Vin Gopal Re-Elected As NJ 11 State Senator, Beating Dnistrian

LONG BRANCH, NJ — Current state Sen. Vin Gopal has won the race for NJ statehouse District 11, according to the AP and Philadelphia Inquirer.

Gopal successfully fended off a challenge to unseat him from Republican Steven Dnistrian. For months, political insiders mused that NJ 11 would be a tight race, but in the end Gopal received 58 percent of the vote to 38 percent for Dnistrian.

Also, Republican assemblywomen Marilyn Piperno and Kim Eulner lost their seats Tuesday night. Gopal's running mates Margie Donlon and Luanne Peterpaul rode his coattails of success at the ballot box and were elected as the new Assemblywomen for NJ statehouse district 11.

Vote tallies:

Gopal, Democrat: 32,772 votes

Margie Donlon, Democrat: 30,499

Luanne Peterpaul, Democrat: 30,153

Marilyn Piperno, Republican incumbent: 23,609

Kim Eulner, Republican incumbent: 23,405

Dnistrian, Republican: 21,593

These are unofficial race results; they will not be certified by the Monmouth County Clerk until later this week.

Republican Dnistrian and Democrat Gopal disagreed on many issues, including how much to support offshore wind turbines off the Jersey Shore, the topic of transgender students in NJ, Monmouth County school funding and who is best to fill the U.S. Senate seat should it be vacated by indicted Sen. Bob Menendez.

Gopal will now go on to serve a third term as State Senator for Legislative District 11, having won reelection by over 11,000 votes at the time the race was called.

Gopal’s running mates, Dr. Margie Donlon and Luanne Peterpaul, Esq. officially flipped both Assembly seats back to Democratic control, receiving over 30,608 votes and 30,260 votes respectively, both beating their opponents by over 6,500 votes. Both candidates make history in the process. Dr. Donlon is the first female physician elected to the legislature and Peterpaul, Esq. is the first openly LGBTQ+ woman elected to the NJ Statehouse.

“Monmouth County showed up in numbers we have not seen before in an off-year election, and we are thrilled that our entire ticket has earned the overwhelming support of voters," said Gopal in a statement after his win. "Since day one, we have been on the ground putting in the work, meeting voters at doorsteps and diners, having real conversations about the issues they face, and showing up for Monmouth County. We are grateful that Monmouth County families have placed their trust in our entire ticket to represent them in Trenton. I would like to take this opportunity to also thank my parents, my wife, and my daughter Lali for their support.”