Two Republican assemblywomen from the 21st district, Nancy Muñoz (R-Summit) and Michele Matsikoudis (R-New Providence), announced today that they will seek re-election in 2025.
“We are proud of the work we’ve done to provide a strong, steady voice for common-sense
solutions in Trenton, and we’re committed to continuing to stand up for smaller government,
safer communities, and lower spending,” the two lawmakers said in a joint statement.
The first Democrat entered the race on Monday: Andrew Macurdy, a former prosecutor and counsel to two state attorneys general.
Except for a two-year period between 1990 and 1992, when a single Democrat won, the 21st district Assembly seats have been held by Republicans since they reclaimed the Watergate-lost seats in 1975. But Assembly races have gotten closer in the Union-Somerset-Middlesex-Morris district over the last few elections; Kamala Harris carried the 21st over Donald Trump by more than 17,000 votes and about fourteen percentage points last week.
Muñoz first went to the Assembly in 2009 after the unexpected death of her husband, Eric, a four-term assemblyman. When Tom Kean, Jr. (R-Westfield) chose to give up his State Senate seat in 2021 to focus on a congressional race the following year, Assembly Minority Leader Jon Bramnick (R-Westfield) ran for Senate and Matsikoudis, a New Providence councilwoman, won an Assembly seat.
Muñoz and Matsikoudis promised to “push back against extreme state policies that continue to make New Jersey far too expensive for families and businesses alike, and strive to secure a more affordable and sustainable future for our district.”