Longtime Republican leader and Ocean County Commissioner Virginia Haines has announced that she will not seek re-election, opening up a seat for Toms River askan Sam Ellenbogen to potentially enter a competitive race in the June Republican primary, as he has been considering.
“Initially, I was going to run for re-election, but after many conversations with family and friends, I have decided not to run,” Haines wrote in a letter to party leaders, as reported by the New Jersey Globe. “I will be finishing my tenth year on the board and have had the honor of serving the people of Ocean County in many capacities and have enjoyed every minute. I wish those who are now serving and those who will serve in the future the very best in representing Ocean County.”
Haines’ departure comes at a time of potential political shifts in Ocean County leadership. If County Commissioner Jack Kelly is appointed as interim county clerk—a possibility following the retirement of Scott Colabella—there could be two open seats up for grabs in this year’s election.
Haines has had a long and influential career in New Jersey politics. Before serving as a county commissioner, she was a state assemblywoman and later served as the executive director of the New Jersey Lottery under Governor Christine Todd Whitman. Her political roots trace back to the 1980s, when she worked as an aide to then-Assemblyman Bob Singer and later became Assembly Clerk.
In 1991, Haines won a seat in the New Jersey General Assembly, defeating incumbent Marlene Lynch Ford by a wide margin of over 14,000 votes. She resigned from the Assembly in 1994 after being tapped by Governor Whitman to head the state lottery.
Haines also held a role within the Republican National Committee, serving as New Jersey’s Republican National Committeewoman for two decades before stepping down in 2024. She first won that position in 2004, unseating longtime fundraiser Judith Stanley Coleman in a decisive 23-4 vote. Coleman’s defeat coincided with the ousting of her ally, Monmouth County GOP Chairman William Dowd, after an 18-year tenure.
Despite her longstanding role in Ocean County politics, Haines’ relationship with Republican power broker George Gilmore, the county GOP chairman and her former ally, has soured in recent years. Her decision not to run could further impact the already shifting dynamics within the local Republican Party.