Frank Pallone

After unknown Bill Frick emerged out of a large field to become the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee's choice for replacement delegate in District 16 lat September, some are wondering whether it could happen again.

With five in the race to replace Jane Lawton in District 18, a friend of Rick Kessler describes a policy wonk with political instinct - and someone who could break out of Sunday night's candidate forum as the sleeper candidate.

Jeff Carroll, chief of staff to New Jersey Congressman Frank Pallone, got to know Kessler while working on Pallone's 1998 re-election campaign. That year, Pallone faced a serious challenge from Republican Mike Ferguson (who would go on to win a seat in another district) and Kessler took some time off from work to show Carroll the ropes.

"He taught me how to do GOTV," Carroll told PolitickerMD.com.

Eric "Rick" KesslerRick Kessler, a lobbyist and longtime staffer to various New Jersey Democrats, is the fifth entrant into the District 18 delegate race. Kessler joined the race on Wednesday.

Kesller is currently president of Dow Lohnes Government Strategies, a lobbying firm that describes itself as focusing on energy, environmental, media, telecommunications, information technology, health care and higher education issues.

In the public sphere, he has served as chief of staff to House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman John D. Dingell, as a staffer to House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee Chairman Frank Pallone, U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg, former Rep. Bill Hughes, and briefly as New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine's Washington liason.