Frank Pallotta likes to say his record is 4 and 0.

That’s not too shabby.

But we need to clarify things a bit. That’s in Republican primary battles against candidates backed by the Bergen County Republican Committee.

Pallotta is pointing to his wins running “off line” in the 2020 and 2022 CD-5 congressional primaries.
His other two wins? They were for seats on the county committee in his hometown of Mahwah. This is insiders’ stuff, but wins are wins.
A cynic would note that Pallotta ultimately lost his two CD-5 races against Democratic incumbent Josh Gottheimer.

But that’s not the point now.

Pallotta says he is “leaning toward yes” in regard to running for the state Assembly next year in LD-39.  Unlike most of Bergen, this district in the northern part of the county leans Republican.

The incumbents are Sen. Holly Schepisi and Assembly members Robert Auth and John Azzariti Jr.

Officially, Pallotta has formed an Assembly Exploratory Committee.

He said that means he is – or will be – meeting with Republicans in district towns. He does not necessarily mean party leaders; more like the rank and file and local activists.

Pallotta is no fan of the Bergen GOP establishment, noting that the party has continually lost countywide elections for more than a decade.

Most recently, two incumbent Democratic commissioners and the Democratic sheriff won reelection.

Kamala Harris beat Donald Trump in Bergen by about 22,000 votes.

Two Assembly seats are up next year, as is the norm, but assuming Pallotta runs, he’s targeting Auth.

That was made clear by a missive Pallotta dispatched a few days ago to “fellow conservatives.”

After noting Trump’s success, he got to the point:

“Throughout the 2024 presidential campaign, Senator Jon Bramnick – a Republican In Name Only – arrogantly and repeatedly belittled President Trump and his supporters. He called them names and sided with the Democrats claiming – on national television – that Trump could not be elected President and that he would never win.”

What does that have to do with LD-39?

Well, Pallotta notes that a supporter of Bramnick’s 2025 gubernatorial bid is Robert Auth.

When I encountered Auth at a Bramnick event at the League convention in Atlantic City, he said he was playing the “long game,” meaning that Bramnick would be the best Republican candidate in the general election.

Pallotta is unimpressed with that logic.

He suggests that Bramnick’s criticism of Trump hurt the entire Republican ticket in Bergen and he is calling on Schepisi and Azzariti to:

“Make it crystal clear that they will not support Never-Trumper Jon Bramnick for Governor lest they both be lumped in with Assemblyman Auth as the anti-parental rights, anti-grass roots, anti-Trump, Legislative team.”