Chris Auriemma

Chris Auriemma (Republican Party) ran for election to the New Jersey General Assembly to represent District 36. He lost in the Republican primary on June 10, 2025.

Biography

Chris Auriemma was born in Hoboken, New Jersey. He served in the U.S. Army National Guard from 1989 to 2012. Auriemma earned a graduate degree from the Metropolitan College of New York in 2022. His career experience includes working as a firefighter and an EMT. Auriemma has been affiliated with the Amvets Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.^[1]^[2]

Elections

2025

General election

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

General election for New Jersey General Assembly District 36 (2 seats)

Incumbent Clinton Calabrese, incumbent Gary Schaer, Diane DeBiase, and Christopher Musto are running in the general election for New Jersey General Assembly District 36 on November 4, 2025.

		Candidate
		Clinton Calabrese (D)
		Gary Schaer (D)
		Diane DeBiase (R)
		Christopher Musto (R)

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 36 (2 seats)

Incumbent Gary Schaer and incumbent Clinton Calabrese advanced from the Democratic primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 36 on June 10, 2025.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Gary Schaer	50.3	10,557
✔	Clinton Calabrese	49.7	10,449

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 21,006
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 36 (2 seats)

Christopher Musto and Diane DeBiase defeated Chris Auriemma and Craig Auriemma in the Republican primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 36 on June 10, 2025.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Christopher Musto	32.9	3,090
✔		Diane DeBiase	30.5	2,863
		Chris Auriemma	20.3	1,901
	Submit photo	Craig Auriemma	16.3	1,526

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 9,380
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

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2023

General election

General election for New Jersey State Senate District 36

Incumbent Paul Sarlo defeated Chris Auriemma in the general election for New Jersey State Senate District 36 on November 7, 2023.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Paul Sarlo (D)	61.7	18,885
	Chris Auriemma (R)	38.3	11,744

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 30,629
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for New Jersey State Senate District 36

Incumbent Paul Sarlo advanced from the Democratic primary for New Jersey State Senate District 36 on June 6, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Paul Sarlo	100.0	4,506

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,506
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for New Jersey State Senate District 36

Chris Auriemma advanced from the Republican primary for New Jersey State Senate District 36 on June 6, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chris Auriemma	100.0	2,357

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,357
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Auriemma in this election.

2021

General election

General election for New Jersey State Senate District 36

Incumbent Paul Sarlo defeated Chris Auriemma in the general election for New Jersey State Senate District 36 on November 2, 2021.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Paul Sarlo (D)	56.9	25,373
	Chris Auriemma (R)	43.1	19,252

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 44,625
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for New Jersey State Senate District 36

Incumbent Paul Sarlo advanced from the Democratic primary for New Jersey State Senate District 36 on June 8, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Paul Sarlo	100.0	4,627

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2 Source 3	Total votes: 4,627
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for New Jersey State Senate District 36

Chris Auriemma advanced from the Republican primary for New Jersey State Senate District 36 on June 8, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chris Auriemma (Write-in)	100.0	4,742

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,742
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2020

New Jersey's 9th Congressional District election, 2020 (July 7 Democratic primary)

New Jersey's 9th Congressional District election, 2020 (July 7 Republican primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House New Jersey District 9

Incumbent Bill Pascrell defeated Billy Prempeh and Chris Auriemma in the general election for U.S. House New Jersey District 9 on November 3, 2020.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Bill Pascrell (D)	65.8	203,674
	Billy Prempeh (R)	31.9	98,629
	Chris Auriemma (Veteran For Change Party)	2.3	7,239

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 309,542
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 9

Incumbent Bill Pascrell defeated Zinovia Spezakis and Alp Basaran in the Democratic primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 9 on July 7, 2020.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Bill Pascrell	80.6	52,422
	Zinovia Spezakis	16.9	10,998
	Alp Basaran	2.4	1,592

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 65,012
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Blake Michael (D)
Michael Wildes (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 9

Billy Prempeh defeated Timothy Walsh (Unofficially withdrew) in the Republican primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 9 on July 7, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Billy Prempeh	74.2	10,055
	Submit photo	Timothy Walsh (Unofficially withdrew)	25.8	3,500

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 13,555
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Campaign themes

2025

Ballotpedia survey responses

Chris Auriemma did not complete Ballotpedia's 2025 Candidate Connection survey.

