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New Jersey General Assembly District 34
New Jersey General Assembly District 34 is represented by Carmen Morales (D) and Michael Venezia (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 34
until January 2, 2023
Click a district to compare boundaries.
New Jersey General Assembly District 34
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 34 (2 seats)
Incumbent Carmen Morales, incumbent Michael Venezia, Demetrius Eley, and Lorenzo Marchese Jr. are running in the general election for New Jersey General Assembly District 34 on November 4, 2025.
Candidate | ||
 | Carmen Morales (D) | |
| Michael Venezia (D) | ||
| Demetrius Eley (R) | ||
 | Lorenzo Marchese Jr. (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 34 (2 seats)
Incumbent Carmen Morales and incumbent Michael Venezia defeated Brittany Claybrooks and Frank Velez III in the Democratic primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 34 on June 10, 2025.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Carmen Morales | 33.6 | 13,108 |
| ✔ | Michael Venezia | 26.5 | 10,362 | |
 | Brittany Claybrooks | 24.3 | 9,499 | |
| Frank Velez III | 15.6 | 6,091 | ||
| Total votes: 39,060 | |||
| = 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
- Ralph Caputo (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 34 (2 seats)
Lorenzo Marchese Jr. and Demetrius Eley advanced from the Republican primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 34 on June 10, 2025.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Lorenzo Marchese Jr. | 60.7 | 2,821 |
| ✔ | Demetrius Eley | 39.3 | 1,827 | |
| Total votes: 4,648 | |||
| = 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 34 (2 seats)
Michael Venezia and Carmen Morales defeated James McGuire and Clenard Childress Jr. in the general election for New Jersey General Assembly District 34 on November 7, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Michael Venezia (D) | 38.8 | 18,400 | |
| ✔ | | Carmen Morales (D) | 38.3 | 18,173 |
| James McGuire (R) | 11.8 | 5,597 | ||
| Clenard Childress Jr. (R) | 11.1 | 5,241 | ||
| Total votes: 47,411 | |||
| = 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 34 (2 seats)
Carmen Morales and Michael Venezia advanced from the Democratic primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 34 on June 6, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Carmen Morales | 50.3 | 8,332 |
| ✔ | Michael Venezia | 49.7 | 8,238 | |
| Total votes: 16,570 | |||
| = 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 34 (2 seats)
James McGuire and Clenard Childress Jr. advanced from the Republican primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 34 on June 6, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | James McGuire | 66.7 | 791 | |
| ✔ | Clenard Childress Jr. | 33.3 | 395 | |
| Total votes: 1,186 | |||
| = 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 34 (2 seats)
Incumbent Thomas Giblin and incumbent Britnee Timberlake defeated Irene DeVita, Tafari Anderson, and Clenard Childress Jr. in the general election for New Jersey General Assembly District 34 on November 2, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Thomas Giblin (D) | 39.3 | 36,717 |
| ✔ |  | Britnee Timberlake (D) | 38.9 | 36,392 |
 | Irene DeVita (R) | 10.8 | 10,107 | |
 | Tafari Anderson (R) | 10.5 | 9,830 | |
| Clenard Childress Jr. (Stop The Insanity! Party) | 0.4 | 401 | ||
| Total votes: 93,447 | |||
| = 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 34 (2 seats)
Incumbent Thomas Giblin and incumbent Britnee Timberlake advanced from the Democratic primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 34 on June 8, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Thomas Giblin | 50.2 | 11,122 |
| ✔ | | Britnee Timberlake | 49.8 | 11,023 |
| Total votes: 22,145 | |||
| = 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 34 (2 seats)
Irene DeVita and Tafari Anderson advanced from the Republican primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 34 on June 8, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Irene DeVita | 50.7 | 1,556 |
| ✔ | | Tafari Anderson | 49.3 | 1,511 |
| Total votes: 3,067 | |||
| = 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 34 (2 seats)
Incumbent Thomas Giblin and incumbent Britnee Timberlake defeated Bharat Rana, Irene DeVita, and Clenard Childress Jr. in the general election for New Jersey General Assembly District 34 on November 5, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Thomas Giblin (D) | 41.9 | 19,012 |
| ✔ | | Britnee Timberlake (D) | 41.0 | 18,593 |
 | Bharat Rana (R) | 7.9 | 3,596 | |
| Irene DeVita (R) | 7.8 | 3,527 | |
| Clenard Childress Jr. (Stop The Insanity! Party) | 1.4 | 658 | ||
| Total votes: 45,386 | |||
| = 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 34 (2 seats)
Incumbent Thomas Giblin and incumbent Britnee Timberlake defeated Simone Jelks-Bandison in the Democratic primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 34 on June 4, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Thomas Giblin | 44.5 | 7,935 |
| ✔ | | Britnee Timberlake | 44.2 | 7,894 |
 | Simone Jelks-Bandison | 11.3 | 2,019 | |
| Total votes: 17,848 | |||
| = 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 34 (2 seats)
Bharat Rana and Irene DeVita advanced from the Republican primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 34 on June 4, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Bharat Rana | 50.5 | 532 |
| ✔ | | Irene DeVita | 49.5 | 521 |
