Trucking company executive Jerry Langer has decided not to seek the Republican nomination for Congress in New Jersey’s 11th district.
Langer had given serious consideration to entering the race since Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-Harding) announced his retirement in January. He says ultimately the timing was not right for him and his family, considering the short runway of the primary campaign.
His candidacy had been widely anticipated and he was expected to largely self-fund his campaign.
The owner of Jersey City-based Langer Transport, Langer served on former Gov. Chris Christie’s presidential campaign finance committee and played a key role in Kim Guadagno’s 2017 campaign for Governor of New Jersey. He helped organize Building a Better New Jersey, a non-profit formed in 2016 to help Guadagno’s statewide efforts.
Guadagno and Ocean County GOP Chairman George Gilmore were among those pushing Langer to run.
The early front-runner for the seat is Assemblyman Jay Webber (R-Morris Plains), a former Republican State Chairman. He won the endorsement of another potential candidate, Assemblyman Anthony M. Bucco (R-Boonton)
Last week, Anthony Ghee, a hedge fund manager and U.S. Army Reserve JAG major, entered the race with the endorsements of the Essex and Passaic Republican county chairmen.
Martin Hewitt, a Morris County attorney, is also seeking the nomination. Hewitt announced his candidacy last year in preparation for a primary challenge with Frelinghuysen.
Former Harding Mayor Nicolas Platt is still mulling a congressional bid.