Representative Leonard Lance

Leonard John Lance (born June 25, 1952) is an American politician and attorney who served as the U.S. Representative for New Jersey’s 7th congressional district from January 3, 2009, to January 3, 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he represented his central New Jersey district for five terms in the United States House of Representatives, contributing to the legislative process during a significant period in American history. He previously served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1991 to 2002 and in the New Jersey Senate from 2002 to 2009, where he rose to the position of Senate Minority Leader.

Lance was born in Easton, Pennsylvania, into a politically active New Jersey family. His parents were Anne M. (née Anderson) and Wesley Leonard Lance, a Republican who served in the New Jersey Legislature and was a State Senator. His great-uncle, H. Kiefer Lance, was also active in New Jersey politics, giving Leonard Lance early exposure to public service and state government. He was raised in New Jersey and attended North Hunterdon High School in Annandale, New Jersey, before pursuing higher education.

Lance received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in 1974. He went on to earn a Juris Doctor from Vanderbilt University Law School in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1977. After law school, he returned to New Jersey and served as a law clerk to the Warren County Court from 1977 to 1978, gaining practical legal experience in the state court system. Seeking further training in public policy and administration, he completed a Master of Public Administration at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University in 1982, solidifying his credentials as both an attorney and public administrator.

During the 1980s, Lance combined legal work with service in state government. From 1983 to 1990, he served as assistant counsel for county and municipal matters to Governor Thomas Kean of New Jersey, advising on issues affecting local governments across the state. He was later appointed by Governor Christine Todd Whitman as a member of the New Jersey Council on the Humanities, reflecting his interest in civic life and public culture. His first bid for elective office came in 1987, when he ran in the Republican primary for the New Jersey General Assembly in the 23rd Legislative District; he finished third with 17 percent of the vote and did not win the nomination.

Lance entered the New Jersey Legislature in 1991. In February of that year, he was appointed to the New Jersey General Assembly when Assemblyman William E. Schluter moved to the New Jersey Senate following the elevation of Senator Dick Zimmer to the U.S. House of Representatives. After redistricting later in 1991, Lance ran for a full term in the newly drawn 23rd District. He won the Republican primary and, in the general election, secured a seat by finishing second with 30 percent of the vote, while incumbent Republican Assemblyman Chuck Haytaian finished first with 33 percent. Lance was subsequently re-elected to the Assembly four times: in 1993 with 40 percent of the vote, in 1995 with 34 percent, in 1997 with 30 percent, and in 1999 with 36 percent, serving a total of 11 years in the General Assembly from 1991 to 2002. In 1996, while still an Assemblyman, he sought the Republican nomination for New Jersey’s 12th congressional district to succeed retiring Representative Dick Zimmer, but he finished third in the primary behind Franklin Township Mayor Michael Pappas and State Senator John O. Bennett III; Pappas went on to win the general election.

After a decade in the Assembly, Lance successfully ran for the New Jersey Senate in the 23rd District following another round of redistricting. In the 2001 election, he defeated Democrat Frederick P. Cook by a margin of 69 percent to 31 percent. He was re-elected to the State Senate in 2003 with 68 percent of the vote and again in 2007 with 67 percent. From 2004 to 2008, he served as Senate Minority Leader, becoming the leading Republican in the upper chamber and playing a central role in shaping his party’s legislative strategy. In total, he served seven years in the New Jersey Senate, from 2002 until his election to Congress in 2008.

Lance’s successful bid for Congress came in 2008, when he ran in New Jersey’s 7th congressional district, which then included his residence in Clinton Township. The incumbent Republican, Representative Mike Ferguson, was retiring after four terms. In a crowded Republican primary that included former Summit Council President Kelly Hatfield, Scotch Plains Mayor Martin Marks, and Kate Whitman, daughter of former Governor Christine Todd Whitman, Lance won the nomination on June 3, 2008, with 40 percent of the vote. In the general election, he faced Democratic State Assemblywoman Linda Stender of Scotch Plains, who had narrowly lost to Ferguson in 2006, as well as three independent and third-party candidates. The Cook Political Report rated the race a “toss up,” and The New York Times endorsed Lance. On November 4, 2008, he defeated Stender by a margin of 51 percent to 41 percent. In that election cycle, he was one of only three non-incumbent Republicans—along with Erik Paulsen of Minnesota and Joseph Cao of Louisiana—to win a House seat in a district carried by Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. During the 2008 presidential primaries, Lance supported former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and later endorsed the Republican nominee, Senator John McCain.

As a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 2009 to 2019, Lance represented New Jersey’s 7th congressional district during a period marked by the Great Recession, the enactment and subsequent debates over the Affordable Care Act, and shifting partisan control of Congress. He participated in the democratic process on behalf of his constituents and served five consecutive terms. In 2010, he faced a Republican primary challenge from businessman David Larsen of Oldwick, IT consultant Alonzo Hosford of Milford, and real estate appraiser Bruce Baker of Westfield; Lance prevailed with 56 percent of the vote, ahead of Larsen with 31 percent, Hosford with 8 percent, and Baker with 5 percent. In the general election that year, which was not considered highly competitive, he defeated Democratic nominee Ed Potosnak, an educator, by a margin of 59 percent to 41 percent. Following redistricting after the 2010 Census, his district became more Republican-leaning, losing Democratic-leaning areas of Middlesex County and gaining more conservative territory in Morris and Warren Counties, while also absorbing all of Hunterdon County and regaining Millburn in Essex County. In the 2012 Republican primary, he was again challenged by David Larsen and defeated him 61 percent to 39 percent, later winning the general election against Democratic State Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula by 57 percent to 40 percent. During the 2012 Republican presidential primaries, Lance endorsed Mitt Romney.

Lance continued to secure re-election in subsequent cycles while repeatedly facing primary challenges. In 2014, he was challenged for the Republican nomination by David Larsen for a third time and defeated him 54 percent to 46 percent. He then won the general election against Janice Kovachs, mayor of the Town of Clinton, by a margin of 59 percent to 39 percent. In 2016, Larsen challenged him for a fourth time in the Republican primary, joined by businessman Craig Heard of Roxbury; Lance won with 54 percent of the vote, while Larsen received 33 percent and Heard 13 percent. In the 2016 general election, he faced Democrat Peter Jacob, a social worker who was one of 27 congressional candidates endorsed by presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. Lance defeated Jacob 54 percent to 43 percent, securing his fifth term in Congress.

In 2018, Lance sought re-election to a sixth term in what had become an increasingly competitive district. He was opposed in the general election by Democrat Tom Malinowski, a former Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor in the Obama administration. In a closely watched race reflecting broader national political trends, Malinowski defeated Lance in the November 2018 general election, winning 51.5 percent of the vote to Lance’s 47 percent. His defeat ended a decade of service in the U.S. House of Representatives, following nearly two decades in the New Jersey Legislature, and concluded a long career in elected office in New Jersey and at the federal level.