Greenstein and Inverso
Benson, Cook, DeAngelo and Haas
Governor
Republican incumbent Chris Christie, 51, has served as governor since January 2010. He earned his first elected office in 1994, serving as a freeholder in Morris County from 1995-98. President George W. Bush appointed Christie United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey in 2002, and he held the job until his election as governor in 2008.
Running mate Kim Guadagno, 54, is the incumbent Lieutenant Governor. She previously was the sheriff of Monmouth County.
Democratic challenger Barbara Buono, 60, is the former Majority leader of the New Jersey Senate. She has served in the State Senate since 2002, where she represents the 18th Legislative District. Before entering the Senate, Buono served in the General Assembly from 1994 to 2002.
Buono’s running mate, Milly Silva, 42, is the N.J. executive vice president for Service Employees International Union No. 1199.
State Senate
Republican Peter A. Inverso, 74, previously served in the New Jersey State Senate from 1998 to 2008. He served as Assistant Majority Leader from 1998 to 2001 and Deputy Minority Leader from 2004 to 2008. He was twice elected to the Mercer County Board of Chosen Freeholders: 1981-1983 and 1987-1989. Inverso, a Hamilton resident, announced his retirement from his position as president and CEO of Roma Bank earlier this year. He is a Rider University graduate.
Democrat Linda R. Greenstein of Plainsboro is the incumbent and has been the state senate’s Assistant Majority Leader since 2012. She earned an A.B. in psychology from Vassar College, an M.A. in psychology from Johns Hopkins University and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. Greenstein first served on the West Windsor-Plainsboro Board of Education from 1992 to 1994 before spending five years on the Plainsboro Township Committee, 1995-2000. Greenstein, 63, was a member of the General Assembly from 2000 to 2010. During her tenure she served as Assistant Majority Leader from 2002 to 2005 and as Deputy Speaker from 2006 to 2010.
Don DeZarn is a Libertarian from East Windsor. He is an Army veteran and is a 17-year employee at Princeton University, currently working as a senior operations manager. DeZarn previously served as chief of the East Windsor Rescue Squad, District II.
State Assembly
Daniel R. Benson, a Democrat, was selected as an assemblyman in 2011 and was elected to a full term later that year. He is currently the Vice Chair of the Assembly Health and Senior Services Committee and is a member of the Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee. Benson, a Hamilton resident, served as a councilman from 2002 to 2005 and as Council President for two years. He was also on the Mercer County Board of Chosen Freeholders from 2008 to 2011. He is 37 years old and graduated with a B.S. in physics and government from Georgetown University and an M.P.P in science and technology policy from the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University.
Steve Cook, a 45-year-old Republican from Hamilton, is currently the Executive Director of Arc Mercer. He previously served as Peter Inverso’s Chief of Staff during Inverso’s stint as state senator and is a former New Jersey Department of Transportation employee. At NJDOT, Cook established and chaired the Employee Memorial Committee. He founded the Homeless Veterans Relief Fund in 1998 and is a founding member of the Mercer Alliance to End Homelessness. Cook is a Valley Forge Military Academy and College graduate.
Democrat Wayne P. DeAngelo’s first public service experience came as a member of the Hamilton Township Zoning Board from 2000 to 2001. He served as councilman from 2002 to 2005 and was a Planning Board member from 2006 to 2007. DeAngelo, 47, has also been on the New Jersey Council on Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs since 2012. DeAngelo, a Hamilton resident, has served in the General Assembly since 2008 and has been the Deputy Speaker Pro Tempore since 2010.
Republican Ron Haas is the CEO of Haas Pharmaceuticals, located in East Windsor. Haas, a Monroe resident, holds 10 patents and has previously lived in Colorado, Louisiana and Pennsylvania.
Libertarian Sean O’Connor was born and raised in New Jersey and is currently a Hightstown resident. He has attended Mercer County Community College, Kean University and Florida Gulf Coast University, though he did not graduate. O’Connor is a self-published author and a McCaffrey’s employee.
Board of Chosen Freeholders
Anthony P. Carabelli, a Democrat from Trenton, has been a freeholder since 1981. He was a City of Trenton councilman from 1970-82. Carabelli received a B.S. in social science from Georgetown University, where he also attended law school. He earned an M.S. in public administration from Rider College and retired from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs in 2000 after 31 years.
Republican Ron Cefalone is a Hopewell resident and owner of CG Sports, a Pennington sporting goods store. He attended Ewing High School and is a Thomas Edison State College graduate. Prior to 2011, he served as a Mercer County political aide.
Republican Paul Hummel, 33, is a native of Hightstown. He attended Hightstown High School and received an accounting and management degree from Mercer County Community College. He currently works at Ascensus as a corrections specialist and as a realtor for Action USA Jay Robert Realtors. Hummel is also a Mercer County GOP committeeman.
Democrat Andrew Koontz is a Princeton resident and current freeholder. He served on the Princeton Borough Council from 2003-10. He graduated from New York University with a B.F.A. and is currently a film and television teacher at Hightstown High School. Koontz is also the president of the Princeton Parks Alliance.
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