Martin Marks

In an interview with PolitickerNJ.com in Woodbridge on Saturday, Scotch Plains Mayor Martin Marks promised to prove himself in the 7th district congressional primary as the conservative choice.

The pro-life mayor and executive member of the League of Municipalities, says he has over $100,000 in the bank so far toward his congressional campaign, and looks forward to mulitple GOP forums in the coming weeks to distinguish himself from the rest of a large field of candidates.

Sen. Leonard LanceSen. Leonard Lance from Hunterdon County, the former state Senate Minority Leader, is expected to officially enter the 7th District Congressional race this week.

The GOP field in the 7th district so far includes Union County candidates Scotch Plains Mayor Martin Marks and former Summit Councilwoman Kelly Hatfield; and Kate Whitman, daughter of former Gov. Christie Todd Whitman, from Somerset County.

It is expected that Assemblyman Pete Biondi will not seek his party’s nomination, which could open up a run by Warren Mayor Victor Sordillo, who has sworn off running if Biondi gets in the race.

Whoever wins Republican support will face likely Democratic Party nominee Assemblywoman Linda Stender.

Republican attorney Tom Roughneen of Watchung, twice awarded the Bronze Star for his Army service in Iraq, is forming an exploratory committee to run for Congress in the 7th district.

"My Irish-immigrant, blue-collar parents raised their 5 children to appreciate the opportunities in America," said Roughneen in a letter to Republicans he sent out earlier this month. "For 10 years I served as a prosecutor and for twenty years I have served in the Army.

The unexpected retirement of Republican Reps. Jim Saxton and Mike Ferguson has opened up a wide field of potential congressional candidates, many of whom have spent the last month in fundraising overdrive mode and have already gotten donors to cough up some impressive amounts of cash.

Congressional District 7

In the seventh congressional district, Republicans are lining up to challenge Democrat Linda Stender, who raised close to $2 million last year only to lose to Ferguson by one point. This time, unlike last, she has the full support of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, whose Chairman, Maryland Rep. Chris Van Hollen, came to the state in November to endorse and raise money for her and her third district counterpart John Adler.

Stender would not say how much she raised in 2007, but a source close to her said that the campaign has approximately $500,000 in the bank.

Right now, it’s looking like a two-candidate race for Mike Ferguson’s seventh district House seat between Senate Minority Leader Leonard Lance and Kate Whitman, the 30-year-old daughter of the former Governor. Somerset Republican insiders say that Assemblyman Peter Biondi and Freeholder Jack Ciattarelli will be the next to announce that they won’t run for Congress.

Union County has two candidates who are, at this point, second tier: Scotch Plains Mayor Martin Marks and former Summit Councilwoman Kelly Hatfield. Both will need to show considerable fundraising success by the end of this month – there won’t be another report due until April – and then one of them will have to dominate the local endorsement game, where Senate Minority Leader Thomas Kean, Jr. is the biggest catch. Kean could stay out of the race – a message to Union County Republicans that Lance and Whitman are stronger candidates – or endorse Lance outright.

Kelly Hatfield is the latest Republican to enter the 7th district House raceThe field of Republican candidates in the seventh congressional is getting more crowded.

Former Summit Councilwoman Kelly Hatfield has decided to run for the Republican nomination to replace outgoing U.S. Rep. Mike Ferguson.

“I’m running,” said Hatfield, 54, who has a PhD in microbiology. “I’ve been meeting and talking with people not only in this county but throughout the district, and I think the residents of the district want someone who’s familiar with the issues and who has experience to be an effective advocate for them in Washington.”

Scotch Plains Mayor Martin Marks says he's definitely in the race to succeed U.S. Rep. Mike Ferguson in the 7th district.

"We're full steam ahead on this," said Marks, a dentist who is in his eighth year as mayor. "I intend to take this to the finish line."

Marks, 45, reiterated his belief that his candidacy would make the most strategic sense for the Republican Party, and argues that because he is from the same corner of Union County as Democratic Assemblywoman Linda Stender, he can compete with her better than any other candidate.