Arlene Quinones Perez will not seek re-election as the Hunterdon County Democratic chair, setting up a contest to replace her in a red county that is inching toward being politically competitive in general elections.
“The last decade has allowed us to grow and strengthen as an organization, and I want to express my heartfelt thanks to all of you who have supported me and worked alongside me during my time as chair,” she said in an email to county committee members. “I have always strived to work in the best interests of our constituents, and we have always worked with the sole goal of electing Democrats to office.”
She said that Democrats picked up fifty local government seats in Hunterdon during her tenure as chair.
Perez, a partner at the politically influential DeCotiis law firm, is a former Clinton councilwoman who worked for the governor and attorney general.
While Democrats have not won a countywide race in decades, Joe Biden won 47% there in 2020, and Assemblywoman Mitchelle Drulis (D-Raritan) last year became the first Democratic legislator from Hunterdon in 42 years.