Somerset County Man Named to Christie's National Finance Team

By Jason Koestenblatt

Handling finances on the presidential campaign trail is a tall order, and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has assembled a team of 84 leaders from around the country to help him do just that.

Christie’s campaign for the Republican nomination for president in 2016, which kicked off in late June, has tapped a national finance chairman in Ray Washburne, from Dallas, Texas, a 10-member team of co-chairs, and 73 other leadership members.

Of the total, seven members are from New Jersey, two of whom are co-chairs.

Christie named Jon F. Hanson, of Far Hills, and Finn Wentworth, of Mendham, as co-chairs. Both were recently named to njbiz.com’s 50 wealthiest New Jersey residents list having made their fortunes in real estate.

Joining them on the list from New Jersey:

• Fred Alworth, Randolph, NJ
• Honorable Jeff Chiesa, Branchburg, NJ
• Honorable Mike Ferguson, New Providence, NJ
• Frank Giordano, Moorestown, NJ
• Jerry Langer, Montville, NJ

Washburne spent the last two years as the national finance chairman for the Republican National Committee, and decided not to run for another term in January, when speculation about his connection with Christie became public, according to dallasnews.com.

Washburne was the finance chairman for Tim Pawlenty’s brief 2011 run and Texas co-chairman for Mitt Romney in 2012, the report said.

On the Jersey side, Wentworth is founder and partner of Normandy Real Estate Partners in Morristown. According to njbiz.com, he was the 48th richest Garden State resident with an estimated worth of $100 million.

Hanson is founder and chairman of Hampshire Real Estate Companies. He’s worked alongside the governor for half a decade in trying to resurrect the state’s sports, gaming, and entertainment industry, according to nj.com. Hanson’s net worth was $150 million, according to njbiz.com’s report.