Roy Wesley

Mercer County GOP Chairman Roy Wesley is leading a weekend push to get signatures on John Crowley’s nominating petitions.   In an e-mail to Republicans, Crowley said he was “looking for volunteers to help gather petition signatures for John Crowley for U.S. Senate.”  A group of petition canvassers are meeting at the offices of Jamestown Associates at 10AM this morning to begin circulating the Crowley petitions.

Mercer County Republicans voted to postpone the endorsement of a U.S. Senate candidate tonight and will wait and see if biotech millionaire John Crowley decides to enter the race.

“We have two new candidates, one from Mercer County,” said Mercer County GOP Chairman Roy Wesley. “So it’s almost like we have one of our own who we need to give some consideration to.”

Crowley, 39, was a Bristol-Myers Squibb executive eleven years ago when he found out his 15-month-old daughter and four-month-old son had a rare and fatal neuromuscular disease. He wound up leaving to head up a series of biotech firms and has raised a reported $200 million for research of genetic diseases. Harrison Ford is expected to play Crowley in a film about his life.

In an informal vote, taken by a show of hands, Mercer Republicans overwhelmingly supported deferring a formal endorsement in the Senate race, and authorized the party’s executive committee to award the organization line sometime before the April 7 filing deadline.

State Sen. Joseph Pennacchio and Ramapo College Professor Murray Sabrin attended the convention. A third candidate, millionaire businessman Andy Unanue, is vacationing in Vail.

The new Mercer County Republican Chairman is Roy Wesley, who was elected last night. He replaces Cathy Tramontana, who resigned in March.  Wesley, a West Windsor businessman whose wife is an aide to State Senator Peter Inverso, was the choice of party leaders over former State Senator Richard LaRossa.  Lacking the votes, LaRossa did not continue his candidacy at last night's County Committee meeting.