William Mennen

Assemblyman MIke Doherty (R-Washington Twp.)

It was a different scene than it was in Clinton earlier this year when establishment Republicans felt like misfit grunts bucking KP duty as Assemblyman Mike Doherty (R-Washington Twp.) bellowed out a speech from atop the stage at the middle school.

Stunned when they voted against him and chose Marcia Karrow to succceed the mild-mannered Sen. Leonard Lance (R-Clinton), Doherty stubbornly launched what many assessed as an implausible primary campaign.  

This morning at the Republicans' unity breakfast at the Mountainview Chalet in Asbury, Doherty called his win over incumbent state senator Karrow the toughest of his decade-long political career.

"I've been through a lot of tough primaries, but Marcia was the heartiest competitor," said Doherty.

Defeated by Karrow in that January special election, Doherty aligned with movement conservative Steve Lonegan's gubernatorial candidacy to come back and beat Karrow Tuesday night, 52% to 48%.

Entrance to the Hunterdon County Sheriff's Office

FLEMINGTON – Hunterdon County Sheriff Deborah Trout said she has no intention of resigning her office as the county prosecutor’s office examines materials it seized from her office last week as part of an investigation into hiring practices at the sheriff’s office.  

“It’s a power play, that’s all I can come up with,” Trout told PolitckerNJ.com today. “The freeholders don’t want a sheriff’s office. They’re picking on our office. I was told if they could, they would not have a sheriff’s office. One thing I know is they’re not going to find anything. I believe it to be a fishing expedition.” 

Last Monday, Trout’s receptionist called her downstairs to meet Detective Ken Row and other investigators.

Hunterdon County Freeholder William Mennen, heir to the deodorant fortune, told PolitickerNJ.com that he won’t run for the U.S. Senate this year. Mennen had briefly considered a run for U.S. Congress in the 7th District last year before backing state Sen. Leonard Lance.

"I made it clear a couple of months ago that I would put my efforts into being more local, said Mennen, an attorney whose family’s roots are in Newark.

William G. Mennen, a 41-year old attorney from Tewksbury and a Hunterdon County freeholder-elect, today said he would consider a run for U.S. Congress over a Thanksgiving meal.

"I like most everybody else was surprised," Mennen said of U.S. Rep. Mike Ferguson’s decision yesterday not to seek a fifth term. "I was further surprised by a continual stream of subsequent phone calls from a number of Republican officials."