“This Was a Blue Tsunami”: Dennis Levinson Reacts to Atlantic County Republican Election Defeats

County executive says internal GOP divisions did not cause the losses, revisits feud with party leadership and warns Democrats that winning elections is different from governing.

ATLANTIC COUNTY, N.J. — Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson called Tuesday's sweeping Republican election defeats a "blue tsunami" Wednesday morning, saying the national political climate made the losses unavoidable even if local Republicans had been united.

Speaking with Don Williams on News Talk 1400 & 92.3 WOND, Levinson expressed disappointment over the defeat of Republican Sheriff Joe O'Donoghue, County Clerk Joe Giralo and three incumbent county commissioners.

He also addressed the continuing feud within the Atlantic County Republican Party, rejected suggestions that the divisions cost Republicans the election and questioned whether the party's leadership had adequately supported its commissioner candidates.

"This was not a blue wave. This was a blue tsunami," Levinson said. "And we'll recover because that's exactly what occurs in situations like this."

The interview came hours after Democrats swept all five contested Atlantic County offices, reducing the Republican majority on the nine-member Board of County Commissioners from 8-1 to 5-4.

Democrat Sean Riggin defeated O'Donoghue for sheriff, while Democrat Lisa Bender unseated Giralo as county clerk.

Democrats Jonathan Marcellus and Kyle Gornick defeated Republican Commissioners John Risley Jr. and June Byrnes in the at-large races. Democrat Richard Healey defeated Republican Commissioner Andrew Parker in District 3.

Democrats also gained control of municipal governing bodies in Egg Harbor Township and Hamilton Township.

“I Don't Know if I Would Have Run This Year”

Williams opened the interview by asking Levinson whether he felt fortunate not to have been on Tuesday's ballot.

The longtime county executive acknowledged that the political environment would have made him reconsider seeking reelection.

"Don, I said it publicly and privately. I don't know if I would have run this year," Levinson said.

He pointed to the historical tendency for the party controlling the White House to suffer losses in midterm elections.

"There's nothing new about the party in power losing the midterm elections. That's exactly what happened."

Levinson said his greatest disappointment was personal rather than political.

"The reason I feel so badly right now is, you know, they're friends of mine, and I know how much they love what they do, the service that they give the community, and it hurts me that they're hurting."

He argued that the Republican candidates could not have changed the outcome through different campaign strategies.

"They could not have done anything differently except become Democrats to win."

Levinson also reflected on the emotional consequences of losing an election.

"Losing hurts a lot more than winning feels good," he said.

Levinson Rejects Blame for Republican Infighting

One of the interview's most significant exchanges concerned the longstanding dispute between Levinson and prominent Atlantic County Republicans, including county Republican Chairman Don Purdy and state Sen. Vince Polistina.

Williams asked whether the public disagreements had damaged the party's chances.

Levinson rejected that explanation.

"There's no question about it," he said when asked whether Republicans would have lost regardless of their internal divisions.

"If I was taking a steam bath once a week with Vince Polistina and Don Purdy, things wouldn't have changed at all."

Levinson argued that the Democratic gains were too widespread to be explained by disagreements among Atlantic County Republicans.

He pointed to the Republican losses in Egg Harbor Township and Hamilton Township as evidence of a broader electoral shift.

"There's no way in the world that we would have come out of it if we were singing kumbaya around the campfire," he said.

Levinson's assessment is his interpretation of the results. The interview did not establish how much, if any, effect the party's internal disagreements had on individual races.

County Executive Reopens Dispute Over Contracts and Party Leadership

Although Levinson dismissed the feud as a determining factor in the election, he used the interview to revisit its origins.

He maintained that he had not initiated the conflict with Republican leaders.

"They started on me because I didn't give contracts to their friends," Levinson alleged.

He specifically referred to a county insurance contract involving Conner Strong & Buckelew, the insurance brokerage associated with Democratic power broker George Norcross.

Levinson said a five-member insurance committee had selected the arrangement and defended the process.

His account of the dispute and the motivations of other Republican officials was not independently established during the interview.

Levinson also said he remained willing to reconcile with party leaders.

"Any time these guys want to bury the hatchet, I don't want to fight," he said.

He complained that he had previously been denied an opportunity to speak freely at a Republican convention.

Later, Levinson said he and the county party leadership were still not communicating.

"The head of this party does not speak to me. We do not speak, unfortunately, because they want to fight," he said.

The interview did not include responses from Purdy or Polistina to Levinson's latest allegations.

