New Jersey State Senate elections, 2017

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2017 New Jersey
Senate Elections
Flag of New Jersey.png
GeneralNovember 7, 2017
PrimaryJune 6, 2017
Filing deadlineApril 3, 2017
2017 State Legislative Elections
2017 State Legislative
Special Elections
Past Election Results
2013201120072003
2001

Elections for the New Jersey State Senate took place in 2017. All 40 seats were up for election. 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][2] New Jersey's state senators are not subject to term limits. They serve four-year terms, except in the first term of a new decade, which only lasts for two years. Prior to the 2017 election, the chamber last held elections in 2013.

See the results of the November 7 elections here.

New Jersey State Senate
Party As of November 7, 2017 After November 7, 2017
     Democratic Party 24 25
     Republican Party 16 15
Total 40 40
HIGHLIGHTS
  • Heading into the general election, Democrats held a 24-16 majority. Republicans needed to pick up five seats in order to take control of the chamber. Democrats, on the other hand, needed to pick up three seats to have a supermajority, allowing them to override gubernatorial vetoes.
  • At the beginning of 2017, New Jersey was one of 19 states under divided government, with Republicans in control of the governorship and Democrats in control of the legislature. In most statewide elections leading up to the November 2017 elections, however, New Jersey leaned politically to the left.
  • The general election took place four months after the end of a three-day partial government shutdown. The shutdown occurred after Democratic leadership in the Legislature and Gov. Chris Christie (R) failed to reach a budget agreement by the start of the 2018 fiscal year on July 1, 2017. Read more about the shutdown here.
  • The primary election on June 6, 2017, featured eight contested primaries: three Democratic races and five Republican races. This was a decrease from 2013, when there were 10 contested primaries: four Democratic races and six Republican races.
  • Candidates[edit]

    General election candidates[edit]

    2017 New Jersey Senate general candidates
    District Democratic Party

    Democrat

    Republican Party

    Republican

    Other
    1 Jeff Van Drew (I) Approveda Mary Gruccio Anthony Parisi Sanchez (Cannot Be Bought)
    2 Colin Bell (I) Chris Brown Approveda
    3 Stephen Sweeney (I) Approveda Fran Grenier
    4 Fred Madden (I) Approveda No candidate
    5 Nilsa Cruz-Perez (I) Approveda Keith Walker Mohammad Kabir (Challenge Promise Fix)
    6 James Beach (I) Approveda Robert Shapiro
    7 Troy Singleton Approveda John Browne
    8 George Youngkin Dawn Addiego (I) Approveda
    9 Brian Corley White Christopher Connors (I) Approveda
    10 Emma Mammano James Holzapfel (I) Approveda
    11 Vin Gopal Approveda Jennifer Beck (I)
    12 David Lande Samuel Thompson (I) Approveda Kevin Antoine (Coach Kev)
    13 Sean Byrnes Declan O'Scanlon Approveda
    14 Linda Greenstein (I) Approveda Ileana Schirmer
    15 Shirley Turner (I) Approveda Lee Newton
    16 Laurie Poppe Christopher Bateman (I) Approveda
    17 Bob Smith (I) Approveda Daryl Kipnis
    18 Patrick Diegnan, Jr. (I) Approveda Lewis Glogower
    19 Joseph Vitale (I) Approveda No candidate
    20 Joseph Cryan Approveda Ashraf Hanna
    21 Jill Lazare Thomas Kean (I) Approveda
    22 Nicholas Scutari (I) Approveda Joseph Bonilla
    23 Christine Lui Chen Michael Doherty (I) Approveda
    24 Jennifer Hamilton Steven Oroho (I) Approveda
    25 Lisa Bhimani Anthony Bucco (I) Approveda
    26 Elliot Isibor Joseph Pennacchio (I) Approveda
    27 Richard Codey (I) Approveda Pasquale Capozzoli
    28 Ronald Rice (I) Approveda No candidate Troy Knight-Napper (G)
    29 Teresa Ruiz (I) Approveda Maria Lopez Pablo Olivera (One Nation Party)
    30 Amy Cores Robert Singer (I) Approveda
    31 Sandra Cunningham (I) Approveda Herminio Mendoza
    32 Nicholas Sacco (I) Approveda Paul Castelli
    33 Brian Stack (I) Approveda Beth Hamburger
    34 Nia Gill (I) Approveda Mahir Saleh
    35 Nellie Pou (I) Approveda Marwan Sholakh
    36 Paul Sarlo (I) Approveda Jeanine Ferrara
    37 Loretta Weinberg (I) Approveda Modesto Romero
    38 Robert Gordon (I) Approveda Kelly Langschultz
    39 Linda Schwager Gerald Cardinale (I) Approveda James Tosone (L)
    40 Thomas Duch Kristin Corrado (I) Approveda
    Notes • An (I) denotes an incumbent.
    • Candidate lists can change frequently throughout an election season. Ballotpedia staff update this list monthly. To suggest changes, click here to email our State Legislature Project.

