Moriarty announces Senate bid with Madden’s endorsement

Assemblyman Paul Moriarty (D-Washington Township) today announced his bid for an open State Senate seat in the 4th district, where incumbent Fred Madden (D-Washington Township) is retiring after 20 years in office.

“Working every day to fight for South Jersey is something I take great pride in,” stated Moriarty, a nine-term lawmaker.  “We are facing an affordability crisis in our state; our residents, seniors, veterans, and small business owners need smart public policies that understand the challenges they encounter.  As political divisions run hot in our country and community, I will continue to be a consensus builder who will fight to make a difference and thwart divisive politics to get things done for you.”

Along with Moriarty’s announcement, six-term Assemblywoman Gabriela Mosquera (D-Gloucester Township) said today that she would not seek re-election.

“It has been such a privilege to represent South Jersey in the state legislature,” said the former staffer who won an Assembly in 2011 and again in 2012 after a judge voided the election over a residency issue.

Moriarty has Madden’s support to succeed him.

“I’m extremely honored to have served South Jersey as a State Senator from the 4th Legislative district and working closely with Assemblyman Moriarty, it is with great enthusiasm that I endorse his candidacy to serve as our next State Senator because he has the tenacity to put our residents first,” Madden said.

In a bid to hold the two open seats, South Jersey Democrats have picked Gloucester Township Councilman Dan Hutchison and Monroe school board member Cody Miller to run for the Assembly.

“Working with families in some of the most difficult times to find their way back from financial hardship and teaching young people about financial literacy drives me to make a difference for our South Jersey residents,” said Hutchison, a former Republican congressional candidate who switched parties in 2008. “These experiences have given me a unique vantage point about the importance of making New Jersey more affordable.  As families struggle with rising costs, higher taxes, and income not keeping pace, we need sound fiscal policies that support our small business owners, bolster our economy and create opportunities for success in South Jersey.”

A former Monroe councilman, Miller is the director of Foundation and Alumni Relations for Rowan College of South Jersey.

“It is essential that we must lower the cost of government, while making sure that residents get the highest quality of services they deserve and embrace policies to make our state more affordable,” noted Miller. “When you cut through the partisan divisions and focus on the needs of residents you can accomplish real progress. I’ve seen it first hand as we held the line on taxation at the Monroe Board of Education, while expanding pre-k, and made smart strategic investments to lower energy costs on consumers at town hall in Monroe. Together, we can do more with less and make South Jersey an even better place to call home.”

The candidacies of Moriarty, Hutchison, and Miller, and the retirement of Mosquera, were first reported by the New Jersey Globe yesterday.

The 4th district became decidedly more Republican in legislative redistricting, removing  Democratic strongholds like Lindenwold and adding one of the few Republican towns in Camden County, Waterford.

Under the old map, Gov. Phil Murphy carried the 4th district two years ago by two percentage points, but the towns in the new map gave GOP gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli a five-point win.   In the 2020 presidential election, Joe Biden won the new 4th district by seven points.

Under these new lines, Democratic Senate candidates in 2021 combined for 50.6% of the vote to 49.4% for Republicans – a margin of just about a thousand votes.  That came despite the state GOP offering no help to Pakradooni.

Following nearly two decades as a high-profile consumer investigative reporter for a CBS network affiliate in Philadelphia, KYW-TV channel 3, Moriarty entered politics in 2004 as a successful candidate for mayor of Washington Township, the largest swing town in Gloucester County.  He was elected to the State Assembly in 2005 after Democrat Robert Smith (D-Washington) decided not to seek a fourth term.

Moriarty will face the winner of a Republican primary between Gloucester County Commissioner Nick DeSilvio and former Washington Township Councilman Christopher DelBorrello.

For the Assembly, DeSilvio has teamed up with Michael Clark, a 24-year-old businessman and athletic director of the Solid Rock Christian School in Berlin, and Denise Gonzalez, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and also a member of IBEW Local 351; she ran against Moriarty and Mosquera in 2021 and lost by roughly 4,000 votes.

DelBorrello is running with former Buena Council President Matthew Walker and newcomer Lisa Rayca of Sewell.

Miller, 33, was a Monroe councilman from 2015 to 2020 and was elected to the school board in 2022.  He served on the Rowan Board of Trustees until taking a full-time job heading their foundation.

The 55-year-old Hutchison started as a Republican, winning 25% of the vote in a bid to unseat Rep. Rob Andrews (D-Haddon Height) in 2004.  He was elected to the Gloucester Township Council in a 2006 non-partisan municipal election; after the township changed to partisan elections, Hutchison switched parties and has been re-elected four times as a Democrat.