Questions About Support for Republican Commissioner Candidates

Williams also raised reports that Republican commissioners had faced difficulties obtaining party support because of disagreements over county decisions.

Levinson said he had heard similar accounts.

"I heard reports that there was word that they were not going. The party was not going to give any money to the commissioners for their campaign because they didn't do some things that the party chair wanted," he said.

Williams referred to disagreements involving county decisions, including a vote concerning the county landfill.

The host also attributed remarks to Purdy suggesting that commissioner candidates should not expect him to run their campaigns.

Those accounts were discussed during the broadcast but were not independently verified in the interview.

Despite raising the issue, Levinson insisted that additional party support would not have changed Tuesday's outcome.

"I'm going to say it again. It would not have made a difference in this election."

The comments leave an important question for Atlantic County Republicans as they assess their losses: whether the party's internal divisions affected campaign resources, coordination or voter outreach, even if broader political conditions also played a major role.

Levinson Defends Defeated Commissioners' Records

Levinson strongly defended the Republican commissioners who lost their reelection bids.

He cited county financial management, economic development projects, education and public investments as accomplishments of Republican county government.

Among the initiatives he mentioned were the Atlantic County aviation park, the Atlantic County Institute of Technology and Stockton University's Atlantic City expansion.

He also pointed to the county's audit record and fiscal management.

"They can hold their heads up high because they did such an extraordinary job as elected officials," Levinson said.

He argued that the Republican candidates were defeated despite their records in office, not because of them.

"And now it's up to the Democrats, and it's their turn."

The election leaves Republicans with a narrow majority on the county commissioner board, meaning the newly elected Democrats will have greater influence over county policy while Republicans retain control.

Economy, Gas Prices and National Politics

Levinson identified economic pressures and national political developments as major factors in Tuesday's results.

He cited gasoline prices, grocery costs, health care expenses, housing affordability and the war involving Iran.

"You have high gasoline prices. You have health care problems. You have a housing crisis," he said.

"You can go on and on groceries, the price of groceries and a war that we got into that we can't figure out how to get out of."

Levinson also questioned some of President Donald Trump's political decisions, including his involvement in Republican primary contests.

He suggested that Republican candidates across the country had faced an especially difficult political environment.

"It's the economy," Levinson said, invoking the phrase associated with former President Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign.

"Anybody that filled their tank up on the way to the polls may have not voted for us."

His comments offered an explanation for the Republican losses, although the interview did not include voter surveys or other evidence establishing which issues determined the outcomes.

“It's One Thing to Win an Election”

Levinson repeatedly challenged Democrats to demonstrate that they could deliver on their campaign promises.

"It's one thing to win an election, and it's another thing to govern," he said.

He raised questions about Democratic positions on policing, immigration, health care and foreign policy, at times using sharply critical language to describe the opposing party.

"Let's see what happens this next year. Now it's your turn to govern. Let's see how much better you can do."

Levinson's comments about Democratic policy proposals were political criticisms rather than a description of an agreed legislative agenda among the newly elected Atlantic County officials.

The new county officeholders will assume responsibilities defined by their respective offices, and the county commissioner board will remain under Republican control.

What Happens to Atlantic County Republicans?

Williams pressed Levinson on whether the election losses should prompt a change in Republican Party leadership.

He specifically asked whether Purdy should resign as county chairman.

Levinson did not directly call for Purdy's resignation.

Instead, he repeated that he believed the election would have ended badly for Republicans regardless of who chaired the organization.

He also pointed to previous periods when Republicans suffered major defeats but eventually returned to power.

The county executive referenced the political aftermath of Watergate and the later rise of Ronald Reagan as examples of the party's ability to recover.

He said the Atlantic County Republican organization now faces the challenge of rebuilding after losing several prominent officeholders.

But Levinson made clear that he does not believe the party's difficulties can be solved simply by changing its chairman.

He described the results as part of a larger political cycle, while acknowledging the unusually broad nature of the losses.

The county executive ended the conversation expressing confidence that Republicans would eventually recover.

For now, however, the immediate consequences are substantial.

Atlantic County will have a new sheriff, a new county clerk and three new commissioners. Republicans will retain only a one-seat majority on the county governing board, and Democrats will enter 2027 with expanded influence in several municipalities.

Levinson's interview made clear that Tuesday's losses have not resolved the internal disputes that divided Atlantic County Republicans before the election.

Whether those divisions can be repaired — and what role Levinson, Purdy and other party leaders will play in that process — remains an open question.

Dennis Levinson made his comments Wednesday, November 4, during an interview on The Don Williams Show, heard weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. on News Talk 1400 & 92.3 WOND.