District 11 Congressional candidate Peter DeNeufville, who entered the now-crowded primary field to replace the departing Rodney Frelinghuysen at the last minute,  has begun to tell people who he is. 

In a letter to district voters, DeNeufville says his family has lived in Morris County for four generations and then he expands the historical flavor by reminding voters that those in the 11th District reside “in the towns and villages that once hosted General Washington’s army.

One probably can’t go wrong mentioning George Washington. Nor can one go wrong with Republicans by trashing Nancy Pelosi. 

The House Democratic Leader – a popular GOP villain – pops up twice in DeNeufville’s letter. 

The first time is when he asserts that Pelosi along with the state’s U.S. senators, Cory Booker and the “disgraced Menendez,” recruited one of their “big-government tax hungry friends” to run for Frelinghuysen’s seat. That presumably is a reference to leading Democratic candidate Mikie Sherrill. Given the fact Sherrill has never held elected office, and thus has no voting record, it’s a little hard to make sense of the “tax-hungry” charge.

A Mendham resident, DeNeufville is a former Navy officer and businessman.  

“I’ve spent the last 20 years of my career in the private sector solving problems and building successful businesses to enable computer chip function, help provide new energy sources, and fight cancer.  As a reservist in the U.S. Navy from 2003 to  2012, I did the same thing fighting the Global War on Terror,” he said in the letter. 

He added, “I believe our community deserves a leader who both understands this community and knows how to get things done.  I will be a committed representative, not just a Washington congressman.” 

DeNeufville ends with another swipe at the Democratic leader, pledging to “lead the fight against Nancy Pelosi and bring a fresh voice to Washington to reinvigorate the Congress with new ideas and thoughtful proposals.”

It’s hazardous to interpret campaign literature too strenuously, but one can’t ignore the fact that Pelosi is not running the House. That job belongs to Republican Paul Ryan.

Of course, before he gets to take on Pelosi, DeNeufville has to win the primary. 

With that in mind, his letter also takes aim at his fellow Republican primary competitors, calling them “career Trenton politicians and political operatives.”  One of the other GOP candidates, Jay Webber, is a state assemblyman.

Clearly, the race in District 11 is on.