Holzapfel says he’s running again, but some Ocean Republicans still uncertain

State Sen. James Holzapfel (R-Toms River) turns 83 a month before the 2027 general election, and if he wins, he’ll be 87 when a new four-year term ends.

With a national debate brewing over retirement ages – former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel recently proposed a mandatory retirement age of 75 for Presidents, Supreme Court Justices, and members of the Senate and House – there is a growing viewpoint that Members of Congress should not remain in office past an age where they can still effectively represent their constituents.

“He is 100% running for re-election,” said Glen Feldman, the chief of staff to Holzapfel and the 10th district legislative office.

Even with his declaration, some Republican insiders say it wouldn’t shock them if Holzapfel changes his mind and retires.

Holzapfel served as the Ocean County Prosecutor from 1987 to 1992, and won a special election for State Assembly in 1994; he moved up to the Senate in 2011.  By the next election, he will have spent nearly 33 years in Trenton – 82% of his time as a member of the minority party.

Ocean County Republican Chairman George Gilmore, a close Holzapfel ally, helped push State Sen. Sam Thompson (R-Old Bridge) into retirement in 2023 because he was about to turn 88.

If Holzapfel retires, possible candidates include Assemblymen Greg McGuckin (R-Toms River) and Paul Kanitra (R-Point Pleasant Beach), Ocean County Commissioner (and potential self-funder) Frank Sadeghi, and Toms River Mayor Daniel Rodrick.   But if Holzapfel decides to go for another term, Sadeghi could jump to the top of the challenger list.

Someone could choose to leapfrog over Holzapfel and challenge him in the primary while the more conventional candidates stand by and watch.  Either way, the new electoral calendar is complicated: vote-by-mail ballots go out in April 2027, so legislative candidates who aren’t self-funding may need to get in the race by Labor Day 2026 to get a full fundraising quarter to pay for early voter communications.

Holzapfel has never faced a Senate primary in a solidly Republican Ocean-Monmouth district that Jack Ciattrelli won last year by 24 percentage points, but Holzapfel’s war chest is a disappointing $27,000, and he can no longer rely on the line to carry him.

The Ocean Republican endorsement doesn’t carry the kind of impact it did when the line offered a preferential ballot position.  Last year, Bill Spadea won the Ocean GOP convention with 61% of the vote, but in the primary, Jack Ciattarelli beat Spadea in Ocean by 27,482 votes, a margin of 68%-28%.

A Pew Research Center poll conducted during Joe Biden’s third year in office reported that 79% of Americans favor maximum age limits for elected officials in Washington, D.C.

The 10th legislative district includes Bay Head, Brick, Brielle, Island Heights, Lavallette, Manasquan, Mantoloking, Point Pleasant, Point Pleasant Beach, Sea Girt, Seaside Heights, Seaside Park, South Toms River, Spring Lake, Spring Lake Heights, Toms River