Chris Venis

Rick Merkt may be running a distant third in the race for the Republican nomination for Governor, but Chris Venis, his campaign manager and chief strategist has already had a win this year: Venis' race horse, Miss Blakely -- named for the late Thomas Blakely, a highly regarded Republican political consultant who passed away last year at the age of 46 -- won the Boynton each Stakes at Gulfstream Park in Florida. She is on schedule to run in the $500,000.000 Woodbine Canadian Oaks, first race in the Canadian filly Triple Crown.

Senate Minority Leader Ton Kean, Jr. (R-Union), and Sen. Leonard Lance (R-Hunterdon).

State Sen. Leonard Lance won the Somerset County Republican convention tonight, an important victory in his quest for the Republican nomination to succeed Rep. Mike Ferguson in the seventh congressional district.

Lance beat Whitman nearly 2-1, winning 136 votes to her 74 in the second round of balloting.

Hundreds of Somerset Republican County Committee members packed the Elks Lodge in Bridgewater tonight to participate in the event, where they also voted on Senate and freeholder candidates. But the seventh district congressional race was the real contest of the night.

“There were six candidates from Somerset County and I was able to prevail,” said Lance. “I think it shows that the Republican Party in Somerset County recognizes that I will be the agent of change in Washington.”

BRIDGEWATER - The frontrunners like to call it a three-way race.State Sen. Leonard Lance (R-Hunterdon)

Sen. Leonard Lance (R-Hunterdon), Summit Councilwoman Kelly Hatfield and businesswoman Kate Whitman each won Hunterdon, Union and Middlesex respectively in their quest to be the Republican nominee in the 7th Congressional District.

Tonight’s Somerset County Republican Convention will likely thin the ranks of contenders and give one of the frontrunners a solid leg up on the rest of the nine-person field.

With only the Somerset convention remaining in a district that encompasses portions of four counties, the pressure to secure the endorsement of this county’s committee is on Whitman, who lives in Peapack-Gladstone.

After all, Lance won his home county of Hunterdon, and Hatfield won her home county of Union.

 Venis Supports Employee Free Choice Act

American workers deserve better wages, benefits and working conditions

Kate Whitman says Linda Stender has voted to raise taxes 94 timesWOODBRIDGE – The Republican congressional candidates vying to succeed Rep. Mike Ferguson last night mostly found common ground by calling for President George W. Bush’s tax cuts to be made permanent, and depicting likely Democratic nominee Assemblywoman Linda Stender as a big government liberal.

A forum sponsored by the Woodbridge Township Republican Organization and held at the Forge, featured Kate Whitman, State Sen. Leonard Lance (R-Hunterdon), Warren Township Mayor Victor Sordillo, Scotch Plains Mayor Martin Marks, former Summit Council President Kelly Hatfield, Bridgewater Town Councilman Michael Hsing, Iraq War veteran/ex-Prosecutor Thomas Roughneen, and Seton Hall University business professor A.D. Amar. Of the announced candidates, only former Hillsborough Deputy Mayor Chris Venis was absent.

Christopher Venis, Republican candidate for New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, announced today that he signed the earmark reform pledge sponsored by the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW).  

Christopher Venis, Republican candidate for New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, announced today that he signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge sponsored by Americans for Tax Reform (ATR).

Assemblyman Jon Bramnick, Assemblyman Eric Munoz, Sen. Thomas Kean, and U.S. Rep. Mike Ferguson soak in one of the speeches.

WESTFIELD - The word going into that first round of voting at the Union County Republican Convention on Saturday was that former Summit Councilwoman Kelly Hatfield and Scotch Plains Mayor Martin Marks would require a second showdown.

"This is going to a runoff between the top two candidates," said John DeSimone, commissioner for the county Board of Elections as he waded into the crowd of delegates. And that’s exactly how it went down at Westfield High School, where Hatfield eventually prevailed over Marks with 60% of the vote in the Union County GOP’s pre-primary battle for the line in the 7th District Congressional race.

State Sen. Leonard Lance makes his case as one of his opponents, Warren Township Mayor Victor Sordillo, looks on.

FLEMINGTON - State Sen. Leonard Lance flattened the other 7th Congressional district primary candidates in his home county tonight at a meeting of the Hunterdon County Republicans, and specifically targeted Kate Whitman in his speech to the county committee.

In his most animated remarks so far on the campaign trail, the former minority leader vowed to fight the terrorists and fight the Taliban, and quoted Lincoln’s "America is still the world’s last best hope on earth."

There are five Somerset County residents running for congress in the seventh district, but the county’s three native legislators aren’t endorsing any of them.

On Monday, state Sen. Christopher “Kip” Bateman, Assemblyman Peter Biondi and Assemblywoman Denise Coyle will endorse State Sen. Leonard Lance, a Hunterdon County resident, for congress.