Raritan Mayor Nicholas Carra has announced that he will seek a State Assembly seat in the 23rd legislative district, setting up a possible Republican primary with incumbent Erik Peterson (R-Franklin), Bridgewater Mayor Matt Moench, and Warren County Commissioner James Kern for the two lower house seats.
The Assembly seat is expected to open up if John DiMaio (R-Hackettstown) moves up to the Senate. The senator from the Hunterdon-Somerset-Warren districts, Douglas Steinhardt (R-Lopatcong), is expected to be President Donald Trump’s pick for U.S. Attorney.
“As a member of the next generation of Republican leaders, I am committed to returning power to the people. Politics in our state is broken, and the will of the people is too often ignored by career politicians. New Jersey, simply put, is unaffordable,” said Carra. “We need a conservative ready to fight for others, not themselves, on day one, and I am that candidate.”
Carra was elected to the Raritan Borough Council in 2016 and was elected mayor in 2023 by a 20-point margin. He is a former legislative aide to State Sen. Christopher Bateman (R-Branchburg).
“I understand the value of serving constituents and how to navigate in the weeds of government bureaucracy to achieve results,” he said. “I strongly feel we must expand support for local farming by preserving more farmland and open space to maintain our excellent quality of life in Warren, Hunterdon, and Somerset. We should also feel safe and secure in our neighborhoods too, which is why we need to take the handcuffs off our police officers and put them back on criminals.”
Carra had been mulling a primary challenge to DiMaio and Peterson.