U.S. Senate candidate Alex Zdan captured endorsements from the Cumberland and Salem Republican organizations today in his bid to challenge Democratic incumbent Cory Booker.
Zdan defeated Richard Tabor in Cumberland, 48-14, with 6 votes for Natalie Rivera and 3 votes for Justin Michael Muprhy.
In Salem, Zdan beat Murphy, 31=-21. Tabor did not participate in Salem.
Tabor, a state trooper and U.S. Army combat veteran, is facing questions from party leaders about his role in a wrongful death lawsuit, and an internal investigation into him by the State Police.
Today in Cumberland, Tabor told county committee members that the New Jersey Globe was working on a retraction of a story on the probe, two individuals in attendance said. A spokesman for the state police, Sgt. First Class Charles Marchan, said that Tabor is “currently under investigation.”
A former News 12 reporter, Zdan has secured GOP organization endorsements in Burlington, Cape May, Essex, and Passaic counties. Tabor has the backing of Republicans in Atlantic, Hudson, Hunterdon, and Union, while Murphy, a former Tabernacle deputy mayor, has secured party support in Camden, Gloucester and Mercer.
Another candidate in the race, Dr. Robert Lebovics, a physician from Englewood, has recently joined the race, but missed filing deadlines for many county Republican conventions.
Salem County Republicans renominated two incumbents to run for county commissioner: Ed Ramsey, who is seeking his second term, and Paul Collier, a former Lower Alloways Creek mayor who won a special election convention in January after Mickey Ostrum resigned to become Salem County Surrogate. They were unopposed.
Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-Dennis) was endorsed by Republican organizations in Cumberland and Salem this morning.
Editor’s note: The New Jersey Globe stands by its story that Tabor is under investigation by the New Jersey State Police, since that information came from an on-the-record statement by a State Police spokesman.
