This is pretty big news. After Rep. Jim Saxton (R-NJ) shocked us all by announcing his retirement earlier this month, the GOP felt pretty good about holding his seat. They had well-liked state Senator Diane Allen on hand, who was very interested in making a race of it. The only problem? Allen, a former broadcaster with a moderate reputation, wanted assurance from the NRCC that her bid would be well-funded. With potential primary challengers nipping at her heels and the NRCC coffers empty, I guess it didn’t take long for Allen to reach a final decision:
State Sen. Diane Allen says she will not be a candidate for Jim Saxton’s open House seat next year.
“Now is not the time in my life that I feel prepared to again fight a Democrat opponent as well as a rouge faction of the Burlington County Republican Party simultaneously,” Allen said.
Allen, a longtime legislator and former CBS news anchor in Philadelphia, had been expected to seek the 3rd district seat, and her sudden departure amidst a major intra-party battle in Burlington extends the turmoil of the Republican campaign to hold Saxton’s seat in 2008. It also enhances the chances of an Ocean County Republican winning the GOP nod.
Ouch! So in addition to losing a good deal of incumbents, the GOP is having great difficulty recruiting top tier challengers to replace them. Could the picture get any clearer?
“…as well as a rouge [sic] faction of the Burlington County Republican Party…”
Now, I haven’t lived in Jersey for a long time, but I hadn’t thought that the County had changed this much!
Wonder if that was a typo by the original website, or a spelling error in a press release.
For I while I’ve put the over / under on GOP loses at 9.5 seats, (as well as 4.5 Senate seats and 1.5 governors).
I’m starting to think I’ve underestimated the GOP’s problems this time around.
Has been in disarray for the last half decade or so, their most likely hope is an Ocean County Candidate, which they should have in abundance.