Doug Steinhardt

Union County Republican Chairman Phil Morin has become a partner in the politically-connected law firm Florio, Perrucci, Steinhardt & Fader, the firm announced today.

The firm, which was founded by former Gov. Jim Florio, a Democrat, counts many insiders of both political parties as partners.  They include Warren County Republican Chairman Doug Steinhardt; Bergen County Democratic insider Paul Fader, who was chief counsel to Governor McGreevey and Codey and a two-term mayor of Englewood; and former Bergen County Republican Chairman Rob Ortiz, who is currently the Republican State Committee's finance chair. 

Morin most recently worked at Saul Ewing.  Before that he worked with  LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae LLP and as a sole practitioner.

Assemblyman Michael Doherty (R-Washington Twp.)

WHITE - After approaching the Warren County Freeholders at their meeting last week, Assemblyman Michael Doherty (R-Washington Twp.) plans to sit down with the freeholders this afternoon to try to convince them to pass a resolution banning borrowing at the county level without voter approval. 

It’s no declaration of political war, insists Doherty – simply a good government broadside and timely exclamation point on a crusade he launched a year ago.

“Voters approved the Lance Amendment (forbidding borrowing without voter approval at the state level), but there remains a huge loophole that needs to be closed for counties and municipalities,” said Doherty, a former freeholder who is pursuing an off-the-line run against state Sen. Marcia Karrow (R-Raritan Twp.) in the 23rd District.

Warren County Freeholder John DiMaio

HACKETTSTOWN – Pro-life and pro-gun, Warren County Freeholder John DiMaio calls himself the most conservative candidate in the race for the vacant District 23 Assembly seat even though he started his political career in the opposing party. 

The president of A. DiMaio & Son, Inc., a general contracting company he co-founded in 1977, he came up the hard way, working in a family business that taught him early the value of a dollar and that honed his instincts for survival and self-sufficiency.

At 53 now, the Republican’s been around a little longer than his Hunterdon County competitors, Freeholder Matt Holt and Freeholder Erik Peterson, and he’s punched more time at the local level, having served 11 years on the Hackettstown council and then an additional nine years as mayor before winning a seat on the Warren County Freeholder Board.

He spent 14 of those years in Hackettstown as a Democrat, and not surprisingly in this increasingly competitive GOP terrain heading toward Saturday’s special convention, that’s the first fact about DiMaio’s background his opponents’ surrogates highlight in casual conversation.

Assemblyman Michael Doherty (R-Washington Twp.)

Assemblyman Michael Doherty (R-Washington Twp) prided himself on never schmoozing with the power elite in Warren County, but now that he’s been abruptly shut out of organizational channels in the aftermath of his loss last month in a special convention bid for state Senate, he’s going into full-gear, good-government outsider mode. 

“Part of what distinguishes me from Marcia Karrow is my position on debt and wanting voter approval,” said Doherty. “In this case, people need to come out of their ivory towers and see where the taxpayers are before they borrow money to build a library on the Delaware River. ...I have been working on this issue for over a year now.  What is precipitating my action now is the Freeholders’ announcement last week to move forward with their $26 million (library) building. ”

A prime Assembly sponsor of the Lance Amendment requiring voter approval for all state borrowing, Doherty plans to attend the Warren County Freeholders’ meeting on Wednesday evening armed with a similar resolution he wants the freeholders to adopt on the county level.

FLEMINGTON – Fighting criticism that he’s operating behind the scenes to weaken the chances of two home county candidates in order to protect state Sen. Marcia Karrow (R-Raritan Twp.), Hunterdon County GOP Chairman Henry Kuhl says he simply wants to keep the balance struck between those two counties that contribute to the 23rd Legislative District.

To that end he told Hunterdon County freeholders Matt Holt and Erik Peterson Friday that regardless of who wins the special convention on Feb 21st, he agreed with Warren County GOP chairman Doug Steinhardt to give a third Assembly candidate, Warren County Freeholder John DiMaio, the organization line in the June Republican Primary.

“The premise is to preserve bi-county representation, if possible,” affirmed Steinhardt.

But the move by the two GOP chairmen has generated some blowback as less than two weeks before the convention, DiMaio, Holt and Peterson vie for the Assembly seat Karrow officially vacated today to claim the Senate seat in the 23rd  District with both Kuhl and Steinhart by her side in the Senate chamber.

Former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie has not declared his gubernatorial candidacy yet, but without even personally pleading his case to anyone, he has already rolled up the support of several GOP chairmen -- some from heavily Republican counties.

George Gilmore, the Republican chairman of Ocean County, will personally endorse Christie if he decides to enter the race, as will his counterparts John Sette in Morris County and Doug Steinhardt in Warren County. Some other Republican chairs are circumspect about committing this early in the process, but say they lean towards Christie.

“Now this is my personal statement obviously, but I think Chris Christie, if he is desirous of running for governor, offers the best opportunity for the Republican Party to win a statewide election next year against Gov. Corzine,” said Gilmore.

State Sen. Kevin O'Toole (R-Essex): Politicker Photo

Republicans on Wednesday night at the Princeton Hyatt unanimously elected Essex County Republican Chairman Sen. Kevin O'Toole (R-Essex) as leader of the GOP county chair people.

The chairs also unanimously elected Warren County Chair Doug Steinhardt as vice chair; Atlantic Chairman Keith Davis as treasurer, and Camden Chair Rick DeMichele as secretary.

"Kevin brings an interesting perspective," said outgoing Chairman George Gilmore, the Ocean County GOP chairman. "He serves in the Legislature and the Senate, and is in a unique position to build the party with the State Committee.

"Bergen's going to be a key county to look at," Gilmore added. "It used to be Republican. It's a county we need to work, to improve the party in this election and beyond, but there are a lot of opportunities across the state."

State Sen. Kevin O'Toole reportedly has the votes to become the new Chairman of the GOP County Chairmen

Update: O'Toole, Davis and Steinhardt have reached an agreement, largely brokered by Gilmore. Davis and Steinhardt will support O'Toole for the chairmanship. Steinhardt will likely become vice-chair, while Davis will be treasurer of the group.

Ocean County Republican Chairman George Gilmore, who announced yesterday that he would not seek another term as the chair of Republican chairmen, today supported Essex County Republican Chairman/state Sen. Kevin O'Toole (R-Cedar Grove) for the post.

Gilmore said that O'Toole has the support of enough of the state's 21 county chairs to easily ascend to the position.

"Kevin absolutely has the votes," said Gilmore. "One of the things I wanted to see was that it was a smooth transition."

Gilmore's support and vote count makes O'Toole the obvious favorite, but it's possible that he won't go unchallenged. Gilmore's decision not to run took many county chairs by surprise, and a short list of four names quickly emerged: O'Toole, Somerset County Chairman Dale Florio, Warren County Chairman Doug Steinhardt and Atlantic County Chairman Keith Davis.

Assemblyman Sam Thompson endorsed Anne Evans Estabrook for U.S. Senate today.

Thompson, who lives in Middlesex County, joins his running mate, Assemblywoman Amy Handlin, in supporting Estabrook.

"The citizens of New Jersey are looking for change and I know that Anne Estabrook will bring change to Washington, work tirelessly to provide security for America, and fight to make New Jersey more affordable by supporting tax cuts and eliminating wasteful spending,” said Thompson.