Former Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-Ringoes) is running for Hunterdon County Democratic Chairman.
The former two-term congressman and Assistant U.S. Secretary of State will seek to succeed Arlene Quinones Perez, who is not seeking re-election after eleven years as county chair.
Democratic State Committeewoman Karen Becker is already running for the post.
“Having watched our County party go through its triumphs and tribulations these last few years, I believe we need leadership that can unify, calm tensions, and return our focus to the only thing that matters, winning elections in November. Hunterdon County’s idealistic, hard-working grassroots, Democrats were the bedrock of my campaigns for Congress, and I will be eternally grateful for all you did to fuel our wins. You know what to do and how to do it,” said Malinowski. “We need a County party that will focus all its energies on supporting you as volunteers and as candidates so that we achieve our goal of better government at every level.
In announcing his bid, Malinowski said he was “convinced that we have an opportunity to win more local races in Hunterdon County, and to contribute even more votes to Democrats running in our all-important swing legislative and congressional districts, including to Sue Altman this year.”
“This will require a Democratic Party attuned to the needs of voters in rural areas and eager to forge partnerships with our disaffected Republican and unaffiliated neighbors. Hunterdon Democrats can also be leaders in redefining the mission of the post-county-line Democratic Party in New Jersey,” he said. “I feel strongly that part of that mission should be to invest more in the swing counties and districts that decide our majorities in Trenton and in Washington.”
Clinton Mayor Janice Kovach will run with Malinowski for vice chair; she had been considered a possible candidate to succeed Perez. Michele Liebtag will run for secretary and Michael Drulis for treasurer.
Malinowski toyed with a rematch against the Republican who narrowly unseated him in 2022, Rep. Thomas Kean, Jr. (R-Westfield), and considered a primary challenge against U.S. Senator Bob Menendez. He endorsed Rep. Andy Kim (D-Moorestown) in advance of a Hunterdon Democratic convention win against Tammy Murphy.
The last former congressman to run for county chairman was Kean’s grandfather, Robert W. Kean (R-Livingston). Robert Kean had spent twenty years in the House and lost a bid for a U.S. Senate seat in 1958. He became Essex County GOP Chairman in 1959 at a time when Essex was a swing county.
With Kean as county chairman, Republicans won seven of twelve Essex seats in the State Assembly, re-elected their sheriff, Neil Duffy, flipped the county surrogate post, and won three freeholder seats. But State Sen. Donal Fox (D-South Orange) was re-elected to a second term against a strong Republican candidate, Alfred Clapp (R-Montclair), a former state senator and county court judge. In 1960, with John F. Kennedy carrying Essex County by 50,000 votes, Democrats won three freeholder seats and the county clerk’s office.
In March, Malinowski wrote an Op-Ed for the New Jersey Globe outlining his views on the future of the Democratic Party in New Jersey.
This story was updated at 3:11 PM with comment from Malinowski.