Here's Who Filed For NJ State Senate In LD-11

NEW JERSEY - One seat is up for grabs for the New Jersey State Senate seat representing the 11th Legislative District, and two Monmouth County natives are vying for the spot.

Incumbent Sen. Vin Gopal, a Democrat, has filed to retain his seat. Republican Lori L. Annetta will be challenging Gopal for the spot in the general election, according to the Monmouth County Clerk’s Office.

The 11th Legislative District represents the Monmouth County municipalities of Allenhurst Borough, Asbury Park City, Colts Neck Township, Deal Borough, Eatontown Borough, Freehold Borough, Freehold Township, Interlaken Borough, Loch Arbour Village, Long Branch City, Neptune City Borough, Neptune Township, Ocean Township, Red Bank Borough, Shrewsbury Borough, Shrewsbury Township, Tinton Falls Borough and West Long Branch Borough.

Gopal, 36, is the former chairman of the Monmouth County Democratic Organization from 2012 to 2017. He currently serves as a member of the state senate's Military and Veterans' Affairs Committee, chairman of the Higher Education Committee and vice chairman of the Committee On Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens. He’s also the owner of Community Publications, which publishes a chain of magazines distributed throughout Monmouth County, as well as Direct Development: Design + Communications, a multimedia marketing and business development provider.

You can read about his campaign platform here.

Annetta, is a longtime Freehold Borough resident, a vice president of client services in the financial industry and has been a financial services professional for more than three decades. Annetta has three daughters and was active in the youth Pop Warner organization as a cheerleading program coordinator and head coach of the senior competition team, according to a press release. She is also dedicated to several charitable causes, including a team that supports local schools and children with new backpacks and school supplies each school year. She previously served on the Freehold Historical Preservation Committee.

Are you running for local office in 2021? Contact Nicole Rosenthal at nicole.rosenthal@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate profile and submitting campaign announcements to Patch.

Thank you for reading! Have a news tip, correction or comment? Email nicole.rosenthal@patch.com. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Subscribe to your local Patch newsletter here.