Republican Brian Bergen announced his campaign for the party’s Assembly nomination in the 25th District months ago.

Advanced planning, perhaps, is in sync with his military background. Bergen is a West Point graduate and a former Apache helicopter pilot in Iraq. (What is it about Morris County politics of late that attracts military helicopter pilots?)

At any rate, Bergen’s public campaign began in earnest Tuesday night with a fundraiser/rally  in Mountain Lakes.

“I can’t promise we will always agree,” said Bergen, now a Denville councilman. But seizing on what he learned in the Army, Bergen said he can promise that he will always listen to his constituents, keep them informed, be consistent in his views and be sensitive.

The race in District 25, which basically covers western Morris County plus Bernardsville in Somerset, is shaping up as an interesting one.

Democrats, who are emboldened after last year’s success on the congressional level, launched their campaign four months ago. The candidates are Lisa Bhimani and Darcy Draeger.

But let’s not get too far ahead. With incumbent Michael Patrick Carroll giving up his seat to run for Morris County surrogate, Republican primary voters will choose his replacement on the ballot among at the moment, Bergen, Aura Dunn and John Barbarula. This presumes that the district’s other Assemblyman, Anthony M. Bucco, will be renominated, a seemingly safe assumption.

Dunn, who filed her nominating petition this week in Trenton, said in a release afterwards that the state has been relying too much on “short-term revenue generation,” mentioning the legalization of online gambling and the possible legalization of marijuana. Dunn’s campaign got a boost Monday when she was endorsed by Bernardsville Republicans, giving her the “county line” on the Somerset County ballot.

That’s good for her, but it’s only one town and not a large one.

Bergen avoided deep dives into policy issues, but he did comment on a pending proposal to develop a marijuana farm in Boonton Township. The farm would grow pot for medicinal purposes. He said it’s definitely not O.K. for such a facility to be located in a residential area. In a brief conversation, Bergen also said he’s committed to working on issues to help veterans and small business owners.

Bergen is 39 and many of the 60 or so people at his fundraiser were in his age group, which skewed a bit younger than the usual GOP political gathering in Morris. Four freeholders were there – John Krickus, Stephen Shaw, Tom Mastrangelo and Doug Cabana.

One of the more seasoned political hands in attendance was Gene Feyl, a former freeholder and mayor of Denville. Feyl had warm praise for Bergen as a “fresh young face.”  Feyl said Bergen’s military background likely taught him both the range and limits of governmental. power. How that translates to the state Legislature may not be readily evident, but Feyl was not concerned.

“The rest he can learn,” he said.