State Sen. Declan O’Scanlon (R-Little Silver) is leaving the door open to challenging Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill in 2029, but said he will wait until after his own re-election campaign next year before deciding whether to seek the Republican gubernatorial nomination.
“The state is in desperate need of competent leadership,” O’Scanlon said. “It depends on the atmosphere and the opportunity. It may well be a time of aligning planets.”
O’Scanlon, 63, said the timing could be right for him in three years. His youngest child recently turned 21, he noted, and the businesses he owns are in excellent shape.
For now, the Monmouth County conservative said his priority is winning a third Senate term in the 13th legislative district in 2027.
“I’ve got a Senate race. Governor would come after that,” said O’Scanlon, who won re-election with 61% of the vote in 2023. “It’s appropriate that I devote my time and effort to my re-election.”
O’Scanlon was elected to the Senate in 2017 after serving a decade in the Assembly. Before entering the legislature, he served on the Little Silver Borough Council from 1994 to 2007.
As the ranking Republican on the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, O’Scanlon has built a reputation as one of the legislature’s leading fiscal voices. He has also managed a difficult balancing act in Trenton: forcefully attacking policies he opposes while maintaining strong relationships with colleagues on both sides of the aisle.
He would enter a potential gubernatorial contest with a geographic base in Monmouth County, which has the second-largest number of registered Republicans in New Jersey — but is also home to several other prospective statewide candidates.
As a legislator, O’Scanlon helped defeat Gov. Jon Corzine’s plan to monetize the Garden State Parkway and New Jersey Turnpike and led the fight against red-light cameras, which he viewed as unconstitutional and unsafe, according to Assemblyman Al Barlas (R-Cedar Grove). Barlas began his political career as an aide to O’Scanlon 18 years ago.
“If Declan decides to run, he’s immediately a formidable and top-tier candidate,” said Barlas, who is also the Essex County Republican chairman,
Micah Rasmussen, the director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University, said O’Scanlon could offer Republicans a credible challenger to Sherrill.
“As one of the legislature’s most thoughtful and not knee-jerk Republicans, O’Scanlon has the knowledge and constructive approach to hold Sherrill’s feet to the fire and make 2029 a real campaign of ideas about the state’s future,” he said. “And if a Democrat wins the White House in 2028, it should be a competitive race.”
Gail Gordon, a leading Republican fundraiser, also said O’Scanlon would be a strong gubernatorial contender.
“He’s smart, personable, he knows the budget inside and out, he has a sweet spot with Monmouth County, and provides outstanding constituent service,” said Gordon. “If he ran, he’d make a strong candidate.”
O’Scanlon said he might use his own money to finance an exploratory effort or the early stages of a campaign, but would not self-fund an entire statewide bid. He has demonstrated fundraising strength in previous campaigns.
The potential Republican field for 2029 also includes NJ 101.5 radio host Bill Spadea; State Sens. Michael Testa (R-Vineland), Doug Steinhardt (R-Lopatcong) and Holly Schepisi (R-River Vale); Assemblymen Mike Inganamort (R-Chester), Paul Kanitra (R-Point Pleasant Beach) and Greg Myhre (R-Stafford); Middletown Mayor Tony Perry, a candidate for Monmouth County commissioner this year; and Republican State Chair Christine Giordano Hanlon, the Monmouth County clerk.
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