Surprising no one at this point after strengthening his relationship with the Christie administration, state Sen. Mike Doherty (R-23) today said he intends to back state state Sen. Joe Kyrillos (R-13) for U.S. Senate.

"I think Joe gives us our best shot to beat Bob Menendez," Doherty told PolitickerNJ.com. "I've been working closely with Joe behind the scenes in Trenton and what has struck me about him is he is an extremely hard working, dilligent public servant. A person's character is important. And I'll tell you this. Joe Kyrillos treats all fellow human beings with respect and dignity. To me, that's a good indication of what kind of man he is. He is a man of great character."

A movement conservative who backs Ron Paul for president, Doherty flirted with the idea of running for U.S. Senate this year, but decided against it after talks with Gov. Chris Christie and a softening by the administration toward Doherty's fair schools funding proposal.

Kyrillos is a close friend of the governor's.

Former Highlands Mayor Anna Little has expressed an interest in running statewide for U.S. Senate but sources close to the conservative brand said she is 50/50 at this point.

Her Facebook page still identifies her as a Congressional District 6 GOP candidate. Little ran unsuccessfully against U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-6) in 2010.

"Joe is a voice for less government who believes in the free enterprise system and he would be a big improvement over what we have now," Doherty said.