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New Jersey General Assembly elections, 2017
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| 2017 New Jersey Assembly Elections | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General | November 7, 2017 |
| Primary | June 6, 2017 |
| Filing deadline | April 3, 2017 |
| 2017 State Legislative Elections | |
| 2017 State Legislative Special Elections | |
| Past Election Results | |
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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.[1] 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.[2]
See the results of the November 7 elections here.
| New Jersey General Assembly | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Before November 7 elections | After November 7 elections | |
| Democratic Party | 52 | 54 | |
| Republican Party | 28 | 26 | |
| Total | 80 | 80 | |
Candidates
General election candidates
The general election candidate list below is based on an official list provided by the New Jersey Department of State website on September 13, 2017.
General election vote totals
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 1 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Bob Andrzejczak Incumbent |
31.25% | 32,554 | |
| Democratic | R. Bruce Land Incumbent |
29.69% | 30,938 | |
| Republican | James Sauro | 19.62% | 20,445 | |
| Republican | Robert Campbell | 19.44% | 20,250 | |
| Total Votes | 104,187 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 2 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Vincent Mazzeo Incumbent |
28.56% | 27,601 | |
| Democratic | John Armato |
26.58% | 25,683 | |
| Republican | Vince Sera | 21.54% | 20,814 | |
| Republican | Brenda Taube | 21.33% | 20,611 | |
| Independent, Honest, Reliable | Heather Gordon | 1.25% | 1,208 | |
| Green | Mico Lucide | 0.74% | 718 | |
| Total Votes | 96,635 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 3 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | John Burzichelli Incumbent |
30.30% | 31,853 | |
| Democratic | Adam Taliaferro Incumbent |
29.24% | 30,733 | |
| Republican | Philip Donohue | 20.70% | 21,758 | |
| Republican | Linwood Donelson | 19.20% | 20,181 | |
| One For All | Edward R. Durr | 0.56% | 589 | |
| Total Votes | 105,114 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 4 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Paul Moriarty Incumbent |
32.24% | 32,892 | |
| Democratic | Gabriela Mosquera Incumbent |
31.17% | 31,800 | |
| Republican | Patricia Jefferson Kline | 18.02% | 18,386 | |
| Republican | Eduardo Maldonado | 17.41% | 17,761 | |
| Represent, Not Rule | William McCauley Jr. | 1.17% | 1,194 | |
| Total Votes | 102,033 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 5 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Patricia Egan Jones Incumbent |
34.60% | 29,282 | |
| Democratic | Arthur Barclay Incumbent |
32.55% | 27,544 | |
| Republican | Teresa Gordon | 16.76% | 14,181 | |
| Republican | Kevin Ehret | 16.10% | 13,625 | |
| Total Votes | 84,632 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 6 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Louis Greenwald Incumbent |
36.00% | 41,767 | |
| Democratic | Pamela Lampitt Incumbent |
34.73% | 40,291 | |
| Republican | David Moy | 14.49% | 16,811 | |
| Republican | Winston Extavour | 14.08% | 16,335 | |
| American Solidarity Party | Monica Sohler | 0.71% | 821 | |
| Total Votes | 116,025 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 7 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Herbert Conaway, Jr. Incumbent |
33.13% | 39,879 | |
| Democratic | Carol Murphy |
32.25% | 38,819 | |
| Republican | Octavia Scott | 17.40% | 20,941 | |
| Republican | Robert Thibault | 17.22% | 20,726 | |
| Total Votes | 120,365 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 8 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Joe Howarth Incumbent |
25.13% | 28,841 | |
| Republican | Ryan Peters |
24.98% | 28,671 | |
| Democratic | Joanne Schwartz | 24.67% | 28,321 | |
| Democratic | MaryAnn Merlino | 24.56% | 28,196 | |
| No Status Quo | Ryan T. Calhoun | 0.66% | 753 | |
| Total Votes | 114,782 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 9 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Brian Rumpf Incumbent |
31.89% | 40,158 | |
| Republican | DiAnne Gove Incumbent |
31.38% | 39,523 | |
| Democratic | Jill Dobrowansky | 18.69% | 23,534 | |
| Democratic | Ryan Young | 18.04% | 22,721 | |
| Total Votes | 125,936 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 10 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | David Wolfe Incumbent |
31.73% | 39,265 | |
| Republican | Gregory McGuckin Incumbent |
30.62% | 37,896 | |
| Democratic | Michael Cooke | 18.92% | 23,417 | |
| Democratic | Raymond Baker | 18.73% | 23,174 | |
| Total Votes | 123,752 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 11 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Joann Downey Incumbent |
27.65% | 31,347 | |
| Democratic | Eric Houghtaling Incumbent |
27.36% | 31,012 | |
| Republican | Robert Acerra | 22.65% | 25,672 | |
| Republican | Michael Whelan | 22.34% | 25,320 | |
| Total Votes | 113,351 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 12 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Ronald Dancer Incumbent |
29.25% | 30,348 | |
