New Jersey's 4th Congressional District election, 2016
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November 8, 2016 |
June 7, 2016 |
Chris Smith  |
Chris Smith |
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Cook Political Report: Solid R[1] Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe R[2] Rothenberg & Gonzales: Safe R[3] |
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The 4th Congressional District of New Jersey held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 8, 2016.
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Chris Smith (R) defeated Lorna Phillipson (D), Jeremy Marcus (L), and Hank Schroeder (Economic Growth) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Smith defeated Bruce MacDonald in the Republican primary on June 7, 2016. Smith won re-election in the November 8 election.[4][5][6]
| Candidate Filing Deadline | Primary Election | General Election |
|---|---|---|
Primary: A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. New Jersey utilizes a semi-closed primary process, in which the selection of a party's candidates in an election is generally limited to registered party members. Unaffiliated voters can register as party members at the polls on primary election day. Otherwise, a voter must indicate his or her party preference (e.g., via an updated voter registration) no later than the 55th day preceding the primary in order to vote in that party's primary.[7]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Incumbent: Heading into the election the incumbent was Chris Smith (R), who was first elected in 1980.
As of the 2010 redistricting cycle, New Jersey's 4th Congressional District was located in the central portion of the state and included most of Monmouth County and parts of Mercer and Ocean counties.[8]
Election results
General election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Chris Smith Incumbent |
63.7% | 211,992 | |
| Democratic | Lorna Phillipson | 33.5% | 111,532 | |
| Economic Growth | Hank Schroeder | 1.8% | 5,840 | |
| Libertarian | Jeremy Marcus | 1% | 3,320 | |
| Total Votes | 332,684 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Division of Elections | ||||
Primary election
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Chris Smith Incumbent |
92% | 41,789 | ||
| Bruce MacDonald | 8% | 3,645 | ||
| Total Votes | 45,434 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Division of Elections |
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Candidates
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General election candidates:  Lorna Phillipson Chris Smith  Jeremy Marcus Hank Schroeder (Economic Growth) |
|
Primary candidates:[9] |
|
Democratic |
Republican Bruce MacDonald[4] |
District history
2014
The 4th Congressional District of New Jersey held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Chris Smith (R) defeated Ruben Scolavino (D) and Scott Neuman (Democratic-Republican) in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Chris Smith Incumbent |
68% | 118,826 | |
| Democratic | Ruben Scolavino | 31.1% | 54,415 | |
| Democratic-Republican | Scott Neuman | 0.9% | 1,608 | |
| Total Votes | 174,849 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Division of Elections | ||||
2012
The 4th Congressional District of New Jersey held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012. Incumbent Chris Smith (R) defeated Brian Froelich (D) and Leonard Marshall (I) in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Brian Froelich | 35.3% | 107,991 | |
| Republican | Chris Smith Incumbent |
63.7% | 195,145 | |
| Independent | Leonard Marshall | 1% | 3,111 | |
| Total Votes | 306,247 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" | ||||
Important dates and deadlines
- See also: New Jersey elections, 2016
The calendar below lists important dates for political candidates in New Jersey in 2016.
| Dates and requirements for candidates in 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Deadline | Event type | Event description |
| April 4, 2016 | Ballot access | Filing deadline for primary candidates |
| May 9, 2016 | Campaign finance | 29-day pre-primary report due |
| May 27, 2016 | Campaign finance | 11-day pre-primary report due |
| June 7, 2016 | Election date | Primary election |
| June 7, 2016 | Ballot access | Filing deadline for independent candidates |
| June 27, 2016 | Campaign finance | 20-day post-primary report due |
| October 11, 2016 | Campaign finance | 29-day pre-general report due |
| October 28, 2016 | Campaign finance | 11-day pre-general report due |
| November 8, 2016 | Election date | General election |
| November 28, 2016 | Campaign finance | 20-day post-general report due |
| Sources: New Jersey Department of State, "Candidate Information," accessed November 25, 2015 New Jersey Campaign Financing and Lobbying Disclosure, "2016 Reporting Dates," accessed January 11, 2016 | ||
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in New Jersey, 2016
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2016
Footnotes
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2016 House Race Ratings for July 11, 2016," accessed July 19, 2016
- ↑ Sabato's Crystal Ball, "2016 House," accessed July 18, 2016
- ↑ Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report, "House Ratings," accessed July 19, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 New Jersey Division of Elections, "Candidates for House of Representatives for Primary Election 6/7/2016," accessed April 5, 2016
- ↑ New Jersey Secretary of State, "Candidates for House of Representatives," accessed September 7, 2016
- ↑ CNN, "New Jersey House 04 Results," November 8, 2016
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "N.J. Rev. Stat. § 19:23–45," accessed December 11, 2025
- ↑ New Jersey Redistricting Map, "Map," accessed September 25, 2012
- ↑ Candidates are listed by party and alphabetically within each party.
For information about public policy issues in the 2016 elections, see: Public policy in the 2016 elections!
