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New Jersey General Assembly District 35
New Jersey General Assembly District 35 is represented by Alaa Abdelaziz (D) and Shavonda Sumter (D).
As of the 2020 Census, New Jersey state representatives represented an average of 116,181 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 110,094 residents.
About the office
Members of the New Jersey General Assembly serve two-year terms and are not subject to term limits. New Jersey legislators assume office at noon of the second Tuesday in January following the election.[1]
Qualifications
In order to qualify as a candidate for the New Jersey General Assembly, a candidate must:[2]
- Be a citizen of the United States
- Be 21 years of age or older by the day of swearing in
- Be a registered voter
- Reside in the state for a minimum of two years prior to the general election
- Reside in the legislative district for one year prior to the general election
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[3] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $49,000/year | No per diem is paid. |
Vacancies
If there is a vacancy in the New Jersey State Legislature, the vacancy will be filled by an interim appointment by the county leadership of the political party that holds the seat. The office will be on the ballot in the next general election, unless the vacancy occurs within 51 days of the election. If that is the case, the appointment would stand until the following general election.[4][5]
See sources: New Jersey Const., Art. IV, Sec. IV(1)
District map
Redistricting
2020 redistricting cycle
On February 18, 2022, the New Jersey Legislative Reapportionment Commission voted to approve a new set of state legislative maps.[6] The commission voted 9-2 to approve the maps. Thomas Kean Jr. (R) and Cosmo A. Cirillo (D) were the two dissenting votes.[7] The New Jersey Monitor's Nikita Biryukov wrote that the vote was "an unprecedented compromise for a commission that has historically relied on a court-appointed tiebreaker to end partisan gridlock."[6] These maps took effect for New Jersey's 2023 legislative elections.
How does redistricting in New Jersey work? In New Jersey, congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn by two distinct politician commissions. The congressional redistricting commission comprises the following 13 members:[8]
- The majority and minority leaders of each chamber of the New Jersey State Legislature appoint two commissioners a piece (for a total of eight members).
- The chairs of the state's two major political parties each appoint two members to the commission (for a total of four members). Commissioners appointed by the political parties cannot be members of Congress or congressional employees.
- The first 12 commissioners appoint the last member. This member cannot have held public office in the state within the previous five-year period. If the first 12 commissioners cannot agree on an appointment, they must submit two names to the New Jersey Supreme Court. The court must then appoint the final commissioner.
If the congressional redistricting commission fails to reach an agreement about a redistricting plan, it must submit two plans to the state Supreme Court, which must in turn select from those two plans a final map.[8]
The state legislative redistricting commission comprises 10 members. The chairs of the state's two major political parties each appoint five members to the commission. In the event that this commission is unable to reach an agreement about a redistricting plan, the state Supreme Court may appoint a tie-breaking member.[8]
State law requires that state legislative districts meet the following criteria:[8]
- Districts must be contiguous.
- Districts "must be as nearly compact as possible."
- Municipalities "must be kept intact, except where otherwise required by law."
There are no such requirements in place for congressional districts.[8]
New Jersey General Assembly District 35
until January 2, 2023
Click a district to compare boundaries.
New Jersey General Assembly District 35
starting January 3, 2023
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Elections
2025
See also: New Jersey General Assembly elections, 2025
General election
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
General election for New Jersey General Assembly District 35 (2 seats)
Incumbent Alaa Abdelaziz, Kenyatta Stewart, Nelvin Mercado-Duran, and Rawell Perez-Muñoz are running in the general election for New Jersey General Assembly District 35 on November 4, 2025.
