<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2R8KKa_1H3rPvXc00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2R8KKa_1H3rPvXc00" width="720" height="520" ><figcaption>Morris County Commissioner Stephen Shaw. (Photo: Stephen Shaw).</figcaption></figure>Morris County Commissioner Stephen Shaw is giving serious consideration to seeking the Republican nomination for State Assembly in the 26th legislative district, the New Jersey Globe has confirmed.Shaw, a former Mountain Lakes mayor who has served on the Board of County Commissioners since 2019, is consulting with family and friends about a possible bid and is expected to decide soon.His entry into the race would set up a potential showdown between two sitting Morris County commissioners for the Assembly seat Jay Webber (R-Morris Plains) is vacating after ten terms to run for State Senate.Webber is seeking to succeed six-term State Sen. Joseph Pennacchio (R-Montville), who announced this week that he would not seek re-election.Morris County Commissioner Tom Mastrangelo is already running for the Assembly seat, and Luke Ferrante, the executive director of the New Jersey Republican State Committee, is also exploring a bid.Shaw has experience navigating competitive Republican primaries.In 2018, Shaw won the Republican nomination for county freeholder as part of a ticket with incumbent Deborah Smith and former Freeholder John Krickus, defeating a rival slate that included incumbent John Cesaro and Aura Dunn, a top aide to then-Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-Harding).Shaw had initially been expected to run with Cesaro and Dunn before switching to the Smith-Krickus ticket.Smith finished first in the five-candidate primary with 18,770 votes, while Shaw and Krickus each received 16,503 votes. Cesaro finished fourth with 12,953 votes, followed by Dunn with 10,794.Shaw, Smith and Krickus went on to win the general election, and the three have continued to run together for county office.Mastrangelo’s campaign got off to a rocky start this week after he claimed the endorsement of former Parsippany Mayor James Barberio.But Barberio told the New Jersey Globe that he had never discussed an endorsement with Mastrangelo and had not endorsed anyone in the Assembly race.The Republican primary is unfolding amid a changing political landscape in a district long considered a GOP stronghold.Donald Trump carried the 26th district by nine percentage points in 2024, and Republican Jack Ciattarelli won it by just two points in the 2025 gubernatorial election, down from his 14-point victory four years earlier.But Democrats made significant gains in last week’s midterm elections.U.S. Sen. Cory Booker carried the district by eight percentage points, while Democratic congressional candidates won by seven points. Democratic county commissioner candidates also carried the district by seven points.Republicans retain a six-point voter registration advantage in the district, but the recent election results suggest that the GOP can no longer count on the margins it once enjoyed in Morris and Passaic counties.The district includes twelve Morris County municipalities and four in Passaic County.Shaw is one of three Republican commissioners whose seats are up in 2027, along with Smith and Krickus.Republicans will begin the year with a 6-1 majority after Democrat Chris Russo’s eleven-point victory over Republican incumbent Tayfun Selen last week, the first Democratic countywide victory in Morris since 1973.Assembly Minority Whip Brian Bergen (R-Denville), who holds the district’s other Assembly seat, has ruled out a Senate bid and is expected to seek re-election to the lower house.</div></body>

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Morris County Commissioner Stephen Shaw is giving serious consideration to seeking the Republican nomination for State Assembly in the 26th legislative district, the New Jersey Globe has confirmed. Shaw, a former Mountain Lakes mayor who has served on the Board of County Commissioners since 2019, is consulting with family and...

Shaw seriously considering Assembly bid in 26th district

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Morris County Commissioner Stephen Shaw is giving serious consideration to seeking the Republican nomination for State Assembly in the 26th legislative dis

Shaw seriously considering Assembly bid in 26th district

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