Diane Allen is Ciattarelli choice as running mate for NJ Lt. Gov.

TRENTON – Former state Sen. Diane Allen is Republican gubernatorial nominee Jack Ciattarelli's choice as his running mate for lieutenant governor, according to multiple reports.

Ciattarelli is expected to formally announce the selection Wednesday in Moorestown.

Allen's selection was reported first by New Jersey Globe, then confirmed by NJ Advance Media.

Allen, 73, was an television news reporter and anchor in Philadelphia from 1976 to 1994, except for a three-year move in Chicago in the middle. She successfully sued CBS alleging sex and age discrimination in 1994.

Allen was elected to the state Assembly in the 7th District in Burlington County in 1995, then won election to the state Senate in 1997. She served six terms in the Senate before retiring rather than run again in 2017. She was a moderate as a state legislator – and the namesake of the Equal Pay Act that Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law in 2018.

Allen ran for U.S. Senate in 2002, finishing second in the Republican primary with 37% of the vote. Doug Forrester won the GOP nomination but lost to Frank Lautenberg – the 'switcheroo' election in which U.S. Sen. Bob Torricelli dropped out in late September.

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Chris Christie considered Allen as his running mate for lieutenant governor in 2009 before opting for Kim Guadagno instead.

Michael Symons is State House bureau chief for New Jersey 101.5. Contact him at michael.symons@townsquaremedia.com.