COURT HOUSE — Democratic incumbent Mayor F. Nathan Doughty’s apparent narrow victory in this year’s Middle Township Committee race was the most highly contested race in this municipality in seven years.

With Election Day, emergency, absentee and provisional votes tallied, Doughty won the race by 86 votes, 4,105 to 4,019.

The Herald researched Middle Township election returns back to 1980 and found the narrowest margin of victory in 2001 when Democratic newcomer Susan DeLanzo squeaked by Republican Barbara Tomalino by a mere 39 votes — 2,671 to 2,632.

The next closest race was in 1986 when Democrat Robert Hodges Sr. won with 1,987 votes to Republican Richard James who finished with 1,853, a 134-vote difference.

Democratic politicians have dominated township committee races for decades with the late James Lykins as the last Republican elected to that office in the early 1960s.

There have been at least two other committee members who switched from the Democratic Party to the GOP while in office.

Patricia Peterson won as a Democrat in 1980 and lost as a Republican in 1983 to James Alexis, who now serves as the township administrator. In the late 1990s, former Mayor Michael Voll switched to the GOP, but never ran as a Republican.

Since 1980, Democratic candidates have run unopposed six times: Doughty in 2005; Charles Leusner in 1988, 1997 and 2003; Voll in 1996; and Robert Hodges in 1989.

In contested races over that period, the widest margin of victory was 1,447 in 2002 when Doughty garnered 3,034 votes to Republican Michael Hajek’s total of 1,587. In 2004, DeLanzo also scored an impressive victory of 1,148 votes over GOP challenger Raymond Fox.

In the Herald’s research, only two Independent candidates have thrown their hats in the ring for Middle Township Committee seats.

In 1980, with 1,871 votes Peterson defeated Republican Bruce Back, 1,620, and Independent Carl Baker, 442. Last year, with 2,305 votes DeLanzo won over GOP candidate Richard Cheatle, 1,521, and Independent Eileen Fausey, 877.

Contact Hart at (609) 886-8600 Ext 35 or at: jhart@cmcherald.com