John Crowley

MIDDLETOWN - Turbulence in the Republican Party caused state Sen. Joseph Kyrillos (R-Monmouth) to more than once consider running for U.S. Senate in this current primary cycle.

He had a number of openings.

Citing health concerns, millionaire Anne Evans Estabrook last month dropped out of the Republican primary, sending the GOP scrambling to find a replacement. The party first recruited millionaire businessman Andy Unanue, while simultaneously trying to recruit millionaire businessman John Crowley.

Despite being poised to enter the Republican Senate primary race for the second time in two weeks, Princeton biotech executive John Crowley once again withdrew his name from consideration today.

“John was deeply impressed with the outpouring of support for his potential candidacy for the US Senate. Many people both locally here in New Jersey and nationally had been encouraging him to run over the past week, but given his tremendous level of responsibility to his family, his company and to the US Navy, he’s decided not to enter the US Senate race this year,” said Crowley’s friend and advisor, Bill Spadea. “I know there was a lot of legitimate anticipation that John would enter this race we’ve been upfront with the many obligations he has, and his decision had to come down to his family.”

State Sen. Joe Pennacchio won Somerset County tonight, easily rolling over his only opponent, Andy Unanue, at the Somerset County convention.

Pennacchio won almost 80% of the vote, getting 247 votes to Unanue’s 51. 

Pennacchio already has the county line in Passaic, Bergen, Middlesex, Hunterdon and Salem Counties, along with hometown status in Morris County. 

Senate candidate Murray Sabrin plans to attend the Somerset County Republican convention tonight, but he may not be allowed to participate.

Republican Chairman Dale Florio told Sabrin spokesman George Ajjan that Sabrin is welcome to take part, but only if he pledges not to run an alternate slate of freeholder candidates.

The convention will formally endorse a U.S. Senate candidate, along with a Congressional candidate in the seventh district -- which is expected to be the real contest of the evening.

“They could not commit to me that they would not run a slate of candidates, so I advised them that they would be unable to participate in our screening process,” said Florio.

United States Senate candidate Joe Pennacchio wants to make it clear that, even if Princeton biotech executive John Crowley gets into the race, he’s sticking it out until the June 3rd primary.

“The only constant in this entire race, with the 15 or two dozen people who have been in and out and in again, is Joe Pennacchio and his campaign,” he said. “I will be there June 3rd, so I welcome everybody and a vigorous campaign based on issues.”

Although Republican sources said that some Pennacchio campaign staffers were giving thought to throwing in the towel at the prospect of a Crowley candidacy, those close to Pennacchio insist that he never considered it himself. Instead, he spent Sunday going door-to-door in Newark, Orange, East Orange and South Orange to shore up support in areas Republicans generally give up for lost.

Princeton biotech executive John Crowley, who had declined to run for Senate, is reconsidering and will make a decision soon, according to friend and advisor Bill Spadea.

“John is tremendously impressed by the outpouring of support and encouragement that has come from his colleagues, his friends and his family. People of all political beliefs have come forward to offer their good wishes for a potential U.S. Senate run, and they sense what a special opportunity a Crowley candidacy presents for the citizens for New Jersey,” said Spadea. “John and his family are considering this enormous well of support, and will be making a decision shortly.”

Through the various twists and turns of the Republican U.S. Senate race, so far there has only been one constant: Joe Pennacchio.

Over the summer, when Pennacchio announced that he was considering a run for the Senate seat, businesswoman Anne Estabrook and conservative Assemblyman Mike Doherty were also exploring the possibility. Since then, Estabrook and Doherty have dropped out, leading to a number of names floated and two new candidates: Goya heir Andrew Unanue and Ramapo College finance professor Murray Sabrin.

But Unanue, who was dubbed the favorite virtually the moment he stepped into the race last week, has suffered untold damage from several revelations about his personal life, business experience and residency. Meanwhile, Sabrin’s sometimes damaging attacks have stopped targeting Pennacchio in favor of Unanue. But Pennacchio has been shoring up his support from county organizations, while the controversy surrounding his 1991 writing called The Nationalist Agenda that emerged earlier this month has become yesterday’s news.

Pharmaceutical executive John Crowley would have been a formidable candidate, and many observers say he could have easily cleared the field. But his decision not to run this morning has left Pennacchio as, arguably, the man to beat in the June primary.

“I think Pennacchio is in the best position,” said Fairleigh Dickinson University pollster and political science professor Peter Woolley.

Princeton pharmaceutical executive John Crowley said this morning that he will not run for Senate, citing business, family and military commitments.

"I am honored and humbled that so many people in New Jersey and beyond have considered that I could be the next U.S. Senator from this great state of ours,” said a statement issued by Crowley, a 40-year-old naval reservist and President and CEO of Amicus Therapeutics.

“Given the very significant commitments that I have now to the shareholders and employees of Amicus Therapeutics, to the U.S. military and, most significantly, to my family, I must, however, respectfully decline this opportunity to serve as a candidate for U.S. Senate at this time.”

State Sen. Joe Pennacchio won the Middlesex County Republican convention today, getting 121 votes to rival Murray Sabrin’s 45.

Candidate Andy Unanue, who remains on vacation in Colorado, did not send a representative to participate in the convention. His name was not on the county committee’s ballots. Nor was John Crowley, who was vacationing out of the country until he returned yesterday and is expected to enter the race as early as Monday.

From left: Folsom Mayor Tom Ballistreri, Assemblyman John Amodeo (R-Atlantic) and Egg Harbor Township Mayor James McCullough.

GALLOWAY - Businessman Andy Unanue bested the field of GOP candidates for U.S. Senate at the Atlantic County Republican Convention here tonight, winning yet another line as part of an in absensia candidacy that is not even a week old.

Vacationing out of the state, Unanue beat state Sen. Joe Pennacchio and economist Murray Sabrin, who both spoke at the event held in the Renault Winery.