Elizabeth Graner

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Elizabeth Graner

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 7, 2023

Education

Bachelor's

Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame, 1999

Graduate

Marygrove College, 2011

Personal

Birthplace

Pittsburgh, Pa.

Profession

Public school educator

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Personal Facebook

Personal Instagram

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Elizabeth Graner (Democratic Party) ran for election to the New Jersey General Assembly to represent District 21. She lost in the general election on November 7, 2023.

Graner completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Graner was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She earned a bachelor's degree from Saint Mary's College in 1999 and a master's degree from Marygrove College in 2011. Her career experience includes working as a teacher.

Elections

2023

See also: New Jersey General Assembly elections, 2023

General election

General election for New Jersey General Assembly District 21 (2 seats)

Incumbent Nancy Muñoz and incumbent Michele Matsikoudis defeated Elizabeth Graner and Chris Weber in the general election for New Jersey General Assembly District 21 on November 7, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Nancy Muñoz (R)	26.1	33,146
✔		Michele Matsikoudis (R)	25.7	32,607
		Elizabeth Graner (D)	24.1	30,643
		Chris Weber (D)	24.1	30,615

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 127,011
= 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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 21 (2 seats)

Elizabeth Graner and Chris Weber advanced from the Democratic primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 21 on June 6, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Elizabeth Graner	50.5	8,552
✔		Chris Weber	49.5	8,375

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 16,927
= 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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 21 (2 seats)

Incumbent Nancy Muñoz and incumbent Michele Matsikoudis advanced from the Republican primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 21 on June 6, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Nancy Muñoz	50.0	8,705
✔		Michele Matsikoudis	50.0	8,693

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 17,398
= 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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

Graner received the following endorsements.

• Freethought Equality Fund PAC

2021

See also: New Jersey General Assembly elections, 2021

General election

General election for New Jersey General Assembly District 21 (2 seats)

Incumbent Nancy Muñoz and Michele Matsikoudis defeated Elizabeth Graner and Anjali Mehrotra in the general election for New Jersey General Assembly District 21 on November 2, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Nancy Muñoz (R)	27.0	43,708
✔		Michele Matsikoudis (R)	26.3	42,557
		Elizabeth Graner (D)	23.6	38,207
		Anjali Mehrotra (D)	23.1	37,449

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 161,921
= 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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 21 (2 seats)

Elizabeth Graner and Anjali Mehrotra advanced from the Democratic primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 21 on June 8, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Elizabeth Graner	50.7	9,763
✔		Anjali Mehrotra	49.3	9,504

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 19,267
= 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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Ileana Montes (D)
• William Harmer (D)
• Scott Salmon (D)
• Bibi Taylor (D)
• Harrison Clewell (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 21 (2 seats)

Michele Matsikoudis and incumbent Nancy Muñoz defeated Jennifer Makar in the Republican primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 21 on June 8, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Michele Matsikoudis	43.6	8,478
✔		Nancy Muñoz	42.7	8,302
	Submit photo	Jennifer Makar	13.6	2,652

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 19,432
= 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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Steven Spurr (R)
• Peter Kane (R)

Campaign themes

2023

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Elizabeth Graner completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Graner'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 mom, educator, and community leader.

In have taught in New Jersey public schools for 25 years, and serve as chair emeritus of the Bernards Township Democratic Committee, vice chair of the Somerset County Commission on the Status of Women, and a Governor’s appointee as commissioner on the Somerset County Tax Board.

I ran for Assembly in 2021 after seeing firsthand the effects of the pandemic on education and our children.

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?

• Make eldercare and childcare more affordable.
• Safeguard NJ’s common-sense gun legislation and access to abortion care.
• Protect our environment.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about the environment, economic and environmental justice, protecting the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community, and affordability.

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

I look up to Barack Obama. i value his message of hope and access to positive change and affordability for all Americans.

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

I remember watching the Watergate Hearings with my father. I was three.

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

I worked as a summer clerk for the Allegheny County Treasurer for two summers.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

NJEA, Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Voter designation, Progressive Change Campaign Committee, Vote Pro Choice, American Federation of Teachers, Freethought Equality Fund

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

Elizabeth Graner completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Graner'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 mom, an educator, and a Democratic candidate for the New Jersey State Assembly in the 21st Legislative District.

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?

• Moving Forward Together

• Building a Better Future for All New Jerseyans
• Determination, commitment to Democratic ideals, and the ability to work collaboratively with those across the aisle.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Income, education, and healthcare equality

Protecting our environment
Creating a clean energy economy
Improve our transportation and infrastructure

Increasing government transparency

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

I believe that making true, positive change happen at the state level will take someone with determination, commitment to Democratic ideals, and the ability to work collaboratively with those across the aisle.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I want to help make New Jersey more accessible to all New Jerseyans.

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

My first job was a summer job as a clerical worker for the Allegheny County Treasurer's office. I worked there for two summers during high school and it ignited my interest in public service and government.

What are the benefits and drawbacks of a unicameral state legislature, in your opinion?

New Jersey has a bicameral state legislature, which provides for a system of checks and balances and ensures more efficiency in terms of governance.

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

I don't believe it should be a requirement for state legislators to have previous elected office experience or experience working for municipal governments. As a teacher, I find that I bring a unique perspective to the role.

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

I will seek to serve on the education, environment, commerce and economic development, community development and affairs, infrastructure and natural resources, and transportation committees.

Tell us your favorite joke.

Knock knock.

Who's there?
Impatient cow.
Impatient c ...

MOOOOOOO!

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.

See also

2023 Elections

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Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

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Candidate

New Jersey General Assembly District 21

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Footnotes

[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)