MONTVILLE – Paul DeGroot was in a happy mood when he arrived to vote this morning at the Pine Brook Firehouse.

And no matter what, he plans to be in a better mood tomorrow.

“Tomorrow is going to be a good day in every way,” he said. “I’m going to have more family time, or I’m going to get ready to go against Mikie Sherrill.”

The philosophical approach is probably good for any candidate.

DeGroot is one of two main challengers to Tayfun Selen for the Republican nomination in CD-11. The other is Toby Anderson.

Selen has the coveted endorsement of the Morris County Republican Committee, which makes him the frontrunner – and a target.

Both DeGroot and Anderson have recently sent out mailings raising questions about Selen’s Turkish background, or more specifically, some of those donating to his campaign.

Their general approach has been similar, although the concerns they raised have not been identical.

DeGroot said after voting that he’s glad Anderson is pressing the Turkish issue as well.

The campaign is now over, or just about, but DeGroot is still not sold on Selen.

“I think he’s just a climber,” DeGroot said, a political term for someone always seeking higher office.

Selen, who had been mayor of Chatham Township, is now director of the Morris County Board of Commissioners.

Seeking higher office, of course, is not necessarily a bad thing.