GOP struggles to find candidates in a winnable district

From the Democratic side, there is no shortage of snickering at the ineptitude of Mercer County Republicans who have been unable to find State Assembly candidates in one of the few districts where Democrats admit their incumbents are vulnerable.  The Mercer GOP is holding their convention tonight and the Middlesex GOP will pick their candidates on Saturday.  With just hours to go before the balloting begins, Republicans have no one to take on incumbents Linda Greenstein (D-Plainsboro) and Wayne DeAngelo (D-Hamilton).

Less than a week ago, Republicans had their ticket: Hamilton Councilwoman Kelly Yaede and former Cranbury Councilman Wayne Wittman.  Both have subsequently changed their minds.  Yaede apparently decided to run more than a week ago, but held off notifying party leaders.  Her withdrawal comes two weeks after she was introduced as a candidate at an Assembly Republican fundraiser and met with gubernatorial candidate Christopher Christie.  Sources say that Yaede has been flip-flopping about an Assembly bid for the last two months, being in the race one day and out the next.  She has Hamilton Republicans so angry that there is speculation that the local GOP might dump her from their ticket in 2011.

This is bad news for Mercer County GOP Chairman Roy Wesley and State Sen. Bill Baroni (R-Hamilton).  The Mercer County GOP Chairman won re-election in 2008 by just three votes, 93-90, over Robbinsville Mayor David Fried.  Wesley failed to field a full slate of Freeholder candidates last year after one of his nominees dropped out of the race.

Update -- from Mercer County Democratic Chairman Richard McClellan:

"While there may be some snickering by Democrats, I am not one of them.  I'm angry that the opposition cannot even meet the most basic of their obligations in a crucial contest in the political marketplace of ideas, the simple act of showing up.  It hurts the Republicans.  It hurts the Democrats. And, it hurts the people both parties seek to serve.

Frankly, there is precious little honor in defeating empty slots and this looks like the second time in as many years that they are staying away from the contest on significant positions.

To be fair, the Democrats have still not confirmed two candidates in the twelfth although I believe that situation will soon be rectified."