| Republican | Robert Clifton Incumbent |
28.54% | 29,610 | |
| Democratic | Gene Davis | 20.67% | 21,441 | |
| Democratic | Nirav Patel | 19.66% | 20,397 | |
| Libertarian | Anthony J. Storrow | 0.98% | 1,016 | |
| Libertarian | Daniel A. Krause | 0.90% | 938 | |
| Total Votes | 103,750 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 13 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Amy Handlin Incumbent |
28.90% | 35,990 | |
| Republican | Serena DiMaso |
27.48% | 34,214 | |
| Democratic | Tom Giaimo | 21.85% | 27,212 | |
| Democratic | Mariel Didato | 21.40% | 26,640 | |
| Libertarian | Eveline H. Brownstein | 0.37% | 458 | |
| Total Votes | 124,514 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 14 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Wayne DeAngelo Incumbent |
30.04% | 35,596 | |
| Democratic | Daniel Benson Incumbent |
29.61% | 35,088 | |
| Republican | Kristian Stout | 20.86% | 24,725 | |
| Republican | Steven Uccio | 19.50% | 23,106 | |
| Total Votes | 118,515 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 15 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Reed Gusciora Incumbent |
36.99% | 35,481 | |
| Democratic | Elizabeth Maher Muoio Incumbent |
36.42% | 34,937 | |
| Republican | Emily Rich | 13.63% | 13,077 | |
| Republican | Rimma Yakobovich | 12.96% | 12,428 | |
| Total Votes | 95,923 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 16 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Andrew Zwicker Incumbent |
27.24% | 34,233 | |
| Democratic | Roy Freiman |
26.03% | 32,714 | |
| Republican | Donna Simon | 23.61% | 29,674 | |
| Republican | Mark Caliguire | 23.11% | 29,041 | |
| Total Votes | 125,662 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 17 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Joseph Egan Incumbent |
36.03% | 29,149 | |
| Democratic | Joseph Danielsen Incumbent |
35.14% | 28,425 | |
| Republican | Robert Quinn | 13.99% | 11,317 | |
| Republican | Nadine Wilkins | 13.76% | 11,131 | |
| It's Our Time | Michael Habib | 1.08% | 875 | |
| Total Votes | 80,897 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 18 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Nancy Pinkin Incumbent |
31.98% | 30,301 | |
| Democratic | Robert Karabinchak Incumbent |
31.01% | 29,376 | |
| Republican | April Bengivenga | 18.53% | 17,559 | |
| Republican | Zhiyu Hu | 17.40% | 16,484 | |
| Green | Sean A. Stratton | 1.08% | 1,024 | |
| Total Votes | 94,744 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 19 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Craig Coughlin Incumbent |
35.62% | 25,708 | |
| Democratic | Yvonne Lopez |
34.40% | 24,830 | |
| Republican | Deepak Malhotra | 14.84% | 10,709 | |
| Republican | Amarjit Riar | 13.07% | 9,436 | |
| Quality of Life | William Cruz | 2.06% | 1,488 | |
| Total Votes | 72,171 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 20 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Annette Quijano Incumbent |
45.38% | 24,221 | |
| Democratic | Jamel Holley Incumbent |
44.57% | 23,790 | |
| Republican | Joseph Aubourg | 10.04% | 5,361 | |
| Total Votes | 53,372 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 21 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Jon Bramnick Incumbent |
26.42% | 35,283 | |
| Republican | Nancy Munoz Incumbent |
25.67% | 34,273 | |
| Democratic | Lacey Rzeszowski | 24.50% | 32,719 | |
| Democratic | Bruce Bergen | 23.40% | 31,248 | |
| Total Votes | 133,523 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 22 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | James J. Kennedy Incumbent |
32.62% | 27,763 | |
| Democratic | Gerald Green Incumbent |
32.05% | 27,284 | |
| Republican | Richard Fortunato | 17.19% | 14,631 | |
| Republican | John Quattrocchi | 16.07% | 13,682 | |
| Remember Those Forgotten | Onel Martinez | 1.11% | 942 | |
| Pushing Us Forward | Sumantha Prasad | 0.96% | 818 | |
| Total Votes | 85,120 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 23 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | John DiMaio Incumbent |
29.37% | 33,880 | |
| Republican | Erik Peterson Incumbent |
27.94% | 32,233 | |
| Democratic | Laura Shaw | 21.14% | 24,386 | |
| Democratic | Charles Boddy | 18.80% | 21,690 | |
| End the Corruption | Tyler J. Gran | 1.67% | 1,921 | |
| We Define Tomorrow | Michael Estrada | 1.09% | 1,256 | |
| Total Votes | 115,366 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 24 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Parker Space Incumbent |
30.67% | 33,873 | |
| Republican | Harold Wirths |
27.91% | 30,820 | |
| Democratic | Kate Matteson | 20.33% | 22,456 | |
| Democratic | Gina Trish | 18.29% | 20,200 | |
| Green | Aaron Hyndman | 1.42% | 1,568 | |
| Green | Kenny Collins | 1.37% | 1,518 | |
| Total Votes | 110,435 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 25 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Michael Carroll Incumbent |
26.18% | 30,323 | |
| Republican | Anthony Bucco, Jr. Incumbent |
26.14% | 30,278 | |
| Democratic | Thomas Moran | 24.04% | 27,848 | |
| Democratic | Richard Corcoran | 23.64% | 27,386 | |
| Total Votes | 115,835 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 26 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Jay Webber Incumbent |
28.23% | 31,810 | |
| Republican | BettyLou DeCroce Incumbent |