Candidate | ||
 | Alaa Abdelaziz (D) | |
| Kenyatta Stewart (D) | ||
| Nelvin Mercado-Duran (R) | ||
 | Rawell Perez-Muñoz (R) | |
| ||||
 = 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 35 (2 seats)
Kenyatta Stewart and incumbent Alaa Abdelaziz defeated Orlando Cruz and Romi Herrera in the Democratic primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 35 on June 10, 2025.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Kenyatta Stewart | 33.0 | 7,679 | |
| ✔ | | Alaa Abdelaziz | 27.5 | 6,391 |
| Orlando Cruz | 26.4 | 6,128 | ||
| Romi Herrera | 13.1 | 3,042 | ||
| Total votes: 23,240 | |||
| = 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
- Shavonda Sumter (D)
- Benjie Wimberly (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 35 (2 seats)
Nelvin Mercado-Duran and Rawell Perez-Muñoz defeated Andrew Tisellano in the Republican primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 35 on June 10, 2025.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Nelvin Mercado-Duran | 41.8 | 1,939 | |
| ✔ | | Rawell Perez-Muñoz | 30.3 | 1,406 |
| Andrew Tisellano | 27.9 | 1,295 | ||
| Total votes: 4,640 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2023
See also: New Jersey General Assembly elections, 2023
General election
General election for New Jersey General Assembly District 35 (2 seats)
Incumbent Benjie Wimberly and incumbent Shavonda Sumter won election in the general election for New Jersey General Assembly District 35 on November 7, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Benjie Wimberly (D) | 50.2 | 12,320 |
| ✔ |  | Shavonda Sumter (D) | 49.7 | 12,214 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 19 | ||
| Total votes: 24,553 | |||
| = 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 35 (2 seats)
Incumbent Shavonda Sumter and incumbent Benjie Wimberly advanced from the Democratic primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 35 on June 6, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Shavonda Sumter | 50.0 | 3,632 |
| ✔ | | Benjie Wimberly | 50.0 | 3,632 |
| Total votes: 7,264 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2021
See also: New Jersey General Assembly elections, 2021
General election
General election for New Jersey General Assembly District 35 (2 seats)
Incumbent Benjie Wimberly and incumbent Shavonda Sumter defeated Ramzy Yamisha and Iman Majagah in the general election for New Jersey General Assembly District 35 on November 2, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Benjie Wimberly (D) | 34.6 | 20,276 |
| ✔ | | Shavonda Sumter (D) | 34.5 | 20,235 |
| Ramzy Yamisha (R) | 15.6 | 9,166 | ||
| Iman Majagah (R) | 15.3 | 8,990 | ||
| Total votes: 58,667 | |||
| = 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 35 (2 seats)
Incumbent Shavonda Sumter and incumbent Benjie Wimberly advanced from the Democratic primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 35 on June 8, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Shavonda Sumter | 50.2 | 4,454 |
| ✔ | | Benjie Wimberly | 49.8 | 4,417 |
| Total votes: 8,871 | |||
| = 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 35 (2 seats)
Ramzy Yamisha and Iman Majagah advanced from the Republican primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 35 on June 8, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Ramzy Yamisha | 50.8 | 1,433 | |
| ✔ | Iman Majagah | 49.2 | 1,389 | |
| Total votes: 2,822 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2019
Elections for the New Jersey General Assembly took place in 2019. The primary was on June 4, 2019, and the general election was on November 5. The filing deadline for candidates was April 1, 2019.
