BettyLou DeCroce issued the following statement regarding the  Legislative District 26 Primary Election on June 6.

I am proud to have been a candidate for Assembly in the LD 26 Primary Election on June 6.  I enjoyed the opportunity to meet with many voters and to work with local elected officials.

I am disappointed with the results, of course, but I am more concerned about the direction the Morris GOP is headed.

The party line system that was recently adopted in Morris County  has made  selecting candidates more of an insider’s game than it was ever before. It has made the party more insular; and that’s not good.

The poor voter turnout on June 6, even with contested elections on the ballot, is a warning sign that the party is losing  its ability to engage with a wider Republican audience; those who are solid Republicans, but are not part of the party infrastructure.

At a time when Republican Party registration in Morris County is falling,  leaders should be doing more to broaden the party, bring in new people and reach out to  those who share Republican values.  Neither the MCRC leadership, nor the GOP legislators have a monopoly on good ideas. There are many smart and talented people in Morris and Passaic Counties who want to contribute to shaping legislation and party positions, but have no avenue to communicate their ideas.

Finally, I believe the Primary Election format must be opened up  and more demands need to be placed on candidates to explain what they have done that matters and what they will do that will be effective.

Candidates meeting with handfuls of party insiders who already know who they are voting for, does not build the party’s base or challenge candidates to  be their best. Contact between Republican voters and candidates needs to be broadened and greater emphasis needs to be placed on issues and performance in  Primary Elections and less on slogans and personal allegiances.

The object of Primary Elections is not to support people who a handful of party leaders tell you to support; it is to support candidates who will work hard to make changes to how our state is governed.  No amount of sloganeering, or shouting can replace hard and effective work in the legislature.

To turn New Jersey around – to break the Democrat stranglehold on our state government – we need to elect Republicans to the statehouse who will do more than just vote against a Democratic sponsored piece of legislation. We need Republicans who can captivate voters with their ideas;  motivate them to take up the fight , and impress them with how hard they are willing to work to bring change to New Jersey. We need Republicans who can get things done, not merely complain about what other legislators did.

I will continue to support the Republican Party in New Jersey and work to make it better.

Thank you and May God Bless You

BettyLou DeCroce