Longtime Ocean County Republican leader Virginia Haines will not seek re-election as an Ocean County Commissioner, setting up an open seat race in the June Republican primary.
“Initially, I was going to run for re-election, but after many conversations with family and friends, I have decided not to run. I will be finishing my tenth year on the board, and have had the honor of serving the people of Ocean County in many capacities and have enjoyed every minute,” Haines said in a letter to party leaders. “I wish those who are now serving and those who will serve in the future the very best in representing Ocean County.”
There could be two open seats this year if County Commissioner Jack Kelly is appointed interim county clerk. Scott Colabella retired at the end of last year.
A former assemblywoman and state lottery director, Haines has served as an Ocean County Commissioner since 2016; she is on the outs with her own ex-ally, George Gilmore, the GOP county chairman.
After serving as an aide to then-Assemblyman Bob Singer (R-Lakewood) and as Assembly Clerk in the 1980s, Haines rode the 1991 anti-Florio GOP wave to a State Assembly seat, ousting incumbent Marlene Lynch Ford (D-Point Pleasant) by over 14,000 votes. She resigned in 1994 after Gov. Christine Todd Whitman put her in charge of the state lottery.
Haines stepped down from her post as Republican National Committeewoman in 2024 after twenty years in office. She was elected in 2004, ousting Judith Stanley Coleman, a ten-year incumbent and longtime Republican fundraiser. Haines was elected by a 23-4 votes; Coleman’s loss followed the defeat of a key ally, Monmouth County GOP Chairman William Dowd after eighteen years in office.