The way is now clear for Laura Ali to win reelection to a new term as Morris County Republican chair.

No candidate filed to challenge Ali by the committee’s deadline of noon on Thursday.

Ali surprised – if not shocked – observers last weekend by calling for a zoom election convention this Saturday. Her term as chair normally would not end until 2024.

Her strategy is simple – get a vote of confidence for herself and her executive team.

That seems likely to happen, but critics in the party are not going anywhere.

One critic is former Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce, who unsuccessfully tried to regain her LD-26 seat in last month’s primary.

In a statement, DeCroce called Ali’s move a sign of weakness.

“The chairwoman knows that many Republicans are dissatisfied with her brand of leadership, so she decided to call a surprise election before opponents can mount a campaign to take her out as chair next year,” she said.

DeCroce compared Ali to a “troubled prime minister.” The point is that under a parliamentary system,  prime ministers have the power to call an election whenever they want. And naturally, they are going to call an election when it is most advantageous to them.

DeCroce says she is not confident the convention election will be conducted with “any degree of fairness and openness.” And she said county committee members must decide for themselves if “boycotting the MCRC election will send the right message.”

Boycott or not, a hastily-called convention in early July can pose attendance concerns.

Ali is not worried. She said there’s no doubt a quorum will be present on Saturday.