Who Is Ciattarelli's Running Mate Diane Allen? See Key Issues

MOORESTOWN, NJ — Former State Sen. Diane Allen was settling into her retirement when she got a phone call that would change the course of her plans.

“When he called oh-so-recently, Sam and I looked at each other, and Sam said, ‘you gotta do this,’” Allen told a crowd gathered at the Burlington County Agricultural Center in Moorestown Wednesday morning. “And here I am.”

The phone call had come from Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli, asking Allen to be his running mate in the Nov. 2 election. The approval came from Allen’s husband, Sam, who encouraged her to return to the political arena she left for health reasons in 2017.

And the applause came from the crowd that assembled at the first of two stops to announce her candidacy for Lt. Governor, challenging Democratic incumbent Sheila Oliver, on Wednesday morning.

The second stop was to come at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in Clinton later in the day. Gov. Phil Murphy announced in June that he would close the correctional facility after it was reported that officers at the prison had beaten inmates. Read more here: NJ Prison Closing After Women Inmates Were Beaten By Guards

It’s an issue Ciattarelli brought up during his speech, as he pointed to Allen’s credentials as a “champion of equality and women’s rights,” calling it a sharp contrast with Murphy. Allen said she joined the Ciattarelli campaign more than a year ago when the Republican candidate selected her to oversee responses to any allegations of discrimination and harassment.

“I’m happy to report that no one has contacted me to say there has been a single problem,” Allen said, referring to issues that plagued Murphy’s 2017 campaign. Read more here: WATCH: Woman Details Rape Claims Against Ex-Murphy Staffer

Allen pointed to her own record, and the Diane B. Allen Equal Pay Act was signed by Murphy in 2018. The legislation aimed to champion pay equity and protect employees from discrimination.

At the time, Murphy said the legislation "cements [Allen's] legacy as a lawmaker who worked across the aisle to do the right things for our state," according to the Burlington County Times.

“She’s respected by Democrats, Republicans and independents across New Jersey,” said Ciattarelli, who has said he will go places Republicans “typically don’t go,” to win the governorship.

In 2017, Murphy won the governor’s race over Republican Kim Guadagno, grabbing 50 percent of the vote among voters who consider themselves “independent or something else,” according to an NBC News poll.

Guadagno won 46 percent of that group in an election in which each candidate secured more than 90 percent of their base.

Allen takes moderate stances on issues such as LGBTQ rights, although she feels parents should be included in the decision-making as to what their children should be taught in school.

“I stand with them on so many things,” Allen said. “I think we should include everybody and make decisions.”

She said she’s never had an abortion, but she will fight for a woman’s right to choose until the end of her pregnancy.

“Women are bright, we can make our own decisions,” Allen said. “But four to five months is enough time to make that decision.”

She said she supports the religious exemption when it comes to the coronavirus vaccine. Allen said her family is vaccinated, but a member of her family experienced complications that nearly killed him.

“We all have them, and everyone did it in a way that worked for them,” Allen said.

She also prides herself as someone who doesn’t play political games. Allen first pursued an elected position when she lost a race for a seat on the Moorestown Board of Education when as a 21-year-old.

“They told me I don’t know how to play the game,” Allen said. “I still don’t know.”

Allen was elected to the state Senate in 1997, and began her first term in 1998. She was a Republican Conference Leader in 2003, and was Deputy Minority Leader when she retired due to health reasons in 2017. Read more here: State Sen. Diane Allen Makes Decision On Political Future

She said she was “happily retired,” but as time went on, she became concerned about issues like the MVC, unemployment, taxes, and the state’s overall response to help its own residents.

“We don’t want you to feel like you’re stuck in New Jersey,” Allen said. “We want you to feel like you’re happy to be in New Jersey, and we’re going to change things.”

When she received a call from Ciattarelli, she said she knew it was her time to come back. Her health issues won’t be a concern this time around, she said.

Said Allen: “We all have problems, but there’s nothing life-threatening that will keep me from doing the job.” See related: Ciattarelli Recruits Running Mate To Take On Gov. Murphy