The father of the namesake of Megan's Law has announced his candidacy for the New Jersey Senate.
Richard Kanka is seeking the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic Sen. Linda Greenstein in the newly redrawn 14th Legislative District.
The announcement was made Tuesday at a diner in Kanka's hometown of Hamilton in Mercer County.
Kanka says the experience of getting Megan's Law passed with his wife, Maureen, will help him in the Legislature. The law requires convicted sex offenders to register with police and for neighbors to be notified.
The law is named for the Kankas' 7-year-old daughter, Megan, who was raped and murdered in 1994 by a convicted sex offender who had moved into the neighborhood.
Kanka was elected to the Hamilton school board in April 2009.
