Former Hightstown councilwoman joins Republican ticket in LD14

Skye Gilmartin, a former GOP Hightstown councilwoman and cardiovascular technologist, will run for State Assembly this year in the 14th legislative district, giving Republicans their final candidate in an uphill battle to flip the Democratic-leaning Central Jersey seat.

“The Republican Party is highly motivated right now. LD14 is in contention,” Gilmartin told the New Jersey Globe. “The voters are hungry for change right now. They’re ready for change on a state level and on a local level, and we’re poised to be part of that.”

Gilmartin, who was appointed to her borough council seat in 2010 but lost re-election in 2011, will join a Republican ticket that also includes Senate candidate Patricia Johnson and Assembly candidate Adam Elias. While the three are running as a slate and have received encouragement from Republican legislative leaders, Gilmartin said there’s a possibility of Assembly challengers emerging at the upcoming Mercer and Middlesex GOP conventions.

In the general election, they’ll face State Sen. Linda Greenstein (D-Plainsboro), Assemblyman Wayne DeAngelo (D-Hamilton) and a third candidate whose identity has yet to be determined; two candidates, Rick Carabelli and Tennille McCoy, are fighting for the Democratic line to succeed Assemblyman Dan Benson (D-Hamilton).

Gilmartin said that the issues motivating her candidacy are property taxes, education, crime, and election integrity, the latter of which she said is particularly relevant in Mercer County following last year’s voting machine snafu.

“After what happened in November, I think election integrity, right now, is our number one issue,” she said. “We want to be able to give people faith that the system is trustworthy and that their vote truly is going to count.”

The 14th district isn’t seen as one of this year’s top races, in part because of the strength of its incumbents and in part because of its partisanship. While the suburbs of Trenton were once highly competitive, they’re more firmly in the Democratic column now, and the 14th district overall backed Gov. Phil Murphy by more than nine points in 2021.

But Republicans are hoping to make serious plays in Democratic-leaning districts this year, and the 14th district is near the top of the list if the party has a very good night in November.