Murray also said that a good many of the voters he met during his campaign tended to be like himself—a regular working man. Murray had a long career as a county engineer, and he said he met voters who were very much like himself, and were encouraged that someone who was not a career politician was seeking office.

That is what the county Republican organization relies on, said county chairman John Sette.

But it does not take the unaffiliated voter for granted. In this election, where the top race is for the state Legislature, unaffiliated voters received GOP-generated postcards and flyers that state Republican positions, he said.

It is not an inexpensive operation, he said. Thousands of postcards are sent at a cost of 50 cents per card.

In 2004, Morris voters favored President George W. Bush over Sen. John Kerry by a 15.8 percent margin, while New Jersey voters gave Kerry a 6.7 percent edge.

In 2008, President Obama carried New Jersey by a 15.8 percent margin, but Republican John McCain won Morris by a 8.1 percent margin.

Then in 2009, Morris went for native son Christie in a big way, as 60 percent of the county's voters backed the Mendham Township resident.

All this while Republicans represent a little more than one-third, averaging about 35 percent over recent years, of all registered voters.

For the June primary, for example, there were 110,523 registered Republicans out of a total of 310,257 registered voters, or 35.5 percent.

In 2010, there were 113,279 registered Republicans put of 318,205 registered voters, for 35 percent.

Murray said that while he campaigned he did not ask any person's political affiliation, but felt, based on comments he received, that he was attracting non-Republican votes.

He attributed that in part to being seen as political outsider.

Based on his campaign, Murray said he feels unaffiliated voters are willing to listen to new candidates.

The key in any election, he said, is to work hard and ask residents for their vote.

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