Assemblywoman From Burlington County Drops Out Of Race

There is an opening in this November’s 8th District Assembly race after one of the candidates announced she was dropping out on Wednesday.

Republican Assemblywoman Maria Rodriguez-Gregg, of Evesham Township, announced she won’t seek re-election in November, the Burlington County Times reports. The Burlington County Republican Committee is expected to announce a replacement for her seat and for the election next week.

She was running alongside Republican incumbent Joe Howarth in a five-person race for two open seats. Former Burlington County Freeholder Joanne Schwartz and Mary Ann Merlino are running for the Democrats, and Ryan T. Calhoun is running an independent campaign.

Rodriguez-Gregg said she chose not to run so she could focus on “what’s most important in my life right now,” but didn’t mention recent DWI charges she faces, according to The Observer. She was arrested following an accident on April 28 when police said they smelled marijuana in her car while investigating an accident in which she was rear-ended. She maintains her innocence, and the case is ongoing.

Rodriguez-Gregg was elected to her seat in 2013, the same year she graduated from Rutgers University-Camden with a degree in economics, according to her biography on the District 8 website. She is a dentist and has has held multiple leadership positions with the Civil Air Patrol, a Congressionally-created auxiliary to the United States Air Force. CAP is engaged in times of emergency, assisting in search and rescue missions, disaster relief and, most recently, was mobilized in emergency operations during Hurricane Sandy.

The 8th District covers parts of Burlington, Atlantic and Camden counties. Her district office is in Medford.

The attached image was posted on the New Jersey State Legislature’s website.