Mike Ferguson

The race for the Republican nod to succeed Mike Ferguson in the seventh district is looking good for Leonard Lance – although that could change when he finally discloses how much money he has raised. The former Senate Minority Leader is the lone candidate from Hunterdon County, which has the largest percentage (38%) of Republican primary voters of the four counties in the seventh district. Lance will have the organization line in Hunterdon, where he appears exceedingly popular. If the field remains large – right now there are seven other candidates in the race – Lance’s plurality in Hunterdon alone should be enough to win the nomination.

Bridgewater Councilman Michael Hsing is the latest candidate in the field of Republican candidates for Mike Ferguson’s seventh district House seat.  Hsing, a two-term Councilman, would become New Jersey’s first Asian-American Congressman.

Kate Whitman is the daughter of former Gov. Christie WhitmanSeventh district congressional candidate Kate Whitman does not want to distance herself from her mother. But at a candidate forum on Thursday night, she did draw a distinction, describing herself as “more conservative than my mother.”

In terms of Kate Whitman’s candidacy, being the daughter of former two term Republican governor Christine Todd Whitman cuts both ways.

Whitman’s name recognition helped get her a place as one of the most high profile candidates in the crowded seventh district Republican field. And she managed to raise $200,000 during the first quarter of 2007 – more than any other candidate (even if some, like state Senator Leonard Lance, were not yet raising money). At least some of that money came from contacts made through her mother, though Whitman said that there are new donors as well.

Republican Anne Estabrook announced today that outgoing U.S. 7th District Rep. Mike Ferguson will serve as campaign chairman for  Estabrook's U.S. Senate run.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) was in New Jersey today to hype the upcoming congressional campaigns of Linda Stender and John Adler, emphasizing the need to bring the two in to boost the Democrats’ relatively narrow majority in the House.

“We’ve worked very hard over the last number of years since the republicans took over the house to take back the house – not just for political purposes. Obviously all of us want to be in the majority, but what we really want to do is change the direction that the Republican congress and the Republican president have taken this country,” Hoyer told PolitickerNJ.com. “If we lose 15 people we lose the proposition.”

During Stender’s 2006 congressional campaign, in which she raised about $2 million without a tremendous amount of support from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and managed to come within one point of unseating Rep. Mike Ferugson, Hoyer came up to New Jersey to campaign for Stender several times.

Kate Whitman and Leonard Lance sought to affirm their conservative credentials at a forum for seventh district Republican congressional candidates in Clark last night. 

About eighty Republicans showed up to hear five of the contenders for the seat of four-term incumbent Mike Ferguson, who announced last year that he would not seek re-election.

Positioning himself as the social conservative in a field of pro-choice Republicans, Scotch Plains Mayor Martin Marks made it clear he is pro-life.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD)
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer will be in New Jersey today to campaign for congressional candidates John Adler and Linda Stender.  With Republicans Jim Saxton and Mike Ferguson retiring, Democrats view New Jersey’s third and seventh districts as strong pickup opportunities. Republicans have primaries in both districts to pick candidates for the open seats.

State Sen. Leonard Lance announced today that he will seek Rep. Mike Ferguson's seat in Congress: Getty Images Photo
State Sen. Leonard Lance entered the race for Congress today, brandishing his record of fiscal conservatism in Trenton as the campaign weapon that will set him apart from the slew of other potential Republican candidates for the seat and, if he wins the June primary, against Assemblywoman Linda Stender in a general election.

Lance, who's faced criticism from his own party for a gentlemanly, statesman-like manner that some members said made him a poor attack dog against Democrats, pledged that he would not change his ways, but would run an aggressive campaign nonetheless.

"For me this will be an optimistic and positive campaign -- the way I have always campaigned," he said.

Pete Biondi won't run for CongressSaying that he doesn't want to spend too much time away from his family, Assemblyman Peter Biondi today opted not to run for Congress to succeed Rep. Mike Ferguson in the seventh district.

Biondi would have likely been the local Republican Party’s candidate of choice in Somerset -- one of four counties that make up the congressional district.

“This was a tough decision. What’s best for me and my family is that I be here,” said Biondi, who is the Republican conference leader in the Assembly. “I think I can better serve my constituents in my leadership position in Trenton.”

Assembly Minority Whip Peter Biondi is expected to announce early next week that he will not seek the Republican nomination for Congress in the seventh district. And State Senator Leonard Lance will formally enter the race next week; he had planned to announce this week, but postponed his event following the death of longtime State Senator Walter Kavanaugh.