    General election vote totals[edit]

    New Jersey State Senate, District 1 General Election, 2017
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Jeff Van Drew Incumbent 64.83% 35,464
         Republican Mary Gruccio 33.98% 18,589
         Cannot Be Bought Anthony Parisi Sanchez 1.19% 652
    Total Votes 54,705
    Source: New Jersey Department of State


    New Jersey State Senate, District 2 General Election, 2017
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Republican Green check mark transparent.png Chris Brown 53.52% 26,950
         Democratic Colin Bell Incumbent 46.48% 23,406
    Total Votes 50,356
    Source: New Jersey Department of State


    New Jersey State Senate, District 3 General Election, 2017
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Stephen Sweeney Incumbent 58.76% 31,822
         Republican Fran Grenier 41.24% 22,336
    Total Votes 54,158
    Source: New Jersey Department of State


    New Jersey State Senate, District 4 General Election, 2017
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Fred Madden Incumbent (unopposed) 100.00% 38,790
    Total Votes 38,790
    Source: New Jersey Department of State


    New Jersey State Senate, District 5 General Election, 2017
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Nilsa Cruz-Perez Incumbent 66.06% 29,031
         Republican Keith Walker 32.91% 14,463
         Challenge Promise Fix Mohammad Kabir 1.03% 454
    Total Votes 43,948
    Source: New Jersey Department of State


    New Jersey State Senate, District 6 General Election, 2017
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Democratic Green check mark transparent.png James Beach Incumbent 69.39% 41,376
         Republican Robert Shapiro 30.61% 18,249
    Total Votes 59,625
    Source: New Jersey Department of State


    New Jersey State Senate, District 7 General Election, 2017
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Troy Singleton 65.71% 40,685
         Republican John Browne 34.29% 21,229
    Total Votes 61,914
    Source: New Jersey Department of State


    New Jersey State Senate, District 8 General Election, 2017
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Republican Green check mark transparent.png Dawn Addiego Incumbent 52.24% 30,795
         Democratic George Youngkin 47.76% 28,158
    Total Votes 58,953
    Source: New Jersey Department of State


    New Jersey State Senate, District 9 General Election, 2017
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Republican Green check mark transparent.png Christopher Connors Incumbent 64.59% 41,438
         Democratic Brian Corley White 35.41% 22,717
    Total Votes 64,155
    Source: New Jersey Department of State


    New Jersey State Senate, District 10 General Election, 2017
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Republican Green check mark transparent.png James Holzapfel Incumbent 62.53% 39,555
         Democratic Emma Mammano 37.47% 23,707
    Total Votes 63,262
    Source: New Jersey Department of State


    New Jersey State Senate, District 11 General Election, 2017
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Vin Gopal 53.56% 31,308
         Republican Jennifer Beck Incumbent 46.44% 27,150
    Total Votes 58,458
    Source: New Jersey Department of State


    New Jersey State Senate, District 12 General Election, 2017
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Republican Green check mark transparent.png Samuel Thompson Incumbent 56.75% 30,013
         Democratic David Lande 41.38% 21,888
         Coach Kev Kevin Antoine 1.87% 990
    Total Votes 52,891
    Source: New Jersey Department of State


    New Jersey State Senate, District 13 General Election, 2017
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Republican Green check mark transparent.png Declan O'Scanlon 55.11% 34,976
         Democratic Sean Byrnes 44.89% 28,493
    Total Votes 63,469
    Source: New Jersey Department of State


    New Jersey State Senate, District 14 General Election, 2017
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Linda Greenstein Incumbent 56.49% 34,474
         Republican Ileana Schirmer 43.51% 26,548
    Total Votes 61,022
    Source: New Jersey Department of State


    New Jersey State Senate, District 15 General Election, 2017
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Shirley Turner Incumbent 74.04% 36,624
         Republican Lee Newton 25.96% 12,839
    Total Votes 49,463
    Source: New Jersey Department of State


    New Jersey State Senate, District 16 General Election, 2017
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Republican Green check mark transparent.png Christopher Bateman Incumbent 50.45% 32,229
         Democratic Laurie Poppe 49.55% 31,655
    Total Votes 63,884
    Source: New Jersey Department of State


    New Jersey State Senate, District 17 General Election, 2017
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Bob Smith Incumbent 71.44% 29,816
         Republican Daryl Kipnis 28.56% 11,921
    Total Votes 41,737
    Source: New Jersey Department of State


    New Jersey State Senate, District 18 General Election, 2017
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Patrick Diegnan, Jr. Incumbent 65.62% 32,175
         Republican Lewis Glogower 34.38% 16,860
    Total Votes 49,035
    Source: New Jersey Department of State


