Dick LaRossa

LaRossa left the lottery in 1991 to challenge incumbent Senator Gerald R. Stockman. He won by a narrow 50.9%-49.1% margin to become the first Republican state senator to represent Trenton since 1946.[1] LaRossa's victory came in a good year for New Jersey Republicans as they won both houses of the legislature easily.

LaRossa faced Stockman for a second time in 1993, as per the state constitution, with the incumbent receiving endorsements from the AFL-CIO, locals of the Communications Workers of America and the New Jersey State Patrolmen's Benevolent Association.[3] LaRossa won reelection, this time by a margin of 52.3% to 47.7%, in a year that saw the Republicans not only retain their legislative majority but also win the gubernatorial election for the first time since 1985.[4] LaRossa served in the Senate as Chair of the Urban Policy and Planning Committee and as a member of the Budget and Appropriations Committee.[2]

Running for a third term in 1997, LaRossa was defeated by Democrat Shirley Turner. Although the Republicans managed to keep control of the legislature and the governorship, LaRossa was one of two Republican Senators to fall to defeat; John Scott in District 36 was the other.[5] In the loss to Turner, LaRossa received 46.1% of the votes to Turner's 53.9%.

In the 1996 New Jersey Republican primary for U.S. Senate, LaRossa came in third with 12%, behind three-term Congressman Dick Zimmer who had 68% of the vote and Passaic County Freeholder Richard DuHaime with 19%. Zimmer was the front-runner from the start, getting endorsements from Republican leaders across the state, including Gov. Christine Todd Whitman. Both DuHaime, a pro-life candidate, and LaRossa, a pro-gun candidate, attempted to portray Zimmer as too liberal, but Zimmer largely ignored his opponents and won the primary.[6]

Throughout 2010 and 2011, LaRossa advocated against the policies of the Obama administration. He was sympathetic to the Tea Party Movement. LaRossa gave opening remarks at a Tea Party convention titled "The Battle of Trenton" in 2011, named for the battle during the American Revolutionary War. LaRossa was a keynote speaker for the New Jersey Constitution Party at their annual New Jersey's Constitution Day celebration. During these events, LaRossa reaffirmed his stances against the Obama administration's policies and advocated for candidates and voters to be pragmatic regarding holding public servants accountable. Themes of accountability and fiscal responsibility were common in his appearances.[7][8]

In 2018, LaRossa sought one of two seats on Ewing Township Council as an Independent, on a slate with Kate McKinley for council and Ronald Prykanowski for mayor. They challenged the incumbent Democratic mayor Bert Steinmann and councilmembers Kathleen Wollert and Sara Steward.[9] LaRossa finished in fourth, receiving 11.33% percent of the vote.[10]

In 2021, LaRossa sought the Republican nomination for Mercer County Surrogate. LaRossa ran on a slate with four others titled "Mercer Republicans United", a name which attempted to highlight the existing fractures within the Mercer County Republican Party. The slate included Jennifer Williams for Republican State Committeeperson, who was later elected to Trenton City Council in the North Ward in 2022. Along with LaRossa and Williams, Joseph Stillwell, Michel Hurtado, and Volodymyr "Vlad" Machevus (Ukrainian: Володимир Мачевус) ran for the Mercer County Board of County Commissioners. The campaign portrayed LaRossa as a moderate elder statesman, and the slate claimed their focus was to "form a team of candidates who are committed to winning, building the Republican Party, and reaching out to every voter – no matter where they live". The slate also advocated for promoting government accountability, fiscal transparency, attracting business, and fighting to protect the environment. Mercer Republicans United and their campaign became a watched primary for New Jersey Republicans across the state. Their race was known for creating a viable alternative option for Mercer Republicans and their slate was viewed with heavy notoriety. The race was also important to the 2021 New Jersey Gubernatorial Primary Election due to their placement on the Mercer County ballot line with gubernatorial candidate Phil Rizzo in column C. This placement disgruntled the members of Mercer Republicans United due to comments made by Rizzo that had Anti-Catholic undertones. Phil Rizzo, a Baptist pastor and GOP gubernatorial candidate, once said of Catholics: “I don’t know if these people have ever heard the Gospel. Not only are they in bondage to their sin, but they’re in bondage to religion."[11] Williams, LaRossa, Stillwell, and Hurtado are Roman Catholic, while Volodymyr Machevus is a Ukrainian Greek Catholic. Their slate carried support for Phil Rizzo in Mercer, who ended up placing second in the primary ahead of well-funded candidate Hirsh Singh and behind winner Jack Ciattarelli. He placed second in the Republican primary election, receiving 45.6% of the vote against Douglas Miles. [12]