In a huge upset, 71-year-old Toms River Councilman Moe Hill defeated establishment-favored former Ocean County prosecutor Joe Coronato for the Republican nomination for mayor. Hill claimed victory by a 511 vote margin – Hill received 3,057 votes to Coronato’s 2,546. Councilman Daniel Rodrick can in third place with 1,836 votes.

Additionally, the three candidates running with Hill all won their primaries for town council. Matt Lotano, Josh Kopp, and Kevin Geohegan, best their county-backed primary rivals to secure the Republican nominations for Toms River’s coucil. Mr. Hill will face off against Democratic mayoral candidate Jonathan Petro, while Lotano, Kopp, and Geohegan will battle it out with Drew Boyle, Karin Sage, and Michelle Williams for a spot on the Toms River council.

Hill was victorious even though Coronato was endorsed by the Toms River Regular Republican Club, giving Coronato the coveted Column A on the primary ballot. Hill and his slate of candidates appeared on Column D of the ballot. After Coronato’s endorsement by the Toms River Regular Republican Club, Hill announced his run for mayor and resigned from the club.

Moe Hill’s win is the second time a George Gilmore-backed candidate was defeated since Gilmore resigned from his post of Ocean County GOP Chairman following his conviction on tax charges. Gilmore’s handpicked candidate to succeed him as Chairman of the Ocean County GOP also lost in a vote held last month. The Gilmore-backed candidates losses show a change in Ocean County GOP’s leadership and power brokers has already had a significant impact.

In Toms River, Republicans currently have control of the mayor’s office, as well as 5 to 2 majority on the township council. Although they enjoy the benefit of being in control of the local government, the bitter primary battle between Hill and Coronato showed deep cracks in GOP solidarity in Toms River.

Following his loss, Coronato called for an end to the divisiveness, telling Republicans that they must come together to ensure that Republicans stay in charge in Toms River affairs. A Facebook post from Hill’s team thanked voters for placing their trust in their candidate and promised not to let them down.