Michael John Donohue

Michael John “Mike” Donohue was born in Cape May Court House, New Jersey in 1967, the youngest of seven children born to William B. Donohue and Lenore A. Donohue, née Juliana. Mike attended St. Joseph Catholic Elementary School in Sea Isle City, where he is a member of the school Hall of Fame. He was Senior Class President at Middle Township High School, earning seven varsity letters for Football and Track and Field.

He graduated from the Catholic University of America in 1989 with a degree in World Politics. In 1987, Mike studied abroad in Killiney, Ireland, working for a Member of the Irish Parliament and attending classes in Irish Studies. After college, he volunteered as a teacher at St. Joseph Catholic High School in St. Croix (U.S. Virgin Islands) after Hurricane Hugo. He taught Social Justice, Religion, and English and led the mock trial team to the National Championships. His volunteer work also included coaching youth football, serving as Parish Council President, and nearly twenty years with Stone Harbor Volunteer Fire Company #1.

Mike completed his first year of law school at Catholic University before transferring to Stetson University College of Law, graduating Cum Laude in 1994. In 1995, he founded the Donohue Law Firm (later Blaney & Donohue). He practiced law until 2016 when appointed Judge of the New Jersey Superior Court, serving in the Criminal and Family Courts until 2020 before returning to law practice.
In 2020, Mike became the County Administrator for Cape May County, New Jersey, crafting the county’s COVID-19 reopening plan, which was submitted to the New Jersey Governor and became a model statewide. He also resumed his role as Chairman of the Cape May County Regular Republican Organization, which he previously held from 2010–2015. Mike has broad political experience, including serving as a 2024 Presidential Elector for President Trump, a Borough Councilman in Stone Harbor (1999–2001), and a candidate for the New Jersey State Assembly in 2007 and 2009.
In 2021, Mike was named Special Counsel for Offshore Wind for Cape May County. He led legal opposition to the Ocean Wind One offshore wind project by Orsted, organizing grassroots and media campaigns that led Orsted to abandon offshore wind projects off Cape May. This marked the first and only successful effort to halt Atlantic Coast industrialization by foreign wind corporations.
Mike married journalist Jeanne Dewey Donohue in 1997. They have three adult children and live in Dennis Township, New Jersey. Mike is a partner at Blaney, Donohue & Weinberg in Avalon, NJ.