28.19% | 31,766 | |
| Democratic | Joseph Raich | 21.95% | 24,732 | |
| Democratic | William Edge | 21.62% | 24,362 | |
| Total Votes | 112,670 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 27 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | John McKeon Incumbent |
33.36% | 39,742 | |
| Democratic | Mila Jasey Incumbent |
32.16% | 38,311 | |
| Republican | Ronald DeRose | 17.31% | 20,625 | |
| Republican | Angelo Tedesco | 17.17% | 20,451 | |
| Total Votes | 119,129 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 28 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Ralph Caputo Incumbent |
42.70% | 30,084 | |
| Democratic | Cleopatra Tucker Incumbent |
42.08% | 29,643 | |
| Republican | Veronica Branch | 6.87% | 4,839 | |
| Republican | James Boydston | 6.63% | 4,672 | |
| Time for change | Joanne Miller | 1.11% | 782 | |
| A New Hope | Scott Thomas Nicastro Jr. | 0.61% | 430 | |
| Total Votes | 70,450 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 29 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Eliana Pintor Marin Incumbent |
44.82% | 19,088 | |
| Democratic | Shanique Speight |
42.98% | 18,308 | |
| Republican | Charles Hood | 6.16% | 2,622 | |
| Republican | Jeannette Veras | 6.04% | 2,574 | |
| Total Votes | 42,592 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 30 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Sean Kean Incumbent |
33.26% | 33,672 | |
| Republican | Edward Thomson Incumbent |
30.30% | 30,680 | |
| Democratic | Kevin Scott | 18.51% | 18,737 | |
| Democratic | Eliot Colon | 17.94% | 18,160 | |
| Total Votes | 101,249 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 31 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Angela McKnight Incumbent |
42.02% | 23,616 | |
| Democratic | Nicholas Chiaravalloti Incumbent |
40.61% | 22,823 | |
| Republican | Michael Alonso | 8.89% | 4,994 | |
| Republican | Lauren DiGiaro | 8.48% | 4,766 | |
| Total Votes | 56,199 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 32 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Vincent Prieto Incumbent |
41.00% | 23,633 | |
| Democratic | Angelica Jimenez Incumbent |
40.01% | 23,063 | |
| Republican | Ann Corletta | 9.56% | 5,512 | |
| Republican | Bartholomew Talamini | 9.43% | 5,434 | |
| Total Votes | 57,642 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 33 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Annette Chaparro Incumbent |
46.67% | 32,988 | |
| Democratic | Raj Mukherji Incumbent |
45.27% | 31,997 | |
| Republican | Holly Lucyk | 8.06% | 5,697 | |
| Total Votes | 70,682 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 34 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Sheila Oliver Incumbent |
43.01% | 34,340 | |
| Democratic | Thomas Giblin Incumbent |
41.02% | 32,751 | |
| Republican | Nicholas Surgent | 8.31% | 6,637 | |
| Republican | Tafari Anderson | 7.65% | 6,110 | |
| Total Votes | 79,838 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||||
| 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 | ||||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 36 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Gary Schaer Incumbent |
31.92% | 22,527 | |
| Democratic | Marlene Caride Incumbent |
31.77% | 22,419 | |
| Republican | Paul Passamano | 18.77% | 13,245 | |
| Republican | Marc Marsi | 17.53% | 12,372 | |
| Total Votes | 70,563 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 37 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Valerie Vainieri Huttle Incumbent |
37.37% | 31,855 | |
| Democratic | Gordon Johnson Incumbent |
37.31% | 31,798 | |
| Republican | Gino Tessaro | 12.45% | 10,610 | |
| Republican | Angela Hendricks | 12.41% | 10,576 | |
| Libertarian | Claudio Belusic | 0.46% | 392 | |
| Total Votes | 85,231 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 38 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Joseph Lagana Incumbent |
29.30% | 30,800 | |
| Democratic | Timothy Eustace Incumbent |
29.23% | 30,727 | |
| Republican | Bill Leonard | 20.49% | 21,541 | |
| Republican | Christopher Wolf | 20.48% | 21,525 | |
| Independent- NJ Awakens | Dev Goswami | 0.51% | 533 | |
| Total Votes | 105,126 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 39 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Holly Schepisi Incumbent |
27.35% | 34,158 | |
| Republican | Robert Auth Incumbent |
26.22% | 32,739 | |
| Democratic | Jannie Chung | 23.32% | 29,126 | |
| Democratic | Annie Hausmann | 23.11% | 28,862 | |
| Total Votes | 124,885 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 40 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Kevin Rooney Incumbent |
26.79% | 31,170 | |
| Republican | Christopher DePhillips |
26.31% | 30,610 | |
| Democratic | Christine Ordway | 23.28% | 27,092 | |
| Democratic | Paul Vagianos | 22.98% | 26,737 | |
| You Tell Me | Anthony J. Pellechia | 0.64% | 748 | |
| Total Votes | 116,357 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||||
Primary candidates
The candidate list below is based on an official list provided by the New Jersey Department of State website on April 13, 2017. The filing deadline for the June primary was on April 3, 2017. (I) denotes an incumbent.[2]
Primary vote totals
Below are election results for all contested primary elections in the New Jersey General Assembly in 2017. All results are official.