2023

Chris Auriemma completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Auriemma's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I served 23 years US Army and did two combat Deployments in Iraq. I then became a Jersey City Firefighter in 2011 and made it to the rank of Captain. I obtained a Business degree in the 90s and went back to MCNY and recieved a BA and an MBA in Emergency Management. Proud husband and father. Youngest of four boys to a single mother.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Parental Rights are paramount
Stop the political curriculums in the classrooms
We need a more fair school aid distribution

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Parental Rights. We pay for the schools and we have a right to what our children are taught. We have children who can not read or do math at college level leaving high school unprepared for the real world. There are so many parents who are afraid to soeak out against these radical politics going into the classrooms.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Jesus because he was the truest example of do unto others as you'd have done to you

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

The US Constitution

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Integrity Duty and Humility

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Integrity Work ethic Commitment to duty and humility

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

I believe our core responsibility is to uphold the constitution and make laws that increase civil liberties and not trade liberties for pretended security.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I gave the power back to the people where it belongs

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

My first historical event was when the space shuttle exploded and i was 13

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I worked at 14 at night in Michael's Pub for 2 years

What is your favorite book? Why?

1984 because it explains how pervasive and onerous governments can usurp liberties

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Superman

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

See a Victory

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Government overreach

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

The relationship should be that all bills and spending must originate in the legislature and not be coerced by the Governor

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Spending and listening to the constituents and doing their bidding. The monied interests have to much power.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Unfortunately with the pay to play nature of our state I believe the answer is no

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

I think it is more important to build relationships with your constituents than other legislators.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Mayor Dan Pronti of North Arlington

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

No

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

I have spoken to so many residents of my town and other local small towns about how difficult patking has become because of overdevelopment

Should the legislature oversee or grant the use of emergency powers?

Absolutely we saw during the pandemic we had a tyrant who abused these emergency powers. The Legislature could've but didn't reign in that power.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

It should be but due to Democrats having such radical positions and one party dominance they haven't even considered compromise

What is the first bill you would introduce if elected?

A new curriculum that takes out all the Democrat politics and is primarily focused on Reading Writing and Stem

What committees interest you?

Education

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2021

Chris Auriemma did not complete Ballotpedia's 2021 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Chris Auriemma completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Auriemma's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a combat veteran with 23 years US Army. I am a paid Union Firefighter. I have worked for this government and I know how to fix government. I am running this campaign in the true grass roots model. No big financial backing and no outside large organizations giving me forced talking points. I will go to Congress to fight for Veterans rights and most importantly Term limits.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Term limits
Veterans entitlements and healthcare
Too much division and vitriol in Washington

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Term limits SAFER grants, Lower property taxes, repeal of the Gas tax. My passion is When our hero veterans return home they recieve the entitlements and healthcare/treatment to make them feel appreciated.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Jesus. I would love to follow his examples of how to do unto other as you'd have done to you.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

1984

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Being independent and only doing what's in the best interest of your district and not the party.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I have worked in Government and I know how to root out the fraud, waste, and abuse. I know cronyism and will fight against it.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

1. Fight for Veterans needs

2. Fight for term limits

3. Show average people it can be done without being bought and paid for by lobbyists and cronyism

What legacy would you like to leave?

That I did one or two terms and got Term limits passed.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

When I graduated basic training from Fort Benning with my twin brother. I was 17

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was delivering the Jersey Journal in Hoboken

What is your favorite book? Why?

1984. It was terrifying. It explained how evil and pervasive all powerful government can be. The best example in today's world is China.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Rocky Balboa

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

You've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I grew up in poverty. We had a single mother raising four boys. I know how hard it is to escape that kind of poverty . The military was that vessel out of poverty to a modest and fulfilling life I have now.

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

Theybhold the purse strings and are supposed to be frugal and concerned with this most trusted authority.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

Yes and no. Unfortunately the notion is that you have to work your way through the ranks. This keeps the average person from running.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

We need Term limits more thsn anything to root out the sense of entitlement and grandeur these politicians believe their own publicity.

If you are not a current representative, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Veterans Affairs committee I believe of the candidates running I am uniquely qualified because I am a combat veteran.

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

Yes and I also believe there should be term limits

What are your thoughts on term limits?

I demand we implement them.

