Vice President Pence coming to North Jersey to raise money for GOP House candidate

Herb Jackson | NorthJersey

Show Caption Hide Caption Watch: Jay Webber at Memorial Day parade The 30th annual Morris Plains Memorial Day Parade included a flyover of two F-16 fighter jets in addition to the usual ceremonies and pageantry. IPHONE VIDEO BY WILLIAM WESTHOVEN MAY 28, 2016

WASHINGTON — Vice President Mike Pence plans to be in North Jersey on Aug. 10 to headline a fundraiser for Jay Webber, the Republican battling Democrat Mikie Sherrill for the open House seat in North Jersey's competitive 11th District, Webber's campaign said Wednesday.

It is the first fundraising appearance for a New Jersey candidate by Pence, who is aggressively working to bolster the party's efforts to keep its majorities in Congress. Last month alone, Pence campaigned for House and Senate candidates in Iowa, Kansas, Illinois, Missouri, Georgia, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Montana, North Dakota and West Virginia.

Twelve-term Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, R-Harding, announced in late January that he was retiring, forcing the GOP to scramble to find a successor. Webber, a state assemblyman and former state party chairman from Morris Plains, won a bruising primary in June, but lags far behind Sherrill in fundraising.

Sherrill, a former Navy helicopter pilot and federal prosecutor and a mother of four from Montclair, spent most of last year campaigning against Frelinghuysen and broke New Jersey fundraising records for a House race earlier.

She had $2.9 million in her campaign account on June 30. Webber had $171,000.

Proceeds from the Pence event will go to Webber Victory Committee, a joint fundraising account between his campaign the New Jersey Republican State Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee.

For $25,000, a donor will get two tickets to the lunch, a photo with Pence and admission to a special roundtable. Other prices on an invitation released by Webber include $10,000 for a photo and lunch but no access to the roundtable, and $1,000 for the lunch only.

The race in a district that has long trended Republican is seen as competitive this year because of the national trend of upscale, highly educated suburbs turning away from President Donald Trump. A Monmouth University poll in June found that Sherrill had a slight lead over Webber, 40 percent to 38 percent.

Harrison Neely, a Webber spokesman, would not disclose where the event will be held beyond saying it would be in North Jersey.

"Jay is honored to have the VP in to support the campaign," Neely said.

Trump hosted a fundraiser last year at his Bedminster country club for Rep. Tom MacArthur, R-Toms River. MacArthur's race is also competitive this year. On Wednesday, former President Barack Obama endorsed MacArthur's opponent, Andy Kim, who was an official in the Obama administration.

Obama also endorsed Democrat Tom Malinowski, who is running in another battleground district against Rep. Leonard Lance, R-Clinton Township.