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 1 Republican Primary, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| James Sauro |
54.24% | 5,843 |
| Robert Campbell |
29.52% | 3,180 |
| Brian McDowell | 16.24% | 1,750 |
| Total Votes | 10,773 | |
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 2 Democratic Primary, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Vincent Mazzeo Incumbent |
37.46% | 7,197 |
| John Armato |
29.13% | 5,596 |
| Ernest Coursey | 20.05% | 3,852 |
| Jim Carney | 6.65% | 1,278 |
| Theresa Watts | 4.81% | 925 |
| Rizwan Malik | 1.90% | 365 |
| Total Votes | 19,213 | |
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 3 Democratic Primary, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Adam Taliaferro Incumbent |
46.41% | 8,523 |
| John Burzichelli Incumbent |
45.75% | 8,401 |
| John Kalnas | 7.84% | 1,439 |
| Total Votes | 18,363 | |
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 6 Democratic Primary, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Pamela Lampitt Incumbent |
44.00% | 13,746 |
| Louis Greenwald Incumbent |
42.51% | 13,282 |
| Fredrick Dande | 13.49% | 4,216 |
| Total Votes | 31,244 | |
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 7 Democratic Primary, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Herbert Conaway, Jr. Incumbent |
44.00% | 11,952 |
| Carol Murphy |
43.03% | 11,688 |
| Jennifer Hiniu Chuang | 12.97% | 3,522 |
| Total Votes | 27,162 | |
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 11 Democratic Primary, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Joann Downey Incumbent |
50.68% | 8,889 |
| Eric Houghtaling Incumbent |
49.32% | 8,652 |
| Aasim Johnson | 0.00% | 0 |
| Total Votes | 17,541 | |
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 12 Republican Primary, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Ronald Dancer Incumbent |
31.34% | 4,425 |
| Robert Clifton Incumbent |
29.77% | 4,203 |
| Eleanor Walker | 19.22% | 2,713 |
| Alex Robotin | 16.51% | 2,331 |
| John Sheard | 3.16% | 446 |
| Total Votes | 14,118 | |
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 15 Democratic Primary, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Elizabeth Maher Muoio Incumbent |
47.79% | 12,221 |
| Reed Gusciora Incumbent |
47.71% | 12,199 |
| Gail Boyland | 4.50% | 1,151 |
| Total Votes | 25,571 | |
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 17 Democratic Primary, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Joseph Egan Incumbent |
34.87% | 9,605 |
| Joseph Danielsen Incumbent |
32.70% | 9,007 |
| Heather Fenyk | 16.39% | 4,513 |
| Ralph Johnson | 16.04% | 4,418 |
| Total Votes | 27,543 | |
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 22 Democratic Primary, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Paul Alirangues | 56.72% | 28,065 |
| James J. Kennedy Incumbent |
22.07% | 10,922 |
| Gerald Green Incumbent |
21.21% | 10,495 |
| Total Votes | 49,482 | |
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 24 Democratic Primary, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Kate Matteson |
46.49% | 5,997 |
| Gina Trish |
41.97% | 5,414 |
| Michael Pirog | 11.54% | 1,489 |
| Total Votes | 12,900 | |
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 24 Republican Primary, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Parker Space Incumbent |
40.16% | 11,149 |
| Harold Wirths |
35.45% | 9,842 |
| Nathan Orr | 13.64% | 3,787 |
| David Atwood | 10.75% | 2,983 |
| Total Votes | 27,761 | |
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 26 Democratic Primary, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| William Edge |
42.87% | 6,669 |
| Joseph Raich |
38.91% | 6,054 |
| Laura Fortgang | 18.22% | 2,835 |
| Total Votes | 15,558 | |
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 26 Republican Primary, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Jay Webber Incumbent |
32.95% | 8,574 |
| BettyLou DeCroce Incumbent |
27.82% | 7,239 |
| William Lyon | 20.56% | 5,350 |
| John Cesaro | 18.66% | 4,856 |
| Total Votes | 26,019 | |
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 31 Democratic Primary, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Angela McKnight Incumbent |
37.33% | 9,621 |
| Nicholas Chiaravalloti Incumbent |
35.20% | 9,073 |
| Kristen Zadroga-Hart | 15.83% | 4,081 |
| Christopher Munoz | 11.64% | 3,000 |
| Total Votes | 25,775 | |
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 37 Republican Primary, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Gino Tessaro |
28.07% | 1,182 |
| Angela Hendricks |
26.26% | 1,106 |
| Paul Duggan | 22.94% | 966 |
| Margaret Ahn | 22.73% | 957 |
| Total Votes | 4,211 | |
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 40 Republican Primary, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Kevin Rooney Incumbent |
35.92% | 8,251 |
| Christopher DePhillips |
33.29% | 7,647 |
| Norman Robertson | 15.45% | 3,548 |
| Joseph Bubba | 15.33% | 3,522 |
| Total Votes | 22,968 | |
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||
Qualifications
In order to be a candidate to run for the New Jersey General Assembly, a candidate must:[3]
- Be a citizen of the United States.
- Reside for no less than two years in the district the candidate plans to represent.
- Be 21 years of age or older.
- Obtain 100 signatures via petition and submit the signatures to the New Jersey Secretary of State.
- Disclose any criminal convictions.
Salaries and per diem
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[4] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $49,000/year | No per diem is paid. |
When sworn in
New Jersey legislators assume office at noon on the second Tuesday in January following the election.[5]
Races we watched
| New Jersey General Assembly Races to Watch |
|---|
| Democratic seats |
 District 1
|
| District 3
|
| District 11
|
| Republican seats |
 District 8
|
| District 21
|
| District 25
|
| Split seats |
| District 2
|
| District 16
|
Ballotpedia identified eight races to watch in the New Jersey General Assembly 2017 elections: three seats with two Democratic members, three seats with two Republican members, and two seats split between the parties. Based on analysis of these districts' electoral histories, these races had the potential to be more competitive than other races and could possibly have led to shifts in a chamber's partisan balance. Heading into the general election, Democrats held a 52-28 majority. Republicans needed to pick up 13 seats in order to take control of the chamber. Democrats needed to pick up two seats in order to achieve the two-thirds majority needed to override gubernatorial vetoes.
To determine state legislative races to watch in 2017, Ballotpedia looked for races that fit one or more of the five factors listed below. These criteria apply to chambers that have two-member districts. Other criteria are used for chambers with single-member districts. For an example, see the 2017 races to watch in the New Jersey State Senate.
- If the district was split between the parties (one Democrat and one Republican) in the most recent election prior to 2017
- If a challenger came within five points of an incumbent of the opposite party in the most recent election prior to 2017
- If the presidential candidate opposite of the incumbent's party won the district in the 2016 elections and a challenger came within ten points of an incumbent of the opposite party in the most recent election prior to 2017
- If the presidential candidate opposite of the incumbent's party won the district in the 2016 elections and at least one incumbent did not file to run for re-election
- If the presidential candidate opposite of an incumbent's party won the district in the 2016 elections by 20 points or more
Other factors could also trigger a race to watch. For example, if an outside group or a national or state party announced that they were targeting a specific seat in order to flip it, then Ballotpedia studied the race for that district as a race to watch. Similarly, if a race received an unusual amount of media attention, Ballotpedia also studied the race for that district as a race to watch. Two additional factors were open seats and districts impacted by redistricting.
