Even though he’s been relegated to more of a back-bench role, Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D-Passaic) said Thursday that he intends to run for re-election in 2019.
“For the Assembly? That’s my intention,” Schaer said, referring to a re-election run. “I think that the city of Passaic, and I think the entire 36th district, has benefited from my presence and from my involvement.”
Schaer, previously the chairman of the Assembly Budget Committee, lost that position – and likely his chance at being Assembly Speaker – after he backed former Speaker Vincent Prieto to reprise the role. Prieto later left the General Assembly to serve as President and CEO of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority.
Speaker Craig Coughlin ended up winning the race to lead the General Assembly.
But, those blows haven’t made Schaer want to leave the legislature’s lower body, and he doesn’t think that his district needs more new blood than freshman Assemblyman Clinton Calabrese (D-Cliffside Park), the youngest member of the state Assembly, provides.
“I would argue that between us, we represent experience as well as newness,” Schaer said. “I think that those two things working together are positive for the people whom we represent. I will have served over a decade in the assembly. There are many of colleagues who have been here for over twice as long.”