Anne Evans Estabrook

John Crowley hosted Gov. Jon Corzine for a tour of his biotech company a few months ago.

The decision of biotech millionaire John Crowley not to seek the Republican nomination for Governor in 2009 does not necessarily mean that he won’t run for office next year.  Some GOP insiders are already touting him as a possible candidate for Lt. Governor.  Crowley, with private sector business experience, a compelling personal story, and a possible – but still unproven – ability to raise money from non-traditional donors could make him an attractive running mate.  Here’s what politicos need to watch: will Crowley spend some time during the first half of next year helping Republican candidates and local GOP organizations.

Leading up to the March 31st Federal Election Commission deadline, Senate candidate Joe Pennacchio raised only $107,710.

At the end of last month, Pennacchio had $25,081 cash-on-hand.

While those numbers appear to contradict the fundraising information the campaign released earlier this month -- which showed Pennacchio having raised $361,710 and having 279,081 -- Pennacchio said that wasn’t the case.

During the two weeks between the FEC’s cut off date and his campaign’s release of the fundraising totals, Pennacchio loaned himself an unspecified amount of money that may account for the discrepancy. As noted by Pennacchio’s campaign when the information was released, that total included two weeks after the FEC's cut off date.

In advance of his party’s convention on March 26, State Sen. Joseph Pennacchio (R-Morris)Monmouth County GOP Chairman Adam Puharic today said he no longer has reservations about state Sen. Joseph Pennacchio (R-Morris).

"I spoke with Joe Pennacchio, we had a real long talk, and I am growing more comfortable with Monmouth County Republicans getting behind his candidacy for U.S. Senate," said Puharic.

Following the departure from the Senate race of millionaire Anne Evans Estabrook, the Monmouth County Republican chairman called for a meeting of county party chairs to discuss strategy.

Puharic had hoped a key ally, Sen. Joseph Kyrillos (R-Monmouth), would get in the race, but Kyrillos decided against running.

Republican Joe Buckalew says he won't run for the U.S. SenateCount Joe Buckalew out of the mix for potential U.S. Senate candidates.

“I feel like somebody must be crazy,” joked Buckalew.

Although Buckalew, the former Chairman of the New Jersey Highway Authority and current Chairman of the Board at Commerce Bancorp, received a call from Ocean County Republican Chairman George Gilmore about the possibility of running, he said he never gave it too much thought.

“It’s very flattering, and my county chairman and some other people had called me, but that’s not for me. It’s passed me by,” Buckalew, 78, told PolitickerNJ today. “You can count me out. I’ve been doing things all my life. It’s time for me to relax.”

Buckalew’s name was one of several that surfaced after businesswoman Anne Evans Estabrook suddenly dropped out of the race last week.

Calling homeland security the most important issue of these times, former state Sen. Brian T. Kennedy of Wall would like to challenge Sen. Frank Lautenberg, and said he plans to discuss the matter with GOP State Chairman Tom Wilson and Monmouth County GOP Chief Adam Puharic.

"I am very, very seriously thinking about this," said Kennedy, 73, who served in the state Senate from 1977 to 1983, before losing to Democrat Frank Pallone.

Hunterdon County Freeholder William Mennen, heir to the deodorant fortune, told PolitickerNJ.com that he won’t run for the U.S. Senate this year. Mennen had briefly considered a run for U.S. Congress in the 7th District last year before backing state Sen. Leonard Lance.

"I made it clear a couple of months ago that I would put my efforts into being more local, said Mennen, an attorney whose family’s roots are in Newark.

Republican state Sen. Christopher "Kip" Bateman knows that, if he really does want to enter the U.S. Senate race, he'll have to make a decision very soon.

"It all happened very quickly. My head's spinning," said Bateman, whose father, Raymond, was state Senate President in the early 1970s and was the Republican gubernatorial nominee in 1977. "It's a little late in the game and Joe (Pennacchio) has gotten county endorsements already. I'm kind of testing the waters, quickly."

Bateman has toyed with the idea of running for a Senate seat before, and yesterday afternoon began to receive phone calls from people encouraging him to make a run for it to fill in for Anne Evans Estabrook, who abruptly withdrew from the race yesterday.

In a setting-the-record-straight conversation today with PolitickerNJ.com, Amanda Woloshen, spokeswoman for state Sen. Leonard Lance, clarified that Lance remains a candidate for the U.S. Congress in the 7th District, and has no intention of pursuing a run for the U.S. Senate in 2008.

Anne Evans Estabrook’s suspension of her U.S. Senate campaign this morning due to health concerns sparked Lance’s rival, businesswoman Kate Whitman, to jokingly drop Lance’s name as a candidate for that office.

Monmouth County GOP Chairman Adam Puharic wants Rudy Giuliani to run against Frank Lautenberg
In the aftermath of news that Anne Evans Estabrook would not run for the U.S. Senate, Monmouth county GOP Chairman Adam Puharic today said he was calling for an emergency meeting of Republican county chairmen to discuss the party’s options in nominating a candidate.

As for his own personal choice for a GOP senate candidate now that Estabrooks is out, Puharic said he would be happy joining a coalition of New Jersey Republicans calling on former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani to enter the race, or "other talented Republicans."

But in the meantime, "Everybody needs to freeze until we have a chance to talk," said Puharic. "If a majority of the county chairs believe we should rally around state Sen. Joe Pennacchio, fine, but if a majority are not happy with the choices they have now, I beseech everyone not to rush to judgement."

Although three Ocean County state Senators had already thrown their support behind state Sen. Joe Pennacchio prior to Anne Evans Estabrook’s departure from the U.S. Senate race, the county’s Republican chairman, George Gilmore, has not yet committed to a candidate.

“We’re going to wait for the smoke to clear, see who the potential viable candidates are, then have our screening process,” said Gilmore.

The county committee will hold its nominating convention on March 27th.