This map shows the New Jersey state legislative districts where the races we highlighted occurred. In 2017, there were 14 counties with races to watch. Five counties—Atlantic, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Mercer, and Somerset—had races involving both Democratic and Republican seats that we highlighted. Five counties—Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Monmouth, and Salem—had races involving Democratic seats that we highlighted. Four counties—Burlington, Camden, Morris, and Union—had races involving Republican seats that we highlighted.
District 1
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District 2
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District 3
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District 8
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District 11
| Click [show] to read about the District 11 race | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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District 16
| Click [show] to read about the District 16 race | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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District 21
| Click [show] to read about the District 21 race | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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District 25
| Click [show] to read about the District 25 race | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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New Jersey political history
Overview
New Jersey leaned politically to the left in most elections leading up to the November 2017 elections.
Democrats took control of both chambers of the state Legislature in 2001 and held on to them in every election between then and 2015, the last time one of the chambers was up for election prior to 2017. In 2015, Democrats picked up four seats in the assembly, giving them a 52-28 majority. In 2013, Democrats maintained their 24-16 majority in the state Senate. The governor’s mansion followed slightly different trends in elections between 2001 and 2017. Republicans controlled the governor’s mansion from 1994 to 2001. Democrats controlled it from 2002 until 2009 when Republican Chris Christie defeated Democratic incumbent Jon Corzine 48.5 to 44.9 percent. Prior to Christie’s win in 2009, Republicans had not won a statewide election in New Jersey since 1997.[7] Christie was re-elected in 2013 with 60 percent of the vote. At the beginning of 2017, New Jersey was one of 19 states under divided government.
At the federal level, New Jersey backed Democratic presidential candidates in every election between 1992 and 2016. Democrat Hillary Clinton won the state in 2016 with 55.5 percent of the vote. Two counties in New Jersey—Gloucester and Salem—are Pivot Counties, which voted for Democrat Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012 but voted for Republican Donald Trump in 2016. Ballotpedia identified a total of 206 Pivot Counties throughout the country. Following the 2016 elections, Democrats held seven out of New Jersey’s 12 congressional seats in the House and both Senate seats.
Party control
Democrats in the New Jersey General Assembly increased their majority in the 2015 elections from 48-31 to 52-28.
| New Jersey General Assembly | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 3, 2015 | After November 3, 2015 | |
| Democratic Party | 48 | 52 | |
| Republican Party | 31 | 28 | |
| Vacancy | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 80 | 80 | |
Trifectas
A state government trifecta is a term that describes single party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government. Republicans held a trifecta in New Jersey from 1994 to 2001. Democrats gained a trifecta in 2004 and held on to it until 2010 when Chris Christie (R) was sworn in as governor.
New Jersey Party Control: 1992-2025
Fourteen years of Democratic trifectas • Eight years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| Senate | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | S | S | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| Assembly | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
Presidential politics in New Jersey
In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton (D) won New Jersey with 55.5 percent of the vote. Donald Trump (R) received 41.4 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, New Jersey voted Democratic 46.67 percent of the time and Republican 53.33 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, New Jersey voted Democratic all five times.
2016 Presidential election results
| U.S. presidential election, New Jersey, 2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Electoral votes | |
| Democratic | Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine |
55.5% | 2,148,278 | 14 | |
| Republican | Donald Trump/Mike Pence | 41.4% | 1,601,933 | 0 | |
| Libertarian | Gary Johnson/Bill Weld | 1.9% | 72,477 | 0 | |
| Green | Jill Stein/Ajamu Baraka | 1% | 37,772 | 0 | |
| Constitution | Darrell Lane Castle/Scott Bradley | 0.2% | 6,161 | 0 | |
| Socialist Workers | Alyson Kennedy/Osborne Hart | 0.1% | 2,156 | 0 | |
| American Delta | Rocky De La Fuente/Michael Steinberg | 0% | 1,838 | 0 | |
| Workers World | Monica Moorehead/Lamont Lilly | 0% | 1,749 | 0 | |
| Socialism and Liberation | Gloria Estela La Riva/Eugene Puryear | 0% | 1,682 | 0 | |
| Total Votes | 3,874,046 | 14 | |||
| Election results via: New Jersey Department of State | |||||
Presidential results by legislative district
The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state Assembly districts in New Jersey. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2017 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[8][9]
| In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 28 out of 40 state Assembly districts in New Jersey with an average margin of victory of 34.9 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 28 out of 40 state Assembly districts in New Jersey with an average margin of victory of 31.5 points. Clinton won three districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2017 elections. |
