HOWELL – Organization support may not mean all that much anymore.

At least not here.

John Leggio, a Republican running for mayor, was disowned by the township’s GOP committee. So much so that Chair Joseph DiBella sent out emails calling Leggio “unprofessional” and calling on county committee members to remove his signs from their lawns.

How did that work out?

Leggio got 68 percent of the vote in beating Democrat John Hughes.

Clearly, voters were disinclined to follow the wishes of the local Republican chair.

Forget about any of the petty issues that may have caused this intra-party split. The good news, broadly speaking, is that voters were not beholden to a local party leader.

In a social media post after his victory, Leggio touched on the division within the party.

“We all know Howell is a Republican town and this election result proves it. But there is another message.  Over 4,500 people who voted for me did not vote for the establishment Republican Council candidate. People are not happy with the Howell Republican Party and its leadership.  It’s time for change.”

As for that leadership, DiBella had a social media message of his own.

He thanked campaign workers and congratulated winning council candidate Evelyn O’Donnell. And he also mentioned the victories of Donald Trump, Rep. Chris Smith and County Commissioner Susan Kiley.

DiBella said nothing about Leggio.

Political grudges tend to last a long time.