Singer, Kean and Thomson will seek re-election in 30th district

Three Republican lawmakers from the 30th legislative district announced today that they intend to seek re-election.

The decision by State Sen. Bob Singer (R-Lakewood) and Assemblymen Sean Kean (R-Wall) and Ned Thomson (R-Wall) was expected; there had been no discussion of retirements in this strongly Republican district.

“My running mates and I have given the 30th District a strong voice in Trenton,” Singer said.  “I look forward to our continued fight for affordability, conservative values, and common sense solutions on behalf of our constituents.”

Singer is the senior Republican in the New Jersey State Senate; he was elected in an October 1993 special election convention after the death of State Sen. John Dimon (R-Bordentown).

Kean won a special election convention in 2002 after the death of Assemblyman Thomas Smith (R-Asbury Park).  He moved to the Senate in 2007 after State Sen. Joseph Palaia (R-Ocean Township) retired and returned to the Assembly in 2011 after legislative redistricting moved his hometown to Singer’s district.  The placement of Singer and Kean into the same district cleared the way for then-Assemblyman Samuel Thompson (R-Old Bridge) to claim a Senate seat in a new district with no incumbent.

“Now, more than ever it is imperative that we stand up for fiscal responsibility, common sense government and family values. I want New Jersey to be a place where our children can grow up to find good jobs and prosper,” said Kean.  “We need to reverse the irresponsible policies that encourage our hard-working residents to leave this great state.”

Thomson won a 2017 special election convention after Assemblyman David Rible (R-Wall) resigned to become director of the state Alcoholic Beverage Control division.

“The last several years have been hard on everyone, but our offices have helped thousands of constituents through these challenging times,” Thomson stated.  Given the chance, we will continue to help our residents by tackling reckless government spending, rising crime, and the ridiculous policies being put forth by the current administration.”

Lakewood is the largest municipality in the 30th district; the remaining towns – Avon, Belmar, Farmingdale, Howell, Lake Como, and Wall – are in Monmouth County.  Singer was re-elected in 2021 with 71% of the vote; in his hometown of Lakewood, Singer won 84%, running 4,110 votes ahead of GOP gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli.

Kean, a Livingston native, is not related to former Gov. Tom Kean or Rep. Tom Kean, Jr. (R-Westfield).  He pronounces his name as Keen, while the former governor’s family is pronounced Kane.

When the Borough of Keansburg was named in 1884 to honor Rep. John Kean (R-Elizabeth), the uncle of the former governor’s grandfather, but the adoption of the wrong pronunciation of the Kean family name was a great disappointment to John Kean’s brother, former U.S. Senator Hamilton Fish Kean.