| In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 12 out of 40 state Assembly districts in New Jersey with an average margin of victory of 12.2 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 12 out of 40 state Assembly districts in New Jersey in 2016 with an average margin of victory of 16.2 points. Trump won two districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2017 elections. |
| 2016 Presidential Results by State Assembly District | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Obama | Romney | 2012 Margin | Clinton | Trump | 2016 Margin | Party Control |
| 1 | 52.55% | 46.39% | D+6.2 | 43.92% | 52.84% | R+8.9 | D |
| 2 | 59.98% | 39.14% | D+20.8 | 54.18% | 42.74% | D+11.4 | D |
| 3 | 54.96% | 43.72% | D+11.2 | 46.34% | 49.83% | R+3.5 | D |
| 4 | 61.11% | 37.87% | D+23.2 | 54.63% | 42.20% | D+12.4 | D |
| 5 | 69.44% | 29.50% | D+39.9 | 62.87% | 33.90% | D+29 | D |
| 6 | 64.21% | 34.67% | D+29.5 | 64.43% | 32.10% | D+32.3 | D |
| 7 | 63.72% | 35.34% | D+28.4 | 61.61% | 35.00% | D+26.6 | D |
| 8 | 53.14% | 45.83% | D+7.3 | 49.28% | 46.94% | D+2.3 | R |
| 9 | 43.90% | 54.95% | R+11.1 | 34.13% | 62.67% | R+28.5 | R |
| 10 | 42.47% | 56.53% | R+14.1 | 32.88% | 64.09% | R+31.2 | R |
| 11 | 54.95% | 43.91% | D+11 | 51.74% | 45.03% | D+6.7 | D |
| 12 | 46.38% | 52.52% | R+6.1 | 39.77% | 57.01% | R+17.2 | R |
| 13 | 44.27% | 54.60% | R+10.3 | 41.58% | 55.06% | R+13.5 | R |
| 14 | 57.47% | 41.35% | D+16.1 | 54.14% | 42.46% | D+11.7 | D |
| 15 | 72.84% | 26.14% | D+46.7 | 73.25% | 23.44% | D+49.8 | D |
| 16 | 53.14% | 45.49% | D+7.7 | 55.17% | 40.82% | D+14.4 | D |
| 17 | 72.19% | 26.50% | D+45.7 | 70.63% | 26.17% | D+44.5 | D |
| 18 | 60.72% | 38.08% | D+22.6 | 58.63% | 38.07% | D+20.6 | D |
| 19 | 66.90% | 32.12% | D+34.8 | 59.57% | 37.63% | D+21.9 | D |
| 20 | 80.20% | 19.24% | D+61 | 77.35% | 20.41% | D+56.9 | D |
| 21 | 46.60% | 52.40% | R+5.8 | 52.88% | 43.39% | D+9.5 | R |
| 22 | 67.75% | 31.29% | D+36.5 | 64.59% | 32.48% | D+32.1 | D |
| 23 | 43.42% | 55.10% | R+11.7 | 41.81% | 53.76% | R+12 | R |
| 24 | 38.84% | 59.48% | R+20.6 | 33.80% | 61.94% | R+28.1 | R |
| 25 | 45.33% | 53.65% | R+8.3 | 48.19% | 47.98% | D+0.2 | R |
| 26 | 44.04% | 54.83% | R+10.8 | 43.34% | 53.25% | R+9.9 | R |
| 27 | 56.97% | 42.24% | D+14.7 | 62.75% | 34.39% | D+28.4 | D |
| 28 | 82.91% | 16.46% | D+66.5 | 80.06% | 17.88% | D+62.2 | D |
| 29 | 87.85% | 11.62% | D+76.2 | 83.56% | 14.56% | D+69 | D |
| 30 | 36.52% | 62.53% | R+26 | 33.19% | 63.80% | R+30.6 | R |
| 31 | 81.11% | 18.08% | D+63 | 76.83% | 20.65% | D+56.2 | D |
| 32 | 73.85% | 25.23% | D+48.6 | 69.21% | 28.13% | D+41.1 | D |
| 33 | 76.64% | 22.04% | D+54.6 | 76.91% | 19.56% | D+57.4 | D |
| 34 | 82.06% | 17.23% | D+64.8 | 79.62% | 18.03% | D+61.6 | D |
| 35 | 82.17% | 17.28% | D+64.9 | 76.65% | 21.41% | D+55.2 | D |
| 36 | 63.15% | 35.80% | D+27.4 | 56.69% | 40.40% | D+16.3 | D |
| 37 | 68.10% | 31.09% | D+37 | 69.91% | 27.55% | D+42.4 | D |
| 38 | 54.53% | 44.48% | D+10.1 | 53.18% | 43.82% | D+9.4 | D |
| 39 | 44.84% | 54.23% | R+9.4 | 46.33% | 50.38% | R+4.1 | R |
| 40 | 43.69% | 55.37% | R+11.7 | 44.94% | 51.95% | R+7 | R |
| Total | 58.38% | 40.59% | D+17.8 | 55.45% | 41.35% | D+14.1 | - |
| Source: Daily Kos | |||||||
Pivot Counties
Two counties in New Jersey—Gloucester and Salem—are Pivot Counties, counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and Donald Trump (R) in 2016. There are 206 Pivot Counties in the country, scattered mostly throughout the northern midwest and northeast. A total of 477 state house districts and 233 state senate districts intersect with these Pivot Counties. This includes districts that intersected with only small portions of a county as well as districts that overlapped with multiple counties. These 710 state legislative districts account for approximately 10 percent of all state legislative districts in the country. Three state Assembly districts in New Jersey intersect with Pivot Counties. As of May 2017, Democrats controlled all three of them.
| State assembly districts intersecting with New Jersey Pivot Counties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County | Trump MoV 2016 | Obama MoV 2012 | Obama MoV 2008 | District | Party |
| Gloucester | 0.48% | 10.77% | 12.16% | District 3 | D |
| District 4 | D | ||||
| District 5 | D | ||||
| Salem | 15.00% | 1.31% | 3.92% | District 3 | D |
Political context of the 2017 elections
2017 gubernatorial election
Republican Governor Chris Christie was first elected in 2009 and was term-limited and ineligible to run for re-election in 2017. Gov. Christie and Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno (R) defeated Democratic incumbents Governor Jon Corzine and Lieutenant Governor Loretta Weinberg by a margin of 3.6 percentage points in 2009. Christie and Guadagno won re-election in 2013 by over 20 percentage points.
Over the course of his time in office, Governor Christie's popularity has often changed. It peaked at 72 percent approval in November 2012 following Superstorm Sandy; a 16 percent increase from the previous month.[10] Following his election to a second term in 2013, Christie's popularity waned with the Bridgegate scandal and a three-day partial government shutdown. His approval reached a low point of 15 percent in June 2017.[11]
Phil Murphy (D) and Kim Guadagno (R) won their party's nominations for governor in the June 6, 2017, primary election. Electoral rating organizations expected the race to succeed Christie to be competitive between the two major parties. As of July 19, 2017, Cook Political Report, Governing, and Sabato's Crystal Ball had rated it as "Likely Democrat."[12][13][14]
Republicans controlled the governor's office for 16 years between 1992 and 2017, while Democrats controlled the office for 10 years. Gov. Christie's (R) victory in 2009 broke up the state's Democratic trifecta. Democrats had a chance for a Democratic trifecta in 2017 if they kept control of both chamber of the legislature and gained the governor's office.
