Saying he wished he had more time to grieve, Bucco announces Senate bid

Assemblyman Anthony M. Bucco (R-Boonton) today announced his candidacy for State Senate, saying he wants to succeed his late father.

“As I am sure everyone understands, this has been a very difficult week for my mother, for me and my children. Obviously, the last thing I really wanted to think about is politics,” Bucco said in a statement released today.  “Unfortunately, the laws do not give me and my family the benefit of time, and the residents of the 25th district deserve representation in Trenton quickly.”

The New Jersey Globe first reported yesterday that Bucco would be a candidate for Senate in an October 15 special election convention.

Bucco’s statement does not reference his intention to remain on the ballot as a candidate for re-election to the Assembly this fall, a move that has attracted considerable criticism from Democrats.

Multiple sources with direct knowledge of Bucco’s plans confirmed his intention to remain in the race.

Vote-by-mail ballots have already gone out and some votes have already been cast in the Assembly race.

Republicans don’t expect Bucco to have any opposition for the Senate, although some sources say that Wharton Mayor Bill Chegwidden, a former freeholder who challenged State Sen. Anthony R. Bucco (R-Boonton) in the 2011 primary, could run.

If Bucco wins re-election to the Assembly, he is expected to not accept the seat and trigger a special election for a January special election convention so Republican insiders can pick his replacement.

Either way, Bucco will be on the ballot again in 2020, when voters will determine who fills the last fourteen months of his late father’s term.