Doug Steinhardt's charge is to unify the party after the lieutenant governor's primary campaign.
Fresh off a successful primary campaign, New Jersey's lieutenant governor is looking to a Warren County Republican leader to realign the party for the general election.
Kim Guadagno, the GOP gubernatorial nominee, on Friday endorsed Doug Steinhardt -- an attorney, former mayor from Lopatcong Township and current county Republican committee chairman -- to lead the Republican State Committee.
Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno is congratulated after her primary win. (Russ DeSantis | For NJ Advance Media) "Doug Steinhardt has been involved in the Republican Party at the grassroots level for decades," Guadagno said in a statement preceding a conference call with Republican county chairs Friday, according to a Politico report. "He has been a mayor as well as a successful county chairman in Warren County, and he is well respected by his fellow county chairs in other parts of the state. Doug has the experience, relationships and energy needed to lead the Republican State Committee and win races up and down the ballot."
The state committee is expected formally vote to make Steinhardt its leader on Tuesday, one week after Guadagno won the gubernatorial primary. She faces Democrat Phil Murphy, the former U.S. ambassador to Germany, in the Nov. 7 general election.
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Steinhardt -- a partner in the law firm of Florio, Perrucci, Steinhart & Fader, co-founded by Gov. Jim Florio, a Democrat -- on Friday said he was "humbled and flattered" by Guadagno's blessing. He said he has been in "constant contact" with the lieutenant governor through the primary and is focused on working with the other county chairmen to coordinate Guadagno's push for the governorship.
"One of the main priorities for me," he said, "is try to rebuilt the party from the ground up and try to be as inclusive as we can be."
Steinhardt said he plans to stay on as the Warren County Republican Committee chairman.
Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.