The official recount of the 39th Legislative District Democratic General Assembly from the June primary results began on Monday, Aug. 4.
Candidate David Jiang, who came in third place with 8,317 votes, requested the recount.
Jiang’s running mate, Andrew LaBruno, received the nomination with the most votes at 9,137. Donna Abene received 8,454 votes in second place — 137 votes more than Jiang. Candidate Damon Englese came in fourth place with 6,137 votes.
Only the first and second-place finishers will be on the November ballot for the two General Assembly seats and will face Republican incumbents Robert Auth and John Azzariti Jr. on Nov. 4.
Board of Elections Chairman Richard Miller said, vote-wise, there is a big gap, but percentage-wise, it is 0.43% — it was a close race.
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“The candidate felt that he wanted to do this, and the judge ruled that we should hold the recount,” Miller said. “I don’t think he will pick up that many votes, but you never know and he’s entitled to this, so we are proceeding with it.”
A candidate who calls for a recount will pay a percentage of the total cost. Miller said the board of elections will cover about $20,000 for the recount, and the candidate will be charged approximately $2,500.
“It’s definitely an expense, but it’s what the judge ruled,” Miller said. “This is democracy at work. Sometimes we don’t agree because of the cost, but you have to do what you have to do.”
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At 11 a.m. on Aug. 4, a team of people began the hand count of the 8,000 votes that were mailed in, as well as the provisional ballots from the 28 towns that fall under the 39th District. There will be two teams with a designated commissioner cross-checking the names and ballots.
This is the first district-wide recount in at least the last 14 years, Miller said.
Assembly District 39 is comprised of Bergen County municipalities Allendale, Alpine, Closter, Cresskill, Demarest, Dumont, Emerson, Harrington Park, Haworth, Hillsdale, Ho-Ho-Kus, Mahwah, Midland Park, Montvale, Northvale, Norwood, Oakland, Old Tappan, Park Ridge, Ramsey, River Vale, Rockleigh, Saddle River, Upper Saddle River, Waldwick, Washington (Bergen), Westwood and Woodcliff Lake.
LaBruno and Jiang’s website said it’s “time to flip the 39th,” a district that has not elected a Democrat since 1978.
“We’re proud to share that Andrew has won a seat on the slate by a healthy margin — and we’re still waiting on final vote-by-mail and provisional ballot counts to see if we can get David across the finish line. We’re staying hopeful and optimistic while we wait for the final results,” the last update on their campaign website said.
A message for comment left on their website was not immediately returned.
“We’re incredibly proud of this campaign — powered by the people. Every door knocked, every conversation had, and every sign planted was driven by real grassroots energy,” their campaign website said. “The preliminary results showed your efforts: LD39 had an impressive 36% voter turnout, compared to last year (22%) and 2023 (12%).”
LaBruno and Jiang were part of Steven Fulop’s team as the Jersey City mayor sought the Democratic nomination for New Jersey governor. Mikie Sherrill received the Democratic nomination and Jack Ciattarelli the Republican in June’s primary.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Recount to represent Bergen County in 39th District has begun
