Joint statement from former New Jersey State Senator Diane Allen, Kathy Hugin, Laura Overdeck, Candy Straight, and Stacy Schuster in response to reports that current CD-2 candidate David Richter is considering relocating to CD-3 to oppose candidate Kate Gibbs.

As women who are deeply committed to electing more women to office in here in New Jersey, we feel compelled to comment on the ongoing situation in New Jersey’s 3rd Congressional District.The historic lack of support for women seeking office at all levels has resulted in a lack of diversity among Republican candidates and officeholders in the party. Fortunately, we’re beginning to see a reversal of that trend. That’s why we were thrilled to see Kate Gibbs step up to run for Congress this year.

A committed public servant with a solid track record, Kate is a strong candidate who can win and a proven leader who will make a great Representative.

Kate was the first person in her family to graduate from college and has gone on to become a statewide leader in the building trades. One of the youngest women ever elected to countywide office, Kate cut taxes and enacted policies to make communities safer and guarantee equal pay for equal work. She is exactly the kind of candidate who can win the suburban women voters who have been abandoned by both parties. And she is the kind of role model we need to recruit future female candidates.

We were disappointed to learn that congressional candidate David Richter, currently running in a neighboring Congressional district, is considering relocating for a second time this cycle – which will result in him running against Kate Gibbs.

Kate is the strongest candidate in the race. She raised $143k in just 5 weeks, has been named to the NRCC Young Guns List, and received the endorsement of the Republican Main Street Partnership and View PAC. She will remain such regardless of whether Richter enters the race or not.

As individuals, outside of our affiliation with WSNJ, we are committed to supporting Kate Gibbs. We will ensure that she has the strong financial support necessary to get her message out in the primary and general election.

Diane Allen is a former New Jersey State Senator and the founder of runWOMENserve, an organization created to help boost the number of women serving in the State Legislature. Kathy Hugin, Laura Overdeck, Candy Straight, and Stacy Schuster are founding members of Women for a Stronger New Jersey (WSNJ), an organization working to grow the number of Republican women in elected office at the state and local level in New Jersey.