Mike Doherty

Hunterdon County Web site

Assemblywoman Marcia Karrow (R-Flemington) is reaching out to county committee members in Warren County to enlist support for her state Senate bid, but that’s about as much as she will say.

“I’ve had an extremely encouraging response. I’m going to continue working my plan.  I  told you this before, I’ll tell you again: I’m not going to campaign in the press.  Others can do that if they want to.”

Karrow, a Hunterdon County native, is just entering what is certain to be a hotly contested state senate race to replace Congressman-elect Leonard Lance in the 23rd District, the first part of which will be decided by a joint vote of the Hunterdon and Warren County committees.  Karrow’s main rival, Assemblyman Michael Doherty (D-Washington Township) is hoping to unite Warren County Republicans behind him and cut into Karrow’s Hunterdon County votes. 

From right: Garrett, Doherty and U.S. Rep. Mike Ferguson (R-Warren Township) (source: njtrl.org)

Assemblyman and state senate candidate Michael Doherty (R-Washington Township) continued to shore up his conservative credentials today, rolling out the endorsement of U.S. Rep. Scott Garrett (R-Wantage.)

“I have worked with Mike for many years, first in the state legislature and now as a Congressman, and he has consistently fought for smaller government, less regulation and lower taxes,” said Garrett, who recently fended off a well-funded challenge to win reelection by a slightly greater margin than in 2006. “Mike is a strong supporter of the Constitution, and he has been consistently endorsed by pro-business groups as a result of his record in the state legislature.”

Doherty is running to replace state Sen. Leonard Lance (R-Clinton), who will join Garrett in New Jersey’s Republican congressional delegation in January. Assemblywoman Marcia Karrow (R-Flemington) is also running, and Hunterdon County Freeholder Matt Holt is considering a bid.

Former Republican state Sen. Bill Schluter wants to see his old seat kept in moderate Republican hands, and he thinks Hunterdon County Freeholder Matt Holt is the man to do it.

Schluter, 81 is actively working to help Holt, the grandson of former U.S. Sen. Clifford P. Case, run for the 23rd District state Senate seat.

“I’m definitely in the camp of Matt Holt. I think he’s an outstanding individual and would make a good state senator. I’d like to retain the district as a Republican district, and I think he could do that,” said Schluter.

Holt has formed an exploratory committee, but yesterday told PolitickerNJ that he would not make a formal announcement until after Thanksgiving.

True, the 23rd District is drawn to be safely Republican, but, Schluter said, “stranger things have happened.”

Hunterdon County Republican Chairman Henry Kuhl has sat down with all three potential candidates to succeed state Sen. Leonard Lance (R-Flemington), but said he won’t make an endorsement yet.

“This is too soon. Some people jump in front. I’m usually a late endorser because I want to see how all candidates running for office are participating, and whether they intend to be in to the end and so forth,” he said.

Likely opponents: Holt and Karrow at an event in 2007 (source: central.hcrhs.k12.nj.us)

Hunterdon County Freeholder Matt Holt said today that Assemblywoman Marcia Karrow’s (R-Flemington) decision to run for the seat of outgoing state Sen. Leonard Lance (R-Flemington) will not deter his own ambition.

Holt, who announced that he was setting up an exploratory committee last week, told PolitickerNJ.com today that he is likely to run for the seat as well.

“If anything, it energizes me even further,” said Holt. “Since the press release and my sort of formal announcement of my intent to move forward, I have just had an extremely large number of supporters both on a financial end as well as the working end of the campaign.”

Assemblyman Michael Doherty (R-Washington Township) speaks at a pro-life rally in 2004 (Source: njtrl.org)

It is still not clear exactly how many candidates are running to succeed state Sen. Leonard Lance, but battle lines are already being drawn on two fronts: geography and ideology.

Assemblyman Mike Doherty (R-Washington Township), 45, is going to campaign on the latter. He’s from Warren County, which initially puts him at a slight disadvantage in a county committee race, since it has about 40 fewer members than Hunterdon County, home of his opponent, Assemblywoman Marcia Karrow (R-Flemington). But he’s one of the most conservative members of the legislature, and plans to use that to siphon off Hunterdon’s most staunchly conservative county committee men and women.

“I see it as a real bellwether of what type of Republican leadership we’re going to have,” said Doherty, who’s a patent lawyer by trade. “If you ask people across the state who are among the most conservative Republican legislators, I would be among the first or second people named. That’s going to enure to my benefit.”

Assemblywoman Marcia Karrow (R-Flemington)

Assemblywoman Marcia Karrow (R-Flemington) announced this morning that she will run for the state Senate seat in the 23rd Legislative District.

"I have been very effective in the Assembly, even while in the Republican minority. In plain and simple terms, I am running for the this seat because I believe that I can be even more effective in the Senate,” she said in a statement this morning. “My fiscal conservatism and my common-sense approach to problem solving are important skills upon which I have built my political career. Now, more than ever, I believe my ability to build relationships and reach across the aisle to find common ground, while maintaining my core commitment to Republic principles - smaller government and lower taxes -- is critical.”

Karrow’s decision to vie for the seat sets up what will almost certainly be a hotly contested race between her and Assemblyman Michael Doherty (R-Washington Township), a conservative from neighboring Warren County.

Assemblyman Mike Doherty (R-Washington Township) has begun releasing endorsements from Hunterdon County Republicans in support of his quest to succeed state Sen. Leonard Lance (R-Flemington). 

Today, Doherty unveiled an endorsement from Raritan Township Deputy Mayor Richard O'Malley, who praised his fiscal and social conservatism, saying “we need more leaders like him in Trenton who will stand up for the pro-family values that are the foundation of our Hunterdon County community.” 

Hunterdon GOP Chairman Henry Kuhl "assumes" his county will field a candidate for Leonard Lance's State Senate seat

While Assemblyman Mike Doherty (R-Washington Township) is already pounding the pavement in an effort to succeed Congressman-elect Leonard Lance in the state Senate, no definite candidate from Lance’s native Hunterdon County has emerged to compete for the seat yet.

But long-time Hunterdon County Republican Chairman Henry Kuhl thinks there will be one.

“I would assume that that would happen,” he said.

Two state senators today endorsed Assemblyman Mike Doherty (R-Washington) to replace outgoing State Sen. Leonard Lance (R-Flemington).

The moderate state Sen. Kevin O’Toole (R-Cedar Grove) said that Doherty “has worked diligently both in his district and across the state to represent the principles and values of the Republican Party.”

State Sen. Joe Pennacchio (R-Montville), a conservative, called Doherty a “gallant fighter for conservative principles.”  Pennacchio received Doherty’s endorsement for his own U.S. Senate campaign earlier this year after Doherty decided not to run.