2017 partial state government shutdown
- See also: Potential government shutdowns
In 2017, New Jersey was one of three state governments that experienced a partial government shutdown or the implementation of spending cuts to nonessential government services. State governments establish annual spending and revenue levels by agreeing on a budget, a process that involves both the legislative and executive branches of government. For 46 states, budgets operate along fiscal years that run from July 1 to June 30—the four states that operate along other timelines are New York, Texas, Alabama, and Michigan. When a state's legislative and executive branches fail to settle on a budget agreement before the end of a fiscal year, this sometimes results in cuts to government services or partial government shutdowns in which nonessential services cease to operate until a budget deal is reached. Nonessential services include things like Bureau of Motor Vehicle branches, state parks, and state lotteries. Read below about the details of New Jersey's 2017 partial government shutdown.
- New Jersey's three-day partial government shutdown came to an end on July 4, 2017, after Gov. Chris Christie (R) signed a $34.7 billion state budget into law.[15] The New Jersey government went into a partial shutdown on July 1, 2017, after Democratic leadership in the Legislature and Christie failed to reach an agreement over the budget by the start of the new fiscal year. New Jersey last experienced a partial government shutdown in 2006. The budget impasse in 2017 centered on a proposal by Christie to restructure Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield, the state's largest health insurance company. Christie said he would not sign the budget, which included over $325 million in funding for Democratic priorities, unless it included the Horizon legislation. Both Christie and Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D) were in favor of including legislation in the state budget that would allow for more government oversight of the insurance provider. The legislation would have also required Horizon to dedicate its excess surplus to fund drug treatment programs. Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto (D) opposed the legislation, arguing that it could increase premiums for Horizon's policyholders. Fearing that Christie might line-item veto Democratic-backed proposals in the budget if the Horizon legislation was not included, many members of the Legislature abstained from voting on the budget which led to the shutdown.[16]
- On July 3, 2017, the Legislature and Christie reached an agreement to end the shutdown but the legislation was not signed until the early morning of June 4, 2017. The $34.7 billion budget included increased spending for education and healthcare and also established a cap on Horizon's reserves. Instead of the excess surplus going to fund drug treatment programs, the budget required the money to be used to limit future premium increases for Horizon's 3.8 million policyholders. The legislation also added two public members to Horizon's board.[17]
- The Assembly voted 53-23 in favor of the budget, while the state Senate backed it 21-14.[17]
Competitiveness
Every year since 2010, Ballotpedia has used official candidate lists from each state to examine the competitiveness of state legislative elections throughout the country. Nationally, there was a steady decline in electoral competitiveness between 2010 and 2016. Most notable is that the number of districts with general election competition dropped by more than 10 percent.
Open seats
In 2017, nine incumbents (11.2 percent) in the New Jersey Assembly did not file for re-election, leaving nine open seats.
| Open Seats in the New Jersey Assembly: 2011 - 2017 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Total seats | Open seats | Seats with incumbents running for re-election |
| 2017 | 80 | 9 (11.2 percent) | 71 (88.8 percent) |
| 2015 | 80 | 7 (8.8 percent) | 73 (91.25 percent) |
| 2013 | 80 | 5 (6.25 percent) | 75 (93.75 percent) |
| 2011 | 80 | 18 (22.5 percent) | 62 (77.5 percent) |
Major party candidates with and without major party competition
In 2017, there was one seat where a candidate faced no major party opposition. In District 20, Democratic incumbents Annette Quijano and Jamel Holley faced one Republican opponent, Joseph Aubourg. This means that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, either Quijano or Holley was all but guaranteed to win re-election.
| Races with and without major party opposition in the New Jersey Assembly | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Total races | Races without major party opposition | Races with major party opposition | Democrats without major party opposition | Republicans without major party opposition |
| 2017 | 80 | 1 (1.25 percent)[18] | 79 (98.75 percent) | 1 | 0 |
| 2015 | 80 | 8 (10 percent) | 72 (90 percent) | 3 | 5 |
| 2013 | 80 | 0 | 80 (100 percent) | 0 | 0 |
Incumbents who did not file for re-election
The following incumbents did not file for re-election in 2017:[19]
- Chris Brown (R) - District 2: Brown filed to run for District 2 of the New Jersey State Senate.
- Troy Singleton (D) - District 7: Singleton filed to run for District 7 of the New Jersey State Senate.
- Maria Rodriguez-Gregg (R) - District 8: Rodriguez-Gregg dropped out of her race following the primary election.
- Declan O'Scanlon, Jr. (R) - District 13: O'Scanlon filed to run for District 13 of the New Jersey State Senate.
- Jack Ciattarelli (R) - District 16: Ciattarelli filed to run for governor of New Jersey.
- John Wisniewski (D) - District 19: Wisniewski filed to run for governor of New Jersey.
- Gail Phoebus (R) - District 24
- Blonnie Watson (D) - District 29
- David Russo (R) - District 40
Contested primaries
The New Jersey General Assembly has 40 multi-member districts with two legislators in each district (80 total legislators). A primary in the New Jersey General Assembly was considered contested if more than two candidates filed to run in either a Democratic or Republican primary for a district. For example, if two incumbents filed to run for re-election, and one challenger filed to run against them, that primary was considered contested. Out of 80 possible primaries in the New Jersey General Assembly, 17 (21.25 percent) were contested: 11 Democratic primaries and six Republican primaries.
