By Greg Forester, Staff Writer
Barack Obama’s resounding victory in Tuesday’s presidential election topped a ballot full of significant Democratic victories in local, state and congressional races.
The Illinois freshman senator, who will be inaugurated as the nation’s first black president in January, brought a message of change that instilled a sense of hope in many area residents and helped Democrats to significant victories in many races, according to some local officials.
In Princeton Borough, voters came out in record numbers to support Sen. Obama by a nearly 5-to-1 margin over Republican Sen. John McCain. Sen. Obama garnered 3,428 votes to Sen. McCain’s 726, according to unofficial tallying.
Reports of electoral votes piling up Sen. Obama blared out on the TVs over the bar as local vote tallying was carried out by Democrats at Conte’s pizza restaurant on Witherspoon Street.
There, gathered to await the election results while enjoying pizza and beer, were Democrats from both Princeton Borough and Princeton Township, including Borough Councilman Andrew Koontz, chairman of the borough Democratic Committee.
”I think that Obama’s message resonated with Princeton Democrats from the very beginning of his candidacy, and it just grew and grew,” Mr. Koontz said.
Borough Council’s only contested race saw Democrat Kevin Wilkes win a one-year, unexpired term after he defeated Republican challenger Dudley Sipprelle, receiving 2,595 votes to Mr. Sipprelle’s 1,033.
”Tuesday’s story ended pretty quickly,” Mr. Wilkes said.
Mr. Sipprelle, a write-in candidate and longtime Princeton resident, congratulated his opponent and local Democrats for “their obvious organizational efforts, one, to register and two, on voter turnout.”
”The result of all of this was an Obama tsunami which carried us away,” Mr. Sipprelle said.
Mr. Sipprelle said that nearly a third of borough voters were made up of Princeton University students, putting him at a disadvantage, as they turned out in record numbers and voted for the Obama ticket.
He said it was ironic that Obama supporters heard a message of change.
”In reality, in the borough, they’re just going to get more of the same, which is high property taxes, closed-door government, and choking traffic,” Mr. Sipprelle said.
Current Borough Council Democrats David Goldfarb and Barbara Trelstad ran in uncontested races, winning new three-year terms. Voting in the borough for the U.S. Senate race saw incumbent Democrat Frank Lautenberg receive 2,936 votes to Republican Dick Zimmer’s 914 votes. U.S. Rep. Rush Holt (D-12) beat Republican Alan Bateman 3,269 votes to 674 votes.
In Mercer County races, Democratic freeholder candidates outpolled the single Republican opponent in the borough by a significant margin. Incumbent Democrat Lucy Walter and newcomer John Cimino won full, three-year terms, defeating Republican Thomas White.
For an unexpired, one-year term on the freeholder board, Democrat Daniel Benson defeated Republican Cindy Randazzo. And current sheriff and Democrat Kevin Larkin beat Republican Jim McSorley, 2,715 to 903 in the borough.
In Princeton Township, voters supported Sen. Obama over Sen. McCain 6,018 votes to 1,740, and Sen. Lautenberg over Mr. Zimmer 5,112 to 2,221. Rep. Holt defeated Mr. Bateman 5,975 to 1,512, Mr. Larkin defeated Mr. McSorley in the county sheriff’s race 4,944 to 2,080, and three Democratic candidates for freeholder soundly defeated two Republican candidates, by over a 2-to-1 margin.
In two uncontested Township Committee races, current Democratic incumbent Bernie Miller and newcomer Susan “Sue” Nemeth won new three-year terms.
In Plainsboro Township, Sen. Obama outpolled Sen. McCain 5,206 to 2,166, while Sen. Lautenberg defeated Mr. Zimmer 4,420 to 2,376, in unofficial results.
Local Plainsboro officials attributed the magnitude of Sen. Obama’s victory to the conduct of his campaign and his message.
”I think that Barack Obama represents an inspirational leader for this country,” said Democrat and longtime Plainsboro Mayor Peter Cantu, who won re-election on Tuesday, along with fellow Township Committee member Nuran Nabi. “The general sense of the folks I have been around is that they have a lot of enthusiasm about his presidency.”
In Plainsboro, Rep. Holt defeated Mr. Bateman 5,048 to 1,804, while Democratic candidates for freeholder David Crabiel, Millie Scott, and Ronald Rios defeated Republicans Lynda Cleary, Daniel Kerwin, and Robert Thuring countywide and nearly 2-to-1 in Plainsboro voting, winning terms on the Middlesex County Board of Freeholders.
In West Windsor Township, Democratic dominance was less pronounced, as Sen. Obama defeated Sen. McCain 7,259 to 3,872, while Sen. Lautenberg bested Mr. Zimmer 6,049 to 4,326, in unofficial results. Rep. Holt defeated Mr. Bateman 7,346 to 3,172, while Mr. Larkin overcame Mr. McSorley 5,842 to 4,116 in the Mercer County sheriff’s race in West Windsor.
In Montgomery Township, Republican challenger Kacey Dyer out-polled Democrat Keith Hovey for a one-year term on Township Committee 5,026 to 4,717, in what Ms. Dyer called “a referendum” on the township’s handling of the Skillman Village development project. Mr. Hovey has not conceded the race as he awaits counting of provisional ballots.
In the race for two Somerset County freeholder seats, current Montgomery Mayor Cecilia Birge and Plainfield Councilman Doug Singleterry ended up receiving more votes than incumbent Republicans Peter Palmer and Bob Zaborowski in Montgomery, although the two Democrats lost the countywide race.
Sen. Obama won Montgomery over Sen. McCain, 5,105 to 4,078, while the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, Mr. Zimmer, outpolled eventual winner, Sen. Lautenberg 4,559 to 4,013 in Montgomery.
State Sen. Leonard Lance (R-Flemington) won over state Sen. Linda Stender (D-Fanwood) in the race for the 7th Congressional District seat 4,317 to 3,609 in Montgomery Township, reflecting the districtwide voting that will send Sen. Lance to Washington.
In Rocky Hill Borough, Sen. Obama defeated Sen. McCain, garnering 213 votes to the Republican’s 140, while Sen. Lautenberg defeated Mr. Zimmer 185 to 152.
The Democratic candidate for Congress, Sen. Stender, outpolled eventual winner Sen. Lance 175 to 150 in Rocky Hill, and Democratic candidates for Somerset freeholder, Mayor Birge and Councilman Singleterry, defeated Republican incumbents Mr. Palmer and Mr. Zaborowski in Rocky Hill, while losing the larger race.
Independent Mark Pausch won a three-year term on Rocky Hill Borough Council, and independent Courtney White won another one-year, unexpired term on the body.
Staff Writer Kristine Snodgrass contributed to this story.