If you are not currently a member of your party’s leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives, would you be interested in joining the leadership? If so, in what role?

I would not because then you have to embrace party narratives and talking points.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign finance summary

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

Chris Auriemma campaign contribution history
Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2023	New Jersey State Senate District 36	Lost general	$0	$0
2021	New Jersey State Senate District 36	Lost general	$0	$0
2020	U.S. House New Jersey District 9	Lost general	$0	N/A**
Grand total			$0	N/A**
Sources: OpenSecrets, Federal Elections Commission *This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

External links

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Candidate

New Jersey General Assembly District 36

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Footnotes

↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on February 14, 2020
↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on May 9, 2023

[show]

Current members of the New Jersey General Assembly

Leadership

Representatives

District 1

Antwan McClellan (R)

Erik Simonsen (R)

District 2

Don Guardian (R)

Claire Swift (R)

District 3

Dave Bailey (D)

Heather Simmons (D)

District 4

Dan Hutchison (D)

Cody Miller (D)

District 5

William Moen (D)

William Spearman (D)

District 6

Louis Greenwald (D)

Melinda Kane (D)

District 7

Carol Murphy (D)

Balvir Singh (D)

District 8

Andrea Katz (D)

Michael Torrissi (R)

District 9

Gregory Myhre (R)

Brian Rumpf (R)

District 10

Paul Kanitra (R)

Gregory McGuckin (R)

District 11

Margie Donlon (D)

Luanne Peterpaul (D)

District 12

Robert Clifton (R)

Alex Sauickie (R)

District 13

Victoria Flynn (R)

Gerard Scharfenberger (R)

District 14

Wayne DeAngelo (D)

Tennille McCoy (D)

District 15

Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (D)

Anthony Verrelli (D)

District 16

Mitchelle Drulis (D)

Roy Freiman (D)

District 17

Joseph Danielsen (D)

Kevin Egan (D)

District 18

Robert Karabinchak (D)

Sterley Stanley (D)

District 19

Craig Coughlin (D)

Yvonne Lopez (D)

District 20

Reginald Atkins (D)

Annette Quijano (D)

District 21

Michele Matsikoudis (R)

Nancy Muñoz (R)

District 22

Linda Carter (D)

James Kennedy (D)

District 23

John DiMaio (R)

Erik Peterson (R)

District 24

Dawn Fantasia (R)

Michael Inganamort (R)

District 25

Christian Barranco (R)

Aura Dunn (R)

District 26

Brian Bergen (R)

Jay Webber (R)

District 27

Rosy Bagolie (D)

Alixon Collazos-Gill (D)

District 28

Garnet Hall (D)

Cleopatra Tucker (D)

District 29

Eliana Marin (D)

Shanique Speight (D)

District 30

Sean Kean (R)

Avi Schnall (D)

District 31

William Sampson (D)

Barbara Stamato (D)

District 32

John Allen (D)

Jessica Ramirez (D)

District 33

Julio Marenco (D)

Gabriel Rodriguez (D)

District 34

Carmen Morales (D)

Michael Venezia (D)

District 35

Alaa Abdelaziz (D)

Shavonda Sumter (D)

District 36

Clinton Calabrese (D)

Gary Schaer (D)

District 37

Shama Haider (D)

Ellen Park (D)

District 38

Lisa Swain (D)

Chris Tully (D)

District 39

Robert Auth (R)

John Azzariti (R)

District 40

Al Barlas (R)

Christopher DePhillips (R)

Democratic Party (52)

Republican Party (28)

[bio-1] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on February 14, 2020

[bio2-2] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on May 9, 2023

[1]

[2]

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Chris Auriemma

Biography

Elections

2025

General election

General election for New Jersey General Assembly District 36 (2 seats)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 36 (2 seats)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 36 (2 seats)

Endorsements

2023

General election

General election for New Jersey State Senate District 36

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for New Jersey State Senate District 36

Republican primary election

Republican primary for New Jersey State Senate District 36

Endorsements

2021

General election

General election for New Jersey State Senate District 36

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for New Jersey State Senate District 36

Republican primary election

Republican primary for New Jersey State Senate District 36

2020

General election

General election for U.S. House New Jersey District 9

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 9

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 9

Campaign themes

2025

Ballotpedia survey responses

2023

2021

2020

Campaign finance summary

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2025 Elections

2026 Elections

2024 Election analysis

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