Lawrence Berlinski Jr.
Lawrence Berlinski Jr. (Constitution Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent New Jersey's 3rd Congressional District. He lost in the general election on November 6, 2018.
Berlinski completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2018. Click here to read the survey answers.
Elections
2018
General election
General election for U.S. House New Jersey District 3
Andrew Kim defeated incumbent Tom MacArthur and Lawrence Berlinski Jr. in the general election for U.S. House New Jersey District 3 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Andrew Kim (D) | 50.0 | 153,473 |
 | Tom MacArthur (R) | 48.7 | 149,500 | |
 | Lawrence Berlinski Jr. (Constitution Party)  | 1.3 | 3,902 | |
| Total votes: 306,875 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 3
Andrew Kim advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 3 on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Andrew Kim | 100.0 | 28,514 |
| Total votes: 28,514 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 3
Incumbent Tom MacArthur advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 3 on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Tom MacArthur | 100.0 | 25,612 |
| Total votes: 25,612 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2016
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Tom MacArthur (R) defeated Frederick John Lavergne (D) and Lawrence Berlinski Jr. (Constitution Party) in the general election on November 8, 2016. MacArthur faced no challenger in the Republican primary, while Lavergne defeated Jim Keady in the Democratic primary. The primary elections took place on June 7, 2016. MacArthur won re-election in the November 8 election.[1][2][3]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Tom MacArthur Incumbent |
59.3% | 194,596 | |
| Democratic | Frederick John Lavergne | 38.9% | 127,526 | |
| Constitution | Lawrence Berlinski Jr. | 1.8% | 5,938 | |
| Total Votes | 328,060 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Division of Elections | ||||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Frederick Lavergne |
62.8% | 32,963 | ||
| Jim Keady | 37.2% | 19,526 | ||
| Total Votes | 52,489 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Division of Elections |
||||
Campaign themes
2018
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Lawrence Berlinski Jr. completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Berlinski's responses.
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
Propose an amendment to effectively repeal the 16th Amendment Propose an amendment to effectively repeal the 17th Amendment Reduce funding to all unConstitutional agencies with a long term goal of ending those same agencies
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
Reducing the size and power of the Federal government and returning those powers to the people and the States
Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?
The Federalist Papers, the Anti-Federalist papers, Liberty and Tyranny
What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?
Integrity, humility, honor, courage
What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?
I know for what I stand. I like to engage in civil debate with people that don't agree with me. This is for two reasons, one I might be wrong on an issue and they might convince me otherwise and two, I might be right on an issue and might convince them.
What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?
The responsibilities and powers of a member of Congress are specifically spelled out in the US Constitution.
What legacy would you like to leave?
I would like to leave a strong base on which those who come after can build to restore our Government to its proper role. I know that my goals are long term and many will not be realized in my lifetime.
What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?
The space shuttle Challenger accident.
What was your very first job? How long did you have it?
Office clerk while in high school. I only held that job for one year.
What is your favorite book? Why?
It was a series of books, the Belisarius series, by Drake and Flint. I enjoy the alternate history genre combined with a little bit of science fiction. I also enjoyed Red Storm Rising by Clancy. It was one of the first adult books I read for pleasure.
What was the last song that got stuck in your head?
Here Comes the Hotstepper by Ini Kamoze. Curse you 90's on 9!!!!
What process do you favor for redistricting?
Make the district shapes compact while still following county borders (as best as can be done).
What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?
That (by design) it is the only institution of the Federal Government in which the people are directly represented. That its powers are few and defined. That the whole body can be completely changed in one election cycle.
Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?
No, in fact I think it would be better if the representatives had little experience. It ought not be a job that someone gets comfortable doing. It ought not be a job from which one can retire. The reason why laws are so difficult to read is because common people don't write the laws.
What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?
Illegal immigration, spending and reasonable exit strategies in the many unConstitutional wars we are currently fighting.
Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?
Yes, two years is enough for one term. The HoR was not supposed to be a full time job and common people who were supposed to be elected to this post could not leave their work for extended periods of time.
What are your thoughts on term limits?
Each member of the House and Senate are already limited to one term per election cycle. There is no need to amend the Constitution for this purpose.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
- United States House of Representatives
- New Jersey's 3rd Congressional District election, 2018
- New Jersey's 3rd Congressional District
External links
Footnotes