| Total votes: 1,053 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2018
General election
Special general election for New Jersey General Assembly District 34
Incumbent Britnee Timberlake defeated Irene DeVita and Clenard Childress Jr. in the special general election for New Jersey General Assembly District 34 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Britnee Timberlake (D) | 81.9 | 53,837 |
| Irene DeVita (R) | 16.6 | 10,920 | |
| Clenard Childress Jr. (Stop the Insanity Party) | 1.5 | 983 | ||
| Total votes: 65,740 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
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 Sheila Oliver (D) and incumbent Thomas Giblin (D) defeated Nicholas Surgent (R) and Tafari Anderson (R) in the New Jersey General Assembly District 34 general election.[11][12]
| 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 | ||||
Democratic primary election
Incumbent Sheila Oliver and incumbent Thomas Giblin were unopposed in the New Jersey General Assembly District 34 Democratic primary election.[13][14]
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 34 Democratic Primary, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Sheila Oliver Incumbent |
51.64% | 15,754 |
| Thomas Giblin Incumbent |
48.36% | 14,753 |
| Total Votes | 30,507 | |
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||
Republican primary election
Nicholas Surgent and Ghalib Mahmoud were unopposed in the New Jersey General Assembly District 34 Republican primary election.[15][14]
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 34 Republican Primary, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Nicholas Surgent |
53.25% | 1,147 |
| Ghalib Mahmoud |
46.75% | 1,007 |
| Total Votes | 2,154 | |
| 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 Sheila Oliver and incumbent Thomas Giblin were bracketed together and were unopposed in the Democratic primary. John Traier and Louis Rodriguez were bracketed together and were unopposed in the Republican primary. Rodriguez withdrew following the primary. Oliver and Giblin defeated Traier and Clenard Childress (A Better Tomorrow) in the general election.[17][18][19][20][21]
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 34 General Election, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Thomas Giblin Incumbent |
42.3% | 13,436 | |
| Democratic | Sheila Oliver Incumbent |
41.9% | 13,294 | |
| Republican | John Traier | 12.7% | 4,025 | |
| A Better Tomorrow | Clenard Childress | 3.1% | 977 | |
| Total Votes | 31,732 | |||
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 Thomas Giblin (D) and incumbent Sheila Oliver (D) defeated David Rios (R) and Michael Urciouli (R) in the general election. Giblin and Oliver were bracketed together, and defeated Rayfield Morton, Anthony Moye, Beverly K. Williams, Denise Baskerville, and Clenard H. Childress, Jr. in the Democratic primary. Rios and Urciouli were bracketed together, and ran unopposed in the Republican primary.[22][23][24][25]
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 34 General Election, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Sheila Oliver Incumbent |
38% | 27,095 | |
| Democratic | Thomas Giblin Incumbent |
37.6% | 26,802 | |
| Republican | Michael Urciouli | 12.2% | 8,663 | |
| Republican | David Rios | 12.2% | 8,654 | |
| Total Votes | 71,214 | |||
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 34, Democratic Primary, 2013 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|
Sheila Oliver Incumbent |
37% | 10,820 |
| Thomas Giblin Incumbent |
33.6% | 9,808 |
| Denise Baskerville | 10.3% | 2,996 |
| Beverly Williams | 9.6% | 2,797 |
| Rayfield Morton | 4.5% | 1,303 |
| Anthony Moye | 4.2% | 1,240 |
| Clenard Childress | 0.9% | 264 |
| Total Votes | 29,228 | |
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. Incumbent Thomas Giblin (D) and incumbent Sheila Oliver (D) defeated Steve Farrell (R), Joan Salensky (R), Clenard Childress (I) and David Taylor (I) in the general election. Giblin and Oliver were bracketed together and ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. Farrell was bracketed with Randy Colondres and Salensky was bracketed with Rick Farfan in the Republican primary. Farrell and Salensky advanced past the Republican primary to face Giblin and Oliver in the general election.[26][27][28]
| New Jersey General Assembly District 34 General Election, 2011 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Thomas Giblin Incumbent |
39.1% | 16,285 | |
| Democratic | Sheila Oliver Incumbent |
37.1% | 15,462 | |
| Republican | Steve Farrell | 10.2% | 4,270 | |
| Republican | Joan Salensky | 10.2% | 4,251 | |
| Independent | Clenard Childress | 2% | 813 | |
| Independent | David Taylor | 1.4% | 586 | |
| Total Votes | 41,667 | |||
Campaign contributions
From 2001 to 2023, candidates for New Jersey General Assembly District 34 raised a total of $3,926,158. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $76,983 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money
| Campaign contributions, New Jersey General Assembly District 34 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average |
| 2023 | $223,001 | 4 | $55,750 |
| 2021 | $224,436 | 5 | $44,887 |
| 2011 | $1,068,998 | 8 | $133,625 |
| 2009 | $627,084 | 7 | $89,583 |
| 2007 | $608,463 | 4 | $152,116 |
| 2005 | $534,585 | 5 | $106,917 |
| 2003 | $309,087 | 8 | $38,636 |
| 2001 | $330,504 | 10 | $33,050 |
| Total | $3,926,158 | 51 | $76,983 |
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
