Diane Allen

Diane B. Allen (born March 8, 1948 in Newark, New Jersey) is an American Republican Party politician, who served in the New Jersey State Senate from 1998 to 2018, representing the 7th Legislative District. She served as the Deputy Republican Conference Leader from 2002 to 2003 and as the Majority Whip from 1998 to 2001. She was the Deputy Minority Leader in the N.J. Senate. She was a member of the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature, the New Jersey General Assembly, from 1996 to 1998.[1] Allen is the Chair of the National Foundation for Women Legislators.

Diane Allen
Sen. Allen c. 2015
Member of the New Jersey Senate from the 7th district
In office January 13, 1998 – January 9, 2018
Preceded by	Jack Casey
Succeeded by	Troy Singleton
Member of the New Jersey General Assembly from the 7th district
In office January 9, 1996 – January 13, 1998
Preceded by	Steven M. Petrillo George E. Williams
Succeeded by	Herb Conaway Jack Conners
Personal details
Born	March 8, 1948 Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Sam
Residence	Edgewater Park, New Jersey
Alma mater	Bucknell University

Early life and education

Allen grew up in Moorestown, New Jersey and graduated as the valedictorian of Moorestown High School.[2]

Allen received a B.A. from Bucknell University in Philosophy.[1]

Broadcasting career

Allen was a television anchor and reporter for KYW-TV from 1976 to 1978, and again from 1982 to 1988[3] and at WCAU-TV from 1989 to 1994, both in Philadelphia.[4] She also worked at WLS-TV in Chicago from 1979 to 1982.

The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia inducted Allen into their Hall of Fame in 2005.[5]

She is the President of VidComm, Inc.[1]

Political career

Allen first ran for elective office in the 1970s when she ran for the Board of Education of the Moorestown Township Public Schools.[6]

New Jersey Assembly

In the 1995 general election, Allen and Republican running mate Carmine DeSopo were elected, defeating Democratic incumbent Steven M. Petrillo and his running mate, newcomer Joseph P. Dugan.[7] The $1.1 million spent in the 1995 Assembly race made it the first in New Jersey to cross the $1 million spending mark, as reported in the results of a study conducted by the Center for the Analysis of Public Issues of Princeton, New Jersey that analyzed campaign finance reports from candidates for all 80 Assembly seats.[8][9]

Election results

New Jersey State Assembly elections, 1995[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Diane Allen	22,242	27.7	{{{change}}}
	Republican	Carmine de Sopo	20,480	25.5	{{{change}}}
	Democratic	Steven M. Petrillo (incumbent)	17,129	21.3
	Democratic	Joseph P. Dugan	17,014	21.2
	Independent	George Guzdek	1,188	1.5
	Independent	Susan Normandin	453	0.5
	Independent	Charles L. Normandin	314	0.4
	Independent	Dixie Lee Patterson	1,386	1.7
	Republican gain from Democratic		Swing

New Jersey Senate

Incumbent Democrat Jack Casey did not run for re-election in 1997, and in the Senate race that year Allen defeated the Democratic nominee Robert P. Broderick[11]

Allen was elected Chair of the National Foundation for Women Legislators in November 2013. The organization represents the near 1800 female state legislators in America, and supports elected women from all levels of governance.[12]

In 2007, Allen won re-election. She was unopposed in the Republican primary and defeated Democratic challenger Rich Dennison of Florence in the November general election.[13][14][15]

Election results

New Jersey State Senate elections, 2013[16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Diane Allen (incumbent)	38,350	60.4
	Democratic	Gary Catrambone	25,106	39.6
	Republican hold

New Jersey State Senate elections, 2011[17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Diane Allen (incumbent)	27,011	57.0
	Democratic	Gail Cook	20,370	43.0
	Republican hold

New Jersey State Senate primary elections, 2011[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Diane Allen (incumbent)	3,904	90.4
	Republican	Carol M. Lokan-Moore	416	9.6
	Republican hold

New Jersey State Senate elections, 2007[19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Diane Allen (incumbent)	23,185	55.6
	Democratic	Richard S. Dennison, Jr.	18,511	44.4
	Republican hold

New Jersey State Senate elections, 2003[20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Diane Allen (incumbent)	26,331	60.3
	Democratic	Diane F. Gabriel	17,331	39.7
	Republican hold

New Jersey State Senate elections, 2001[21]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Diane Allen (incumbent)	29,756	54.1
	Democratic	Lou Gallagher	25,293	45.9
	Republican hold

New Jersey State Senate elections, 1997[22]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Diane Allen (incumbent)	30,875	53.7
	Democratic	Robert P. Broderick	25,501	44.3
	Independent	Norman E. Wahner	1,121	2.0
	Republican hold

National politics

Senator Allen has served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1996, 2000, as well as in 2004 and 2012.

She was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination for the United States Senate in 2002. Six people ran, with Allen a close second to millionaire businessman Doug Forrester who won the party's nomination.[23] Forrester won the primary with 44.6% of the vote, Allen came in second with 36.9%, ahead of third-place finisher John J. Matheussen who garnered 18.6% of the vote.[24]

Allen was considered a potential candidate for the New Jersey's 3rd congressional district seat being vacated by fellow Republican Jim Saxton in the 2008 election.[25] However, she announced on November 29, 2007, that she would not run for the seat, citing factionalism in the Burlington County Republican Party in her statement.[26]

Personal life

On November 9, 2009, Allen announced that she has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer.[27] Allen had been informed in November 2009 that she had oral cancer. Though doctors had initially thought that treatment would require removal of her tongue and that she would be unable to speak normally, the surgery performed in 2010 did not greatly impair her speech, and she has since undergone radiation and laser treatments.[28]

She is currently a resident of Edgewater Park Township.[29] Allen, and her husband, Sam, are members of Mt. Laurel Friends Meeting and Moorestown Friends Meeting, where she currently serves on the Ministry Committee.

