LD24 Flashpoint: Phoebus Won't Primary Senator Oroho

By Insider NJ | March 28, 2017, 2:27 pm | in Caucus Room

There won't be a primary in LD24 after all.

Assemblywoman Gail Phoebus (R-24) this afternoon said she has decided not to primary state Senator Steve Oroho (R-24).

"After a great deal of reflection, I have decided not to run for office in the New Jersey 24th Legislative District this year," Phoebus said. "As much as I recognize the need to press hard for our core beliefs and the cherished way of life we all hold dear, my family must always be my first priority.

"Over the last 12 years, I have been extremely fortunate to represent my hometown of Andover Township as

Committeewoman and Mayor; our beloved Sussex County as Freeholder, and I have been honored to serve Sussex and my neighbors in Mt. Olive and Warren County as Assemblywoman," she added. "I particularly thrived on my

continuous education of the issues our district encounters."

A GOP source in the district said Phoebus was not getting any support.

This person attended Oroho's St. Patrick's Day event and found it as well attended as ever. This despite the traction Phoebus sought with opposition to the gas tax for estate tax swap championed by Oroho as a way to fund the state's depleted Transportation Trust Fund. Then there was time factor. The source said it did not hear that the assemblywoman was circulating petitions.

"She was getting down to the wire, and people could see she was not really a viable candidate," the source said. "It's tough to take on an incumbent. Their differences seemed more personal than political, and that's a tough foundation from which to launch a campaign."

A second Republican source told InsiderNJ that she faced an unprecedented avalanche of cash coming in from the unions in support of Oroho and decided she could not compete.

A third source said former Morris County Freeholder Dave Scapicchio's decision to back out of an assembly bid on a ticket led by Phoebus contributed to her decision to abort her senate campaign.

Caucus Room

LD24 Flashpoint: Phoebus Won't Primary Senator Oroho

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