John DiMaio

A GOP candidate for the Assembly in the 23rd District, Hunterdon County Freeholder Matthew Holt this week announced endorsements from former state Sen. Bill Schluter, former Hunterdon County Clerk Dottie Tirpok, and former Warren County Clerk Terry Lee. 

"I know the Trenton scene and what it takes to be an effective Legislator,” Schluter, who served as senator of the district for 13 years, wrote in a letter to Hunterdon/Warren County Republican Committee members.

“Matt will not let partisan gridlock prevent him from seeking responsible bipartisan solutions for the public good.  He is not flamboyant -- he works quietly and efficiently with constituents including farmers, environmentalists, and citizen advocacy groups. He will perform his Legislative duties in a fair and responsible manner while protecting the interest of the 23rd district, earning both your respect, as well as the respect of his fellow legislators."

Hunterson County Freeholder Erik Peterson wants the State Assembly seat of Mike Doherty or Marcia Karrow, one of whom will go to the State Senate.

Hunterdon County Freeholder Erik Peterson has entered the race for the Assembly in the 23rd District.

"I want to bring Republican principles of fiscal; conservatism, limited government and open, honest government that is accountable to the people of New Jersey to the Legislature," Peterson, an attorney and political protege of U.S. Rep. Leonard Lance (R-Clinton), said in a letter to party members.

Peterson’s entry means there are now at least three GOP contenders in the race created by former state Sen. Lance's victory last year and the movement directly beneath him of two lawmakers eager to move up in his absence.

Hunterdon County Freeholder Matt Holt will run for the assembly, not the state senate

The three way race for senate in the 23rd Legislative District has been narrowed down to two.

Hunterdon County Freeholder Matt Holt, who had already declared his candidacy for state senate, has opted instead to run for one of the two possible assembly seats that will soon open up.  Both incumbents, Assembly members Marcia Karrow (R-Flemington) and Mike Doherty (R-Washington Twp.) are running to replace Congressman-elect Leonard Lance in the state Senate. 

"My mission to represent the 23rd District in the Legislature will not change.  I repeat my pledge to run a campaign based on issues, and to be a unifying force that all Republicans can rally around to further the goals of the party,” said Holt in a statement.  “Low taxes, responsible government, transparency, and impeccable integrity can be the hallmarks of New Jersey governance.  I continue my total commitment to these principles.” 

Warren County Freeholder Director John DiMaio today formally endorsed Assemblyman Michael J. Doherty (R-Washington Township) for the 23rd District state senate seat U.S. Rep.-elect Leonard Lance is vacating to go to Congress.

"I have worked side-by-side with Mike as a member of the Warren County Board of Chosen Freeholders. He has a strong work ethic and he has always taken the correct stand on difficult issues,” said DiMaio in a statement.

“Mike is a true friend of families and taxpayers as evidenced by his record as a Freeholder and Assemblyman. Mike Doherty is one of the most focused individuals that I have worked with in my 28 years of elected service,” the freeholder director added. “When the little guy needs a hand, Mike is always ready to help out. Mike has earned my respect and he will be a great asset to all of us in the 23rd District as our next Senator."

Hunterdon County Web site

Peterson being sworn in by Lance, his political mentor

In an otherwise tough year for Republicans, Congressman-elect Leonard Lance (R-Flemington) gave the party a much-needed victory in the Garden State.  Now, a year after being ousted from his post as state Senate minority leader, Lance has built up considerable political capital.

Which is good for Hunterdon County Freeholder Director Erik Peterson, a personal friend of Lance’s who’s considering running for the Assembly seat in the 23rd Legislative District.

“Leonard Lance is wildly popular in his district.  His big win in the congressional race was due largely to overwhelming support in the part of that congressional district that’s in his legislative district in Hunterdon County.  The Lance name is a force to reckoned with in Hunterdon County going back more than a century,” said Monmouth University professor and pollster Patrick Murray.  “That’s going to carry a lot of weight, particularly in Hunterdon County….  In the Hunterdon County part that’s the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval.”

Assemblywoman Marcia Karrow and Hunterdon County Freeholder Matthew Holt are both potential candidates for Leonard Lance's 23rd district State Senate seat

Assemblyman Michael Doherty seems to be playing out of the Bill Baroni playbook: Doherty is rapidly rolling out endorsements to scare the Assemblywoman from his district out of a race for an open State Senate seat.  Two weeks after Leonard Lance won a seat in Congress, the Doherty for Senate campaign is in high gear, and Marcia Karrow has a deer-in-headlights thing going on as she mulls her own chances to move up to the Senate. 

Karrow, according to Republican leaders that have spoken with her, believed her Hunterdon County base would propel her to victory in a special election convention where the voters as GOP County Committee members.  But Karrow is reportedly frightened to give up her Assembly seat and move up to the Senate, just to be taken out by Doherty in a Republican primary, where the conservative Warren County legislator might have an advantage.  If Karrow passes on the race (she may have to now that she's lost two crucial weeks in a short campaign -- Doherty is now the strong front runner to succeed Lance), it is because of her fear of being out of a job after just one year in the State Senate.

One possible miscalculation by Karrow: Doherty is a blinker who has already passed up a number of chances to run for higher office, including a primary challenge against Lance last year and a race for the U.S. Senate.  Had Karrow been the incumbent Senator, it's possible that Doherty would have blinked and not given up his Assemblys seat to run for Senator.

Warren County Freeholder John DiMaio says he'll run for the State Assembly if Mike Doherty moves up to the Senate

Warren County Freeholder Director John DiMaio announced today that he is seeking the 23rd  District Assembly seat being vacated by Assemblyman Michael Doherty (R-Washington).

“I believe the County of Warren’s 'pay as you go' philosophy is a model that the State of New Jersey could learn from," DiMaio said.

A former mayor of Hackettstown where he also served as a councilman and was a candidate for the Republican Nomination for the assembly in 2005, DiMaio serves as the second vice chairman of the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, the federal funding agency for the State of New Jersey’s 13 northernmost counties. 

State Senator Joe Pennacchio has locked up the support of all three Warren County Freeholders for his U.S. Senate bid.

Freeholders John DiMaio, Richard Gardner and Everett Chamberlain all praised Pennacchio in a press release issued by his campaign today.

"I am proud to stand with Warren County's Freeholders in the fight against higher taxes and bigger government," said Pennacchio in a press release.