General election
General election for New Jersey General Assembly District 35 (2 seats)
Incumbent Benjie Wimberly and incumbent Shavonda Sumter defeated Tamer Mamkej in the general election for New Jersey General Assembly District 35 on November 5, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Benjie Wimberly (D) | 43.5 | 14,089 |
| ✔ | | Shavonda Sumter (D) | 43.4 | 14,033 |
| Tamer Mamkej (R) | 13.1 | 4,241 | ||
| Total votes: 32,363 | |||
| = 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
- Robert Cartalemi (R)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 35 (2 seats)
Incumbent Shavonda Sumter and incumbent Benjie Wimberly advanced from the Democratic primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 35 on June 4, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Shavonda Sumter | 50.4 | 3,579 |
| ✔ | | Benjie Wimberly | 49.6 | 3,522 |
| Total votes: 7,101 | |||
| = 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 35 (2 seats)
Robert Cartalemi and Tamer Mamkej advanced from the Republican primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 35 on June 4, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Robert Cartalemi | 52.0 | 965 | |
| ✔ | Tamer Mamkej | 48.0 | 892 | |
| Total votes: 1,857 | |||
| = 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
- Elizabeth Pla (R)
2017
General election
Elections for the New Jersey General Assembly took place in 2017. All 80 seats were up for election. State assembly members are elected to two-year terms. The general election took place on November 7, 2017. A primary election took place on June 6, 2017. The filing deadline for the primary election was April 3, 2017.[9] Legislative districts in the New Jersey General Assembly are multi-member districts, with two representatives in each district. In Democratic and Republican primary elections, the top two candidates move forward to the general election, and the top two candidates in the general election are declared the winners.[10] Incumbent Benjie Wimberly (D) and incumbent Shavonda Sumter (D) defeated Ibrahim Mahmoud (R) and Nihad Younes (R) in the New Jersey General Assembly District 35 general election.[11][12]
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 35 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Benjie Wimberly Incumbent |
40.02% | 21,406 | |
| Democratic | Shavonda Sumter Incumbent |
39.78% | 21,275 | |
| Republican | Ibrahim Mahmoud | 10.16% | 5,435 | |
| Republican | Nihad Younes | 10.03% | 5,366 | |
| Total Votes | 53,482 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||||
Democratic primary election
Incumbent Benjie Wimberly and incumbent Shavonda Sumter were unopposed in the New Jersey General Assembly District 35 Democratic primary election.[13][14]
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 35 Democratic Primary, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Benjie Wimberly Incumbent |
50.29% | 7,510 |
| Shavonda Sumter Incumbent |
49.71% | 7,422 |
| Total Votes | 14,932 | |
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||
Republican primary election
Ibrahim Mahmoud and Nihad Younes were unopposed in the New Jersey General Assembly District 35 Republican primary election.[15][14]
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 35 Republican Primary, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Ibrahim Mahmoud |
50.10% | 985 |
| Nihad Younes |
49.90% | 981 |
| Total Votes | 1,966 | |
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||
2015
Elections for the New Jersey General Assembly took place in 2015. A primary election was held on June 2, 2015. The general election took place on November 3, 2015. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 30, 2015.[16] Since the general assembly uses multi-member districts, the top two candidates from each party in the primaries advanced to the general election. Incumbent Shavonda Sumter and incumbent Benjie Wimberly were bracketed together and were unopposed in the Democratic primary. David Jimenez and Ilia Villanueva were bracketed together and were unopposed in the Republican primary. Sumter and Wimberly defeated Jimenez and Villanueva in the general election.[17][18][19][20][21]
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 35 General Election, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Benjie Wimberly Incumbent |
36.4% | 11,905 | |
| Democratic | Shavonda Sumter Incumbent |
36.4% | 11,904 | |
| Republican | David Jimenez | 13.8% | 4,522 | |
| Republican | Ilia Villanueva | 13.3% | 4,333 | |
| Total Votes | 32,664 | |||
2013
Elections for the office of New Jersey General Assembly consisted of a primary election on June 4, 2013, and a general election on November 5, 2013. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was April 1, 2013. Incumbent Shavonda Sumter (D) and incumbent Benjie Wimberly (D) defeated Rhina Tavarez (R) and Maria del Pilar Rivas (R) in the general election. Sumter and Wimberly were bracketed together, and ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. Tavarez and Rivas were bracketed together, and ran unopposed in the Republican primary.[22][23][24][25]
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 35 General Election, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Benjie Wimberly Incumbent |
36.7% | 21,195 | |
| Democratic | Shavonda Sumter Incumbent |
36% | 20,791 | |
