After looking like the front-runner for a few days in the race to succeed Treasurer-elect Liz Muoio in the LD15 Assembly seat, Mercer County Freeholder Anthony Varrelli appears to be going nowhere fast, according to a source close to the process.

“There is no appetite for Anthony,” the source said, expressing the common LD15 sentiment that an Assemblyman Verrelli would simply enhance the white male visual footprint in Mercer, essentially giving that group the run of the country.

They’re already top heavy with white males in the Assembly, the source said, noting the presence of Assemblyman Wayne DeAngelo (D-14), Assemblyman Dan Benson (D-14), Assemblyman Reed Gusciora (D-15), Assemblyman Andrew Zwicker (D-16) and Assemblyman-elect Roy Freiman.

“Anthony would not be the new-look wants at this particular point in time,” the source said.

Two new names emerged as the party seeks another direction.

They are Beverly Mills, a retired Councilwoman from Pennington;  and Tim Watson, who works for powerful Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes at the parks commission, and is the brother of U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-12).