Joseph Atura

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

Joseph Atura

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 7, 2023

Education

Bachelor's

Saint Peter's University, 1990

Personal

Birthplace

Jersey City, N.J.

Profession

Retired

Contact

Campaign website

Joseph Atura (Democratic Party) ran for election to the New Jersey General Assembly to represent District 9. He lost in the general election on November 7, 2023.

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

Biography

Joseph Atura was born in Jersey City, New Jersey. Atura earned a bachelor's degree from Saint Peter's University in 1990. He is retired.

Atura has been affiliated with the Stafford Township Democrats and Democratic Coalition of Ocean County.

Elections

2023

See also: New Jersey General Assembly elections, 2023

General election

General election for New Jersey General Assembly District 9 (2 seats)

Incumbent Brian Rumpf and Gregory E. Myhre defeated Sarah Collins, Joseph Atura, and Barry Bendar in the general election for New Jersey General Assembly District 9 on November 7, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Brian Rumpf (R)	34.0	37,559
✔		Gregory E. Myhre (R)	32.9	36,342
	Submit photo	Sarah Collins (D)	16.6	18,374
		Joseph Atura (D)	15.6	17,205
		Barry Bendar (G)	0.9	979

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 110,459
= 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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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 9 (2 seats)

Sarah Collins and Joseph Atura advanced from the Democratic primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 9 on June 6, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Sarah Collins	50.5	6,807
✔		Joseph Atura	49.5	6,678

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 13,485
= 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 9 (2 seats)

Incumbent Brian Rumpf and Gregory E. Myhre advanced from the Republican primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 9 on June 6, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Brian Rumpf	50.9	11,516
✔		Gregory E. Myhre	49.1	11,124

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 22,640
= 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

Atura received the following endorsements.

• Freethought Equality Fund PAC

Campaign themes

2023

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Joseph Atura completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Atura'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.

First time candidate, I'm a Democrat running in a traditionally Republican district. Legislative District 9 is so reliably Republican that often Democrats do not field a candidate in races at all levels of government. I am running because the values of the Democratic Party need to be part of every discussion of public policy.

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?

• Building the economy from the bottom up.
• Protectecting womens' right to reproductive healthcare.
• Safe storage of firearms.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Job training, living wage, childcare, affordable housing, mass transit,

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

Bernie Sanders. Senator Sanders has been a staunch advocate of liberal policies for decades.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I'd like to set an example regarding rank and file citizens participating in the political process.

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

I was ten years old when President Kennedy was assassinated. I remember everyone being glued to their flickering black and white TV's for three days.

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

I collected softballs at the batting cages in Seaside Heights. The job lasted until school began.

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

I support the offices' repective roles as laid out in the NJ Constitution. The Legislature legislates. The Executive executes legislation.

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

Affordibliity

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

Yes, but not a prerequisite.

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

Politics is people. Nothing can get down without working with other legislators.

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

State Senator William Gormley: a moderate who did not hesitate to work with the other party to accomplish things for his district.

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

No

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

Yes

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

Compromise is the oil that keeps the engine of government running.

What is the first bill you would introduce if elected?

A Constitution Amendment guaranteeing the right to reproductive healthcare.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Planned Parenthood Action Fund of New Jersey

New Jersey League of Conservation Voters
Moms Demand Action
Center for Free Thought Equality

Healthcare Professionals and Affiliated Employees

What committees interest you?

Labor

Education

Mass Transit

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

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Newsletters

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External links

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Candidate

New Jersey General Assembly District 9

Website

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)