Assemblyman Jay Webber will run for Rodney Frelinghuysen’s seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
A five-term legislator and former Republican State Chairman, Webber is the first major announced candidate in the competitive 11th district race. The 42-year-old Morris Plains resident is a Harvard Law School graduate and father of seven. He worked as an aide to Rep. Bill Martini (R-Clifton) in the 1990’s.
“The 2018 elections present our great nation and Republican Party with an important choice. We can give in to the angry intimidation of the far left who seek to ‘resist’ every idea that comes from someone who doesn’t share their outlier extremism,” said Webber. “Or we can stand up for the beliefs and principles that have served our country so well for so long and continue the progress we’ve made in the last year toward reviving our economy, creating more and better paying jobs, strengthening the rule of law, and restoring America’s security and standing in the world. I choose the latter.”
The race was turned upside-down on Monday when Frelinghuysen, a twelve-term incumbent, surprised GOP leaders with a sudden retirement announcement.
“Over the last several days, citizens across the 11th District and the country have urged me to step forward to represent our shared values. I accept that challenge, and taking on tough challenges is nothing new to me. I’ve led the fight on the Assembly floor against the Democrats’ reckless tax hikes,” Webber said. “I have been on the forefront of a bipartisan effort to improve our public schools by rewarding and encouraging good teachers, and making it easier to fire bad ones. And when the Democrats – and some in my own party – wanted to throw billions of tax dollars at the richest companies in the world instead of providing property tax relief for everyone, I said no.”