Somerset County GOP Freeholder Pat Walsh won comfortably, while her running mate, North Plainfield Police Chief Bill Parenti, appears on pace to defeat Republican Primary rival Tim Pino by 700 votes.

UPDATE:

Parenti beat Pino by a slimmer margin: 6,944 to 6,721, for the Republican nomination after a hard-fought campaign.

Parenti will face retired Franklin Twp. Police Lieutenant Darrin Russo in the November General election.

Walsh will face former Green Brook Mayor Melonie Marano, the Democratic nominee for freeholder.