Tom Kean Jr. defeated Assemblyman Erik Peterson by 7 votes at last night’s Hunterdon County Republican Convention, Save Jerseyans. It’s the first win of the NJ-07 primary season and a significant setback for Peterson in particular who previously served as a Hunterdon County freeholder.
Kean’s 67 to 60 win ON the second ballot gives the former Senate Minority Leader an added edge heading into the June contest since he’ll have prime ballot position in Peterson’s home county.
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First-time candidate John Isemann nabbed 35 votes and Robert Trugman (a salon owned) received two votes.
Former pastor Phil Rizzo, Navy veteran Sterling Irwin Schwab, and public works contractor Kevin Dorlon all declined to seek the county endorsement.
The challenge for Kean’s rivals this time around is two-fold:
Kean came within 4,000 votes of defeating Malinowski in 2020; consequently, some Republicans believe he’s on track to seal the deal in a better cycle with a redder district thanks to the new map. There’s also the obvious: six candidates not named “Kean” are competing for support of anyone who isn’t already on Kean’s side. That’s difficult math on its face.
Another obstacle: Kean has nearly $1 million cash on hand, light years ahead of any of the other Republican contenders.
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