Monmouth County Commissioner Sue Kiley will challenge Frank Pallone for Congress

Monmouth County Commissioner Sue Kiley plans to challenge U.S. Rep Frank Pallone, D-N.J., for his seat in Congress representing New Jersey's 6th District. 

Kiley, a Republican who is the deputy director on the county board, released a five-minute-long statement on YouTube Tuesday morning, in which she says she is running against Pallone "because I am terrified of the radical direction that he, Nancy Pelosi, Phil Murphy and Joe Biden are taking our country." 

Kiley, 67, of Hazlet, has been a county commissioner since 2019 and won reelection in November after serving on the Hazlet Township Committee since 2014. She was also a nurse before moving into health care sales and marketing. 

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Kiley said her key issues were the increasing prices for food, gas and other goods as well as the  pandemic and addiction crisis, and "illegal immigration unabated." Watch the video at the top of the page to see what Pallone has said about immigration.

Pallone, 70, of Long Branch has served in Congress since 1988 and was a state senator and a Long Branch councilman before that. 

Kiley accused Pallone of becoming a a "career congressman who has become a millionaire while in Washington for 34 years."

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The accusation comes less than a week after a New Jersey State Comptroller investigation found that Monmouth County commissioners, including Kiley, illegally raised their salaries and that of Monmouth County Sheriff and GOP Chairman Shaun Golden.

But before Kiley can face off against Pallone, she will have to contend with fellow GOP candidate Rik Mehta, who challenged U.S. Sen. Cory Booker in a losing bid in 2020. 

Mehta, 44, of Chester, announced last week that  he intends to move to the Iselin section of Woodbridge to run against Pallone. 

New Jersey's 6th Congressional District includes Monmouth County's Bayshore area and its oceanfront stretching down to Asbury Park, as well as much of Middlesex County.

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Susanne Cervenka covers Monmouth County government and property tax issues, winning several state and regional awards for her work. She's covered local government for 15 years, with stops in Ohio and Florida before arriving in New Jersey in 2013. Contact her at @scervenka; 732-643-4229; scervenka@gannettnj.com.