Erik Peterson

Erik C. Peterson (born March 8, 1966) is an American Republican Party politician who represents the 23rd Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly. Peterson, who previously served on the Hunterdon County Board of Chosen Freeholders, replaced Assemblyman Michael J. Doherty, who was elected to the New Jersey Senate. He was sworn in on December 7, 2009, to fill Doherty's vacant Assembly seat.

Early life Peterson was born and raised in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, where he graduated from Cherry Hill High School East. He attended North Carolina State University and earned a bachelor's degree in business management in 1988. In 1990, he moved in Hunterdon County to work for the Beneficial Management Corporation. Recruited for the Accelerated Management Program at that company, he eventually ran the New Jersey operations of Beneficial's mortgage banking subsidiary. He then attended Temple University School of Law, graduating in 1996. That same year he was admitted to the bar in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania. After practicing law at various firms from 1998 until 2004, Peterson now has his own law office in Readington Township, specializing in real estate law, estate law, and business law.

New Jersey Assemblyman Before being selected as Assemblyman in December 2009, Peterson ran in a special convention to replace Assemblywoman Marcia A. Karrow who had been appointed to the State Senate. In the first ballot taken of Republican committee persons of the 23rd district, Warren County Freeholder John DiMaio received 129 votes (short of a majority), Peterson 104, and fellow Hunterdon County Freeholder Matt Holt 56. In the second ballot, DiMaio defeated Peterson 153–141. In 2009, Republican Assemblyman Michael J. Doherty declined to seek re-election to his Assembly seat and instead challenged State Senator Marcia A. Karrow in the Republican primary for the special election in the 23rd district. Incumbent DiMaio, Peterson, and Doherty's chief of staff, Edward Smith, ran for the Republican nomination to the Assembly seats. DiMaio received the most votes in the June 2009 Republican primary election, 11,888 votes (34.2% of the total vote) while Peterson narrowly defeated Smith by 52 votes: 11,439–11,387 (33.0% to 32.8%). DiMaio and Peterson won easily in the heavily Republican 23rd district in November's general election. As Doherty was sworn in as State Senator on November 23, 2009, a convention of Republican county committee members gathered to name a successor for the vacancy. Peterson was selected by the county committee members on December 6, 2009, and sworn into office the following day.

Committees Committee assignments for the 2024—2025 Legislative Session are: Health Public Safety and Preparedness In addition to his committee assignments, Peterson also serves as the Deputy Minority Whip in the General Assembly.

District 23 Each of the 40 districts in the New Jersey Legislature has one representative in the New Jersey Senate and two members in the New Jersey General Assembly. The representatives from the 23rd District for the 2024—2025 Legislative Session are: Senator Doug Steinhardt (R) Assemblyman John DiMaio (R) Assemblyman Erik Peterson (R)

2022 U.S. House election In January 2022, Peterson announced he would seek the Republican nomination for the 7th congressional district in the 2022 election, seeking to challenge incumbent Democrat Tom Malinowski. Peterson received the endorsement of New Jersey Second Amendment Society, but was unable to win the party line in any county within the district. He lost the primary election coming in third place with 8,493 votes or 15.4%, with the winner, Tom Kean Jr. going on the defeat Malinowski in the general election.

Electoral history New Jersey Assembly

United States House of Representative

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