
South Jersey Republicans hoping the 2023 infighting would remain contained to LD4 may be out of luck, Save Jerseyans.
The New Jersey Globe reported on Saturday evening that Assemblywoman Beth Sawyer (R-3) is likely to challenge her former running mate state Senator Ed Durr (R-3), better known as “Ed the Trucker.” Durr, Sawyer, and Bethanne McCarthy Patrick shocked the political world back in 2021 when they took down Steve Sweeney and his Democrat running mates with a shoestring budget.
Sawyer and Durr quickly fell out, however, and after Sawyer’s first attempt at a challenger slate fell apart after the convention season, David Wildstein reports that Sawyer is expected to run alongside Joseph Collins, Jr.
The feud is part of a larger atmosphere of unrest in Southwest Jersey Republicanism this spring right when the party is poised to not only take over LD4 but also reclaim the Gloucester County Board of Commissioners after coming close to completing their reconquest last fall. Observers pulling for GOP victories are worried that the party could ruin its chances of a big November if the spring primary season is too nasty and too expensive.
Save Jersey reached out to Sawyer to confirm the Globe story but hadn’t heard back as of the time of this post’s publication.