Saying the Democratic Party has moved too far to the left, a councilman in a small Bergen County town has switched to the Republican Party and endorsed GOP gubernatorial nominee Jack Ciattarelli.
Alpine Councilman David Kupferschmid, now the council’s sole Republican, said the Democratic Party is “unrecognizable” to him, and critiqued New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani.
“The Democrat Party does not represent us anymore,” Kupferschmid said. “With my switch, I will now be the first Republican on the council in more than 20 years. I hope that this is the beginning of a resurgence for the Republican Party in Alpine where alternate voices are much needed on the governing body.”
Kupferschmid first won election to the council in 2023 and is up for re-election next year.
Ciattarelli won Alpine by about 18 percentage points in 2021, and President Donald Trump won by almost 13 percentage points last fall. Despite recent Republican victories, the borough council continues to be dominated by Democrats — a Republican hasn’t won an election to the council in at least 20 years.
Alpine, with about 1,750 residents, is Bergen County’s third-smallest town.
“While Sherrill refuses to denounce the far left radicals in her party, Jack Ciattarelli has been appealing to all sides with a common sense message that includes putting the brakes on over-development and cleaning up crime, both of which are critical issues for Alpine,” Kupferschmid said.
The mayor of the Bergen County town of Garfield also switched to the Republican Party to endorse Ciattarelli.
Ciattarelli faces Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair) in next month’s election to succeed term-limited Gov. Phil Murphy.
