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Somerset County, long a Republican stronghold in New Jersey, is on the verge of the unthinkable just a few years ago being under complete Democrat leadership at the county level.

As of Thursday afternoon, county freeholder candidates Doug Singleterry of North Plainfield and Paul Drake, a former Hillsborough committeeman, are in the lead over their Republican opponents by more than 15,000 votes, with about 80% of votes counted.

In the race for county surrogate, Democrat Tina Jalloh has the lead over Republican opponent Frank Bruno, 75,720 votes to Brunos 59,551 votes.

And although the countys board of elections is still counting ballots, the Republican candidates are aware the race is essentially finished.

Theres no path to victory for the county-level Republican candidates in Somerset County, said Tim Howes, chairman of the countys GOP. We have conceded the election.

All three wins would mean Democrats are in control of every elected office in Somerset County. Before 2017, no Democrat had won a county office since 1979, and before 2019, there were no Democrats on the freeholder board.

Four years ago when Steve Peter won the clerks office, we made it a goal to expand our contributions to the county government and represent the growing diversity that is Somerset County, Peg Schaffer, the countys Democratic chair, said in a release.

Tina, Doug and Paul join an already great team who will lead our county through this century and beyond, she said.

This political shift represents a tide turn in Somerset County politics.

Since the 2004 presidential election, fewer Somerset County residents have voted for the Republican nominee in each consecutive election, according to data from the states division of elections.

In the 2004 race between John Kerry and former president George W. Bush, 72,508 residents in the county voted for Bush. The number of votes for the Republican nominee has consistently decreased in the county, with a most recent total of 65,505 votes for Donald Trump in 2016.

As of Thursday, with all the votes not yet counted and certified, only 51,400 county residents have voted for Donald Trump in the 2020 election.

But despite the Republican losses at the county level, Howes said he believes there is a path forward for the GOP.

Our county-level candidates did significantly outperform President Trump in Somerset County, Howes said. So despite the loss, it does appear there are thousands of Somerset County residents who remember what these Republican candidates have done for Somerset County.

He noted the countys GOP is still watching the local races across Somerset County, which they believe the Republicans will continue to hold their leads in some municipalities.

Former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman, a Republican who served two terms on the Somerset County freeholder board in the 1980s, said the recent political shift in Somerset mirrors a national trend.

Republicans have been losing ground across the country as the party has moved continuously to the right," Whitman said.

Somerset County has had Democratic freeholders before, in my first race my teammate and I ran against one, so that is not a total game changer, she added. "Until Republicans become a more open and welcoming party, however, they will continue to lose ground.

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NJ Advance Media staff writer Kelly Heyboer contributed to this report. Brianna Kudisch may be reached at bkudisch@njadvancemedia.com.

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Democrats on verge of taking control of N.J. county where Republicans once reigned supreme - NJ.com