Marcia Karrow

The announcement that Celeste Riley will get Douglas Fisher’s seat in the State Assembly means that Cumberland County will keep one of the three District 3 legislative seats.  And for the first time in state history, Cumberland and Salem counties will be represented in Trenton by a woman.  It also means that unless a Republican from Salem County defeats her in November, the state’s smallest county will continue to be the only county in New Jersey without a legislator.

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.

Warren County Republicans seem to be uniting behind State Sen. Marcia Karrow, leaving Assemblyman Michael Doherty on his own.

Assemblyman Michael Doherty, who says he would "rather die" than skip a State Senate primary against incumbent Marcia Karrow, but now it looks like keeping his Assembly seat is no longer an option.  Since losing the special election convention for Leonard Lance's Senate seat last month, Doherty has seen some of his top supporters abandon him.  Warren County Freeholder John DiMaio, who has been a top Doherty supporter and longtime friend, will run for Assembly with Karrow on the Hunterdon organization line in the June primary.  Another Doherty backer, Warren County GOP Chairman Douglas Steinhardt, is expected to flip his support and endorse Karrow - possibly as early as today.

DiMaio is one of three candidates competing in a special election convention this month for Karrow's Assembly seat, along with Hunterdon County Freeholders Matthew Holt and Erik Peterson.  With the support of Steinhardt and Hunterdon County GOP Chairman Henry Kuhl, and with the backing of Warren Republican mayors who had supported Karrow over Doherty, DiMaio is the clear front runner.

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.

After Marcia Karrow was sworn in as the new State Senator from the 23rd district, a new quorum call was requested.  This was Karrow’s first vote in the Senate, and observers heard her turn to Henry Kuhl, the Hunterdon County GOP Chairman, and say: “Push my button, Henry.”  Kuhl obliged, and Karrow’s first vote in the Senate was cast by her County Chairman.

Kuhl and Warren County GOP Chairman Douglas Steinhardt accompanied Karrow during her brief swearing in cermony earlier this afternoon. Steinhardt backed Assemblyman Michael Doherty in the special election convention for the open Senate seat, and his presence sends a clear signal that Doherty might be losing political support in his Warren County base as he moves toward a primary challenge against Karrow.

New Jersey's first five women Senators, from left: Mildred Barry Hughes (D-Union Twp.), elected 1965; Jerry Fitzgerald English (D-Summit), elected 1971; Wynona Lipman (D-Newark), elected 1971; Anne Martindell (D-Princeton), elected 1973; and Alene Ammond (D-Cherry Hill), elected 1973.

When Marcia Karrow takes the oath of office today as the new State Senator from the 23rd district, she will become the tenth woman serving in the upper house – a full one-quarter of the total membership and the most women to serve in the Senate at one time.

Karrow becomes the second woman to represent part of Hunterdon County in the State Senate – Anne Martindell did it from 1974 to 1977 – she will become the first woman to represent Warren County in the Senate.

One third of New Jersey’s counties have never had non-white male representation in the Senate: Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, Ocean, Salem, Sussex, and Somerset counties.

Rutgers University Photo

Richard McCormick has been president of Rutgers University since 2002.

The political fallout over the firing of Rutgers Athletic Director Robert Mulcahy continues.  Senate Majority Leader Stephen Sweeney (D-West Deptford) has introduced SR-111, a Senate resolution calling for the resignation of Richard McCormick as President of Rutgers University. 

Warren County Freeholder John DiMaio today won the official backing of fellow Freeholder Rick Gardner, as DiMaio pursues an Assembly seat in the 23rd Legislative District.

“It is with great pride that I support & endorse my fellow Freeholder John DiMaio in his run for the Assembly in the 23rd Legislative District,” said Gardner, a Franklin Township farmer. “The conservative roots and values of the citizens in the 23rd District are time-honored traditional values that have made this region one of the best places to live in New Jersey." 

State Senator-elect Marcia Karrow (R-Raritan) was today endorsed for reelection by the New Jersey Farm Bureau.

"Senator Karrow is exactly the type of leader we need working with us in the Senate," said Richard Nieuwenhuis, the president of the group. "She understands the farming industry and has a genuine passion for preserving agriculture in New Jersey.” 

Assemblywoman Replaces Leonard Lance in State Senate

Assemblywoman Marcia Karrow (R-Hunterdon/Warren) will be sworn in to the State Senate this Monday February 9th at noon. Senator-elect Karrow was chosen to fill the state Senate seat vacated by Representative Leonard Lance, who was elected in November to Congress.