Morris' Dems Look to Obama With Hope

President Barack Obama didn’t win Morris County in 2008. That would have been too much to expect.

But Obama only lost to John McCain by 8 percent of the vote—compared to the 15 point margin George W. Bush won by over John Kerry in 2004. In an overwhelmingly Republican county, an 8 percent loss is practically a win for Democrats.

Mayor Nelson Vaughan of Chatham said he definitely “got an Obama bounce.” Vaughan described himself as the first “real” Democrat to serve as mayor of the borough since the Civil War.

“A fellow 30 years ago was a Republican, then an Independent and then ran as a Democrat,” he said. “We are a real Republican stronghold.”

But a lot of people registered as Democrats to vote for Obama, he said.

This week, Patch explores state of Morris County's Democratic party in 'Morris Democrats: 2011.' Check back throughout the week for more. Search the phrase "Morris GOP: 2011" at the top of this page to read last week's series on the Republican party. 

Tom Wyka, Democratic candidate for Parsippany-Troy Hills Township Council, said the 2008 election “said a lot for the quality of that part of the ballot.” He thinks the 2012 election will depend on exactly who the Republicans nominate to run against Obama.

Other prominent Democrats said they think the party overall missed a chance to piggyback on that win.

Former Freeholder Douglas Romaine said 2008 was a positive sign for Morris County Democrats.

"I thought we had a chance for a comeback. It was Obama. People got involved," Romaine said. "They’re still here, but there was a failure on the part of the party to translate that into state a local elections."

Former party official Elihu Davidson said that election “was a surge regionally, but I don’t know that the party took advantage of the surge to get people involved.” He said Obama generated a lot of excitement—around 15,000 new registrants.

“It’s a pity if that wasn’t followed up on, but I don’t see the engaging of those new Democrats,” he said.

Randolph Township Republican Jon Huston said 2012 could go even heavier for Obama, “if the Republicans nominate a real conservative. Perry, maybe.”

Huston sees the vote for Obama as a reflection on Morris County itself.

“We’re on the left side of right,” he said. “We’re more toward the center in New Jersey than Republicans in, say, South Carolina. The party is what used to be called Rockefeller Republicans and are disparagingly called RINOs (Republicans in Name Only). Today Republicans are expected to be socially conservative, anti-abortion, anti-immigration and intolerant, and to some of those people, Republicans here look liberal.”

On the other hand, Robert Grant, a candidate for Denville council, pointed out that Gov. Chris Christie beat former Gov. Jon Corzine by a wide margin and said “Christie isn’t even well-liked.” He said the governor’s victory “is just acquisition of power” on the part of Morris County Republicans. The governor is a resident of Mendham and served a term as a freeholder in Morris County.

Democratic County Committee Chairman Lew Candura said Obama’s coattails, plus a push by the party, put Democrats in office where they hadn’t been in 20 years—or in the case of Vaughan, much longer.

“We were successful all over the county,” Candura said, pointing out East Hanover elected a couple of Democrats years after the party was no longer dominant there, and even Mountain Lakes elected one.

He said the county committee is working to keep the momentum flowing and he senses a change.

“If voters look at the candidates, we’ll do well,” he said.

Vaughan hopes they will. He believes his serving as mayor, even with a Republican council, provides necessary balance.

But, Vaughan said, the Republicans typically have more money than the Democrats "and Christie is sucking up the contributions nationwide. He can bring that back to local races.”