Former Mayor of Atlantic City Don Guardian said Monday afternoon, “After speaking with fellow Senate candidate Vince Polistina, and former Senator and Mayor of Egg Harbor Township Sonny McCullough, and several other party leaders over the weekend, I’ve decided to put the Republican Party first.  I will return to running for the Assembly.

“When I first announced my run for senate, it was because no one else had stepped forward to succeed

Senator Chris Brown. But now that we have a very qualified candidate in former assemblyman Vince Polistina, I have agreed to step down for the good of the party, and clear the way for Vince to be our Republican candidate for Senate.  My experience as former mayor of Atlantic City and as a business administrator would best serve the district in the Assembly.

“My only interest was seeing our Republican Party win in November.  We can do that by putting forth the strongest ticket possible and uniting behind that strong ticket quickly.  Having a tough and costly primary fight over the Senate position would not be in the best interest of anyone, especially our party.

“As a former assemblyman in Legislative District 2, I believe that Vince Polistina will be our best choice for senate this year in November.  Vince has fought and won tough campaigns before in Legislative District 2, and he knows how to navigate Trenton as an elected official.  He has my full support as the Republican candidate for State Senate.”

In response state senate candidate Vince Polistina said, “Don is the epitome of a selfless public servant. You don’t find many people like him in politics today.  He has agreed to put the Republican Party and the constituents of the 2nd Legislative District first.  I want to thank Don for his decision and I commend him for running for the assembly.  As a former assemblyman myself in the 2nd Legislative District, I know that Don Guardian is exactly the type of public servant that we need.  His deep knowledge of Atlantic City and the tourism industry, plus his experience as mayor and business administrator will serve him well as he campaigns for assembly and I’m very excited to work with him.