References

1. Senator Allen's legislative web page, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed February 23, 2008.
2. Silber, Zach. "Diane B. Allen (R-Burlington)", The New York Observer, February 10, 2011. Accessed August 9, 2019. "Born in New Jersey, she has lived in Burlington County for close to 50 years. Diane graduated from Moorestown High School as valedictorian."
3. "KYW-TV News Alumni". Archived from the original on October 25, 2009. Retrieved 2010-10-09.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link), KYW-TV. Retrieved July 6, 2006.
4. "WCAU-TV News Alumni". Archived from the original on October 25, 2009. Retrieved 2012-07-09.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link), WCAU. Retrieved July 6, 2006.
5. "The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia - Diane Allen". Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia. 2005. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
6. "Back from surgery for oral cancer, Diane Allen still has a lot to say". Inside Jersey. Retrieved March 1, 2011. Allen grew up in Moorestown, a Burlington County town that was established as a Quaker enclave in the 1600s. Born to an engineer father and homemaker mother, Allen remembers stuffing envelopes as a kid for Republican candidates. Her foray into politics came in the early 1970s, when she ran for the Moorestown school board.
7. "General Returns for the Office of General Assembly for Election Held November 7, 1995" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. December 4, 1995. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
8. Pristin, Terry. "New Jersey Daily Briefing;$1 Million Campaign Costs", The New York Times, March 13, 1996. Retrieved June 22, 2010.
9. Staff. "Assembly Campaign Spending rises, especially in South Jersey. The Most Expensive Race Cost $1.5 million. A watchdog group says '93 Reforms didn't do the job.", The Philadelphia Inquirer, March 14, 1996. Accessed June 22, 2010. "The District 7 race in Burlington and Camden Counties, eventually won by the Republican ticket of Diane Allen and Carmine DeSopo, was the most expensive in the state, totaling $1.5 million, according to Upmeyer's analysis of campaign finance reports."
10. Official List Candidate Returns for State Senate For November 1995 General Election, New Jersey Department of State. Accessed August 25, 2017.
11. Petersen, Melody. "The 1997 Elections: The Legislature; After Intense Fight, Republicans Fend Off Challenges to Their Majority in State Senate", The New York Times, November 5, 1997. Retrieved June 20, 2010.
12. Staff. "Diane Allen inducted as Chair of the National Foundation for Women Legislators", Burlington County Times, March 17, 2014. Accessed December 4, 2016.
13. Reitmeyer, John. "Candidates for state Assembly, Senate and county offices file for June primary" Archived 2007-07-17 at WebCite, Burlington County Times, April 10, 2007. Retrieved April 11, 2007.
14. "June 5, 2007 Primary Election Results". Archived from the original on April 25, 2008. Retrieved 2007-06-20.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link), Burlington County, New Jersey. Retrieved June 19, 2007.
15. 7th Dist: Allen holds on to Senate seat, The Star Ledger, November 6, 2007
16. "Official List Candidates for State Senate For GENERAL ELECTION 11/05/2015 Election" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. December 4, 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 4, 2015. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
17. Official List Candidate Returns for State Senate For November 2011 General Election, New Jersey Department of State, December 14, 2011. Accessed January 7, 2012.
18. Official List Candidate Returns for State Senate For June 2011 Primary Election, New Jersey Department of State. Accessed August 25, 2017.
19. Official List Candidate Returns for State Senate For November 2007 General Election, New Jersey Department of State, December 3, 2007. Accessed June 5, 2017.
20. Official List Candidate Returns for State Senate For November 2003 General Election, New Jersey Department of State, December 2, 2003. Accessed June 6, 2017.
21. Official List Candidate Returns for State Senate For November 2001 General Election, New Jersey Department of State. Accessed August 25, 2017.
22. Official List Candidate Returns for State Senate For November 1997 General Election, New Jersey Department of State. Accessed August 25, 2017.
23. Mercurio, John. "GOP, Democrats tout primary victories" Archived 2008-01-15 at the Wayback Machine, CNN, June 5, 2002. Accessed May 267, 2010. "In New Jersey, Doug Forrester, a wealthy businessman, spent $3.1 million of his own money to defeat fellow Republicans Diane Allen and John Matheussen -- both state senators -- in the race to challenge Democratic Sen. Bob Torricelli, who faced charges of ethical violations during his first six-year term."
24. "Official List Candidates for US Senate For June 2002 Primary Election" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. July 23, 2002. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
25. Saxton, citing his health, to retire after this term, The Star Ledger, November, 2007
26. Allen says she won't run for Congress, Burlington County Times, November 29, 2007
27. Hester, Sr., Tom. "State Senator Diane Allen diagnosed with aggressive cancer" Archived 2011-07-14 at the Wayback Machine, NewJerseyNewsroom.com, November 9, 2009. Accessed January 26, 2012.
28. Staff. "Back from surgery for oral cancer, Diane Allen still has a lot to say", The Star-Ledger, August 17, 2010. Accessed January 26, 2012. "When state Sen. Diane Allen found out last November that she had late-stage oral cancer, doctors at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital told her they probably would have to remove a large portion of her tongue, leaving her unable to use her voice normally ever again."
29. Senator Diane B. Allen, Project Vote Smart. Retrieved September 15, 2007.

External links

• New Jersey Legislature financial disclosure forms
  • 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004
• Senator Diane B. Allen, Project Vote Smart
• Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia webpage