| Republican | Rhina Tavarez | 13.8% | 7,968 | |
| Republican | Maria del Pilar Rivas | 13.5% | 7,828 | |
| Total Votes | 57,782 | |||
2011
Elections for the office of New Jersey General Assembly consisted of a primary election on June 7, 2011, and a general election on November 8, 2011. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was April 11, 2011. Shavonda Sumter (D) and Benjie Wimberly (D) defeated Donna Puglisi (R) and William Connolly (R) in the general election. Sumter and Wimberly were bracketed together and defeated Samuel Torres in the Democratic primary. Puglisi was bracketed with James Challice and Connolly was bracketed with Rhina Tavarez in the Republican primary. Puglisi and Connolly advanced past the Republican primary to face Sumter and Wimberly in the general election.[26][27][28]
| New Jersey General Assembly District 35 General Election, 2011 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Benjie Wimberly |
36.8% | 13,551 | |
| Democratic | Shavonda Sumter |
35.7% | 13,143 | |
| Republican | Donna Puglisi | 13.9% | 5,114 | |
| Republican | William Connolly | 13.6% | 5,020 | |
| Total Votes | 36,828 | |||
| New Jersey General Assembly District 35 Democratic Primary, 2011 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Benjie Wimberly |
46.9% | 3,743 |
| Shavonda Sumter |
43.4% | 3,459 |
| Samuel Torres | 9.7% | 776 |
| Total Votes | 7,978 | |
Campaign contributions
From 2001 to 2023, candidates for New Jersey General Assembly District 35 raised a total of $2,976,450. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $78,328 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money
| Campaign contributions, New Jersey General Assembly District 35 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average |
| 2023 | $468,332 | 2 | $234,166 |
| 2021 | $476,063 | 4 | $119,016 |
| 2011 | $170,536 | 7 | $24,362 |
| 2009 | $596,142 | 6 | $99,357 |
| 2007 | $704,848 | 4 | $176,212 |
| 2005 | $379,177 | 9 | $42,131 |
| 2003 | $85,800 | 4 | $21,450 |
| 2001 | $95,552 | 2 | $47,776 |
| Total | $2,976,450 | 38 | $78,328 |
See also
- New Jersey State Legislature
- New Jersey State Senate
- New Jersey General Assembly
- New Jersey state legislative districts
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ New Jersey Constitution, "Article IV, Section II (2.)," accessed February 10, 2021
- ↑ NJ.gov, "PETITION FILING INSTRUCTION SHEET 2025 PRIMARY ELECTION NEW JERSEY GENERAL ASSEMBLY," accessed May 23, 2025
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ New Jersey Legislature, "Our Legislature," accessed February 10, 2021
- ↑ New Jersey Legislature, "New Jersey Constitution," accessed February 10, 2021 (Article IV, Section 4, (1))
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 New Jersey Monitor, "Democrats, GOP agree on new legislative map for N.J.," February 18, 2022
- ↑ Insider NJ, "Redistricting Commission Finalizes Legislative Map by 9-2 Vote," February 18, 2022
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 All About Redistricting, "New Jersey," accessed May 6, 2015
- ↑ New Jersey Secretary of State, "2017 Primary Election Timeline," accessed March 21, 2017
- ↑ New Jersey Division of Elections, "Official List, Candidates for General Assembly for Primary Election, June 6, 2017," accessed April 13, 2017
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "Candidates for General Assembly for General Election 11/07/2017 Election," accessed September 14, 2017
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "2017 official general election results," accessed November 30, 2017
- ↑ New Jersey Division of Elections, "Official Candidate List," April 6, 2017
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 New Jersey Division of Elections, “2017 official primary election results for general assembly,” accessed July 13, 2017
- ↑ New Jersey Division of Elections, "Official Candidate List," April 6, 2017
- ↑ New Jersey Department of Elections, "2015 Primary Election Timeline," accessed February 2, 2015
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "Official candidate list for June 2 primary," accessed May 22, 2015
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "Unofficial primary election results," accessed June 3, 2015
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "Official list for candidate for General Assembly," accessed August 10, 2015
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "Official primary results for General Assembly," accessed August 10, 2015
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "Official general election results for General Assembly," accessed December 7, 2015
- ↑ New Jersey Department of Elections, "Official Primary Election Results," accessed July 26, 2013
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "Official general election candidates," September 9, 2013
- ↑ Associated Press, "New Jersey - Summary Vote Results," November 6, 2013
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "2013 Official General Election results," accessed December 6, 2013
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, “2011 Official General Assembly Primary Candidate List,” accessed December 5, 2013
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, “2011 Official General election results,” accessed December 5, 2013
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, “2011 Official Primary election results,” accessed December 5, 2013
