<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0a4WLj_1GuftxFz00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0a4WLj_1GuftxFz00" width="1280" height="853" ><figcaption>Warren Township Committeeman Daniel Croson. (Photo: Daniel Croson).</figcaption></figure>Warren Township Committeeman Daniel Croson announced today that he will seek the Republican nomination for State Assembly in the 21st legislative district, where Democrats captured both Assembly seats in 2025 and continued making significant electoral gains in last week’s midterm elections.Croson, a former deputy mayor and school board president, is seeking to unseat one of two first-term Democratic Assemblymen, Andrew Macurdy (D-Summit) and Vincent Kearney (D-Garwood), who defeated Republican incumbents Nancy Muñoz and Michele Matsikoudis last year.“New Jersey needs leaders who understand how decisions made in Trenton affect the lives of everyday people,” Croson said. “As a local elected official and former classroom teacher, I’ve seen firsthand how state policies can make it harder for towns to control costs, for teachers to do their jobs, and for young families to buy a home. We can do better.”Croson enters the race with endorsements from Republican municipal chairs in Warren, Watchung, Bernards, Bernardsville, Long Hill, Summit and Westfield, along with more than two dozen current and former local elected officials.His supporters include Warren Mayor Shaun Fine, Watchung Mayor Ron Jubin, Green Brook Mayor Jim Van Arsdale, Mountainside Mayor Paul Mirabelli, and outgoing Bernardsville Mayor Mary Jane Canose.Summit Republican Municipal Chairman Nick Curiale said Croson brings experience and a commitment to taxpayers.“Daniel brings a unique combination of experience, along with a demonstrated commitment to our residents and taxpayers,” Curiale said. “He understands the challenges facing our communities because he has worked on them firsthand.”Croson was appointed to the Warren Township Committee in January 2023 after Mick Marion resigned, but finished last in a four-candidate Republican primary that June. He made a comeback in 2024, finishing first in a four-candidate primary for two seats and winning the general election. His current term expires in 2027.He is the chief of staff of the Newark Opportunity Youth Network and previously worked as a classroom teacher, dean of students, and founding executive director of an education nonprofit.Croson also served as Carteret’s director of community development and became the youngest elected official in the borough’s history when he won a seat on the Board of Education at age 22. He later served as president of the Warren Township Board of Education.On the Township Committee, Croson championed an ordinance prohibiting data centers in Warren, citing concerns about energy costs, infrastructure, and environmental impacts.He has also advocated changes to the State Health Benefits Program, arguing that rising public employee health insurance costs are driving up property taxes, and supports revising New Jersey’s school funding formula to place greater emphasis on student outcomes and the needs of individual communities.“It’s time to put people ahead of politics,” Croson said. “Together we can strengthen public education, protect our environment from overdevelopment, and make New Jersey a more affordable place to live.”The 21st district is shaping up as a major battleground in 2027, with State Sen. Jon Bramnick (R-Westfield) facing a conservative primary challenge from Peapack-Gladstone Councilman Sweeney, who has criticized moderate Republicans and coined the term “Transpublican” to describe Republicans he considers insufficiently conservative.Bramnick, a former Assembly Minority Leader and an outspoken Republican critic of President Donald Trump, has represented the district in the Legislature since 2003.On the Democratic side, Union County Commissioner Kimberly Palmieri-Mouded has announced a Senate bid, while Macurdy is also considering entering the race.Democrats have made significant gains in the district, which includes portions of Union, Somerset, Morris and Middlesex counties.Kamala Harris carried the district over Trump in 2024, 55%-43%, and Gov. Mikie Sherrill won it by nearly 12,000 votes in 2025, defeating Republican Jack Ciattarelli, 55%-44%.The Democratic trend continued in last week’s midterm elections, when U.S. Sen. Cory Booker carried the district and Democratic congressional candidates collectively won by 23 percentage points.Bramnick has demonstrated crossover appeal, winning his Senate races in 2021 and 2023 by eight and seven percentage points, respectively. But his moderate brand of Republican politics has been less successful in GOP primaries; he finished third in the 2025 gubernatorial primary with about 6% of the vote.Croson, who lives in Warren with his husband and young son, is the first announced Republican Assembly candidate in the 21st. Matsikoudis has not said if she will run again.</div></body>

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Warren Township Committeeman Daniel Croson announced today that he will seek the Republican nomination for State Assembly in the 21st legislative district, where Democrats captured both Assembly seats in 2025 and continued making significant electoral gains in last week’s midterm elections. Croson, a former deputy mayor and school board...

Croson launches GOP Assembly bid in 21st district

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Warren Township Committeeman Daniel Croson announced today that he will seek the Republican nomination for State Assembly in the 21st legislative district,

Croson launches GOP Assembly bid in 21st district

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