The 17 contested primaries in 2017 was the largest number of contested primaries since 2009. In 2009, there were 23 contested primaries: nine Democratic primaries and 14 Republican primaries. In 2011, there were 15 contested primaries: seven Democratic primaries and eight Republican primaries. In 2013, there were 10 contested primaries: five Democratic primaries and five Republican primaries. In 2015, there were five contested primaries: three Democratic primaries and two Republican primaries.
| Contested Primaries in the New Jersey General Assembly: 2013, 2015, and 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Possible primaries | Total contested primaries | Democratic contested primaries | Republican contested primaries |
| 2017 | 80 | 17 (21.25 percent) | 11 | 6 |
| 2015 | 80 | 5 (6.25 percent) | 3 | 2 |
| 2013 | 80 | 10 (12.5 percent) | 5 | 5 |
| 2011 | 80 | 15 (19 percent) | 7 | 8 |
| 2009 | 80 | 23 (29 percent) | 9 | 14 |
Incumbents who faced primary challengers
In 2017, 22 incumbents faced primary election challengers: 16 Democrats and six Republicans. In four elections between 2011 and 2017, no incumbent in the New Jersey Assembly lost in a primary election.
| Incumbents who faced primary challengers | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Total seats | Seats with incumbents running for re-election | Incumbents facing primary challengers | Incumbents defeated in a primary |
| 2017 | 80 | 72 (90 percent) | 22 (30.5 percent) | 0 |
| 2015 | 80 | 73 (91.25 percent) | 7 (9.5 percent) | 0 |
| 2013 | 80 | 75 (93.75 percent) | 11 (14.6 percent) | 0 |
| 2011 | 80 | 62 (77.5 percent) | 12 (19.3 percent) | 0 |
Historical context
Uncontested elections: In 2014, 32.8 percent of Americans lived in states with an uncontested state senate election. Similarly, 40.4 percent of Americans lived in states with uncontested house elections. Primary elections were uncontested even more frequently, with 61 percent of people living in states with no contested primaries. Uncontested elections often occur in locations that are so politically one-sided that the result of an election would be a foregone conclusion regardless of whether it was contested or not.
Open seats: In most cases, an incumbent will run for re-election, which decreases the number of open seats available. In 2014, 83 percent of the 6,057 seats up for election saw the incumbent running for re-election. The states that impose term limits on their legislatures typically see a higher percentage of open seats in a given year because a portion of incumbents in each election are forced to leave office. Overall, the number of open seats decreased from 2012 to 2014, dropping from 21.2 percent in 2012 to 17.0 percent in 2014.
Incumbent win rates: Ballotpedia's competitiveness analysis of elections between 1972 and 2014 documented the high propensity for incumbents to win re-election in state legislative elections. In fact, since 1972, the win rate for incumbents had not dropped below 90 percent—with the exception of 1974, when 88 percent of incumbents were re-elected to their seats. Perhaps most importantly, the win rate for incumbents generally increased over time. In 2014, 96.5 percent of incumbents were able to retain their seats. Common convention holds that incumbents are able to leverage their office to maintain their seat. However, the high incumbent win rate may actually be a result of incumbents being more likely to hold seats in districts that are considered safe for their party.
Marginal primaries: Often, competitiveness is measured by examining the rate of elections that have been won by amounts that are considered marginal (5 percent or less). During the 2014 election, 90.1 percent of primary and general election races were won by margins higher than 5 percent. Interestingly, it is usually the case that only one of the two races—primary or general—will be competitive at a time. This means that if a district's general election is competitive, typically one or more of the district's primaries were won by more than 5 percent. The reverse is also true: If a district sees a competitive primary, it is unlikely that the general election for that district will be won by less than 5 percent. Primaries often see very low voter turnout in comparison to general elections. In 2014, there were only 27 million voters for state legislative primaries, but approximately 107 million voters for the state legislative general elections.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ New Jersey Secretary of State, "2017 Primary Election Timeline," accessed March 21, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 New Jersey Division of Elections, "Official List, Candidates for General Assembly for Primary Election, June 6, 2017," accessed April 13, 2017
- ↑ New Jersey Secretary of State, "Partisan Office Candidate Requirements," accessed December 18, 2013
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ New Jersey Constitution, "Article IV, Section II (2.)," accessed February 10, 2021
- ↑ Observer, "Rodriguez-Gregg Drops Out of Assembly Race," August 30, 2017
- ↑ Cohen, R. et al. (2015), The Almanac of American Politics. Bethesda, MD:Columbia Books Inc. (page 1163)
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
- ↑ Huffington Post, "Sandy Response Sends New Jersey Gov Approval Sky-High, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Voters Back Stricter Codes for Shore Rebuilding," November 27, 2012
- ↑ Politico, "Christie is now New Jersey's least popular governor ever, with 15 percent approval," June 14, 2017
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2017/2018 GOVERNORS RACE RATINGS FOR JUNE 22, 2017," June 22, 2017
- ↑ Governing, "2017-2018 Governors' Races: Where Power Is Most and Least Likely to Flip," January 5, 2017
- ↑ Sabato's Crystal Ball, "Initial 2018 Gubernatorial Ratings," April 20, 2017
- ↑ NY Times, "Standoff Ends in Budget Deal for New Jersey," July 3, 2017
- ↑ NBC New York, "Gov. Christie Orders New Jersey Government Shutdown Amid Budget Impasse," July 1, 2017
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Politico, "Christie signs N.J. budget, ending 3-day government shutdown," July 3, 2017
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedrible - ↑ Ballotpedia defines an incumbent as retiring if the incumbent did not file for office or filed for office but withdrew, was disqualified, or otherwise left a race in a manner other than losing the primary, primary runoff, or convention. If an incumbent runs as a write-in candidate, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring. If an incumbent runs in the same chamber for a different seat, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring.