    New Jersey State Senate, District 19 General Election, 2017
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Joseph Vitale Incumbent (unopposed) 100.00% 27,681
    Total Votes 27,681
    Source: New Jersey Department of State


    New Jersey State Senate, District 20 General Election, 2017
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Joseph Cryan 83.69% 25,772
         Republican Ashraf Hanna 16.31% 5,023
    Total Votes 30,795
    Source: New Jersey Department of State


    New Jersey State Senate, District 21 General Election, 2017
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Republican Green check mark transparent.png Thomas Kean Incumbent 54.70% 37,579
         Democratic Jill Lazare 45.30% 31,123
    Total Votes 68,702
    Source: New Jersey Department of State


    New Jersey State Senate, District 22 General Election, 2017
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Nicholas Scutari Incumbent 67.30% 29,563
         Republican Joseph Bonilla 32.70% 14,362
    Total Votes 43,925
    Source: New Jersey Department of State


    New Jersey State Senate, District 23 General Election, 2017
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Republican Green check mark transparent.png Michael Doherty Incumbent 59.06% 35,676
         Democratic Christine Lui Chen 40.94% 24,730
    Total Votes 60,406
    Source: New Jersey Department of State


    New Jersey State Senate, District 24 General Election, 2017
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Republican Green check mark transparent.png Steven Oroho Incumbent 61.03% 35,641
         Democratic Jennifer Hamilton 38.97% 22,760
    Total Votes 58,401
    Source: New Jersey Department of State


    New Jersey State Senate, District 25 General Election, 2017
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Republican Green check mark transparent.png Anthony Bucco Incumbent 52.15% 30,659
         Democratic Lisa Bhimani 47.85% 28,131
    Total Votes 58,790
    Source: New Jersey Department of State


    New Jersey State Senate, District 26 General Election, 2017
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Republican Green check mark transparent.png Joseph Pennacchio Incumbent 56.48% 32,269
         Democratic Elliot Isibor 43.52% 24,867
    Total Votes 57,136
    Source: New Jersey Department of State


    New Jersey State Senate, District 27 General Election, 2017
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Richard Codey Incumbent 69.70% 43,066
         Republican Pasquale Capozzoli 30.30% 18,720
    Total Votes 61,786
    Source: New Jersey Department of State


    New Jersey State Senate, District 28 General Election, 2017
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Ronald Rice Incumbent 96.05% 31,774
         Green Troy Knight-Napper 3.95% 1,306
    Total Votes 33,080
    Source: New Jersey Department of State


    New Jersey State Senate, District 29 General Election, 2017
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Teresa Ruiz Incumbent 87.25% 20,506
         Republican Maria Lopez 10.84% 2,547
         One Nation Party Pablo Olivera 1.91% 449
    Total Votes 23,502
    Source: New Jersey Department of State


    New Jersey State Senate, District 30 General Election, 2017
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Republican Green check mark transparent.png Robert Singer Incumbent 60.17% 30,735
         Democratic Amy Cores 39.83% 20,343
    Total Votes 51,078
    Source: New Jersey Department of State


    New Jersey State Senate, District 31 General Election, 2017
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Sandra Cunningham Incumbent 83.92% 25,437
         Republican Herminio Mendoza 16.08% 4,874
    Total Votes 30,311
    Source: New Jersey Department of State


    New Jersey State Senate, District 32 General Election, 2017
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Nicholas Sacco Incumbent 80.25% 23,736
         Republican Paul Castelli 19.75% 5,842
    Total Votes 29,578
    Source: New Jersey Department of State


    New Jersey State Senate, District 33 General Election, 2017
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Brian Stack Incumbent 88.22% 36,594
         Republican Beth Hamburger 11.78% 4,887
    Total Votes 41,481
    Source: New Jersey Department of State


    New Jersey State Senate, District 34 General Election, 2017
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Nia Gill Incumbent 84.92% 34,565
         Republican Mahir Saleh 15.08% 6,136
    Total Votes 40,701
    Source: New Jersey Department of State


    New Jersey State Senate, District 35 General Election, 2017
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Nellie Pou Incumbent 78.99% 21,425
         Republican Marwan Sholakh 21.01% 5,698
    Total Votes 27,123
    Source: New Jersey Department of State


    New Jersey State Senate, District 36 General Election, 2017
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Paul Sarlo Incumbent 65.83% 24,044
         Republican Jeanine Ferrara 34.17% 12,482
    Total Votes 36,526
    Source: New Jersey Department of State


    New Jersey State Senate, District 37 General Election, 2017
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Loretta Weinberg Incumbent 75.37% 33,017
         Republican Modesto Romero 24.63% 10,788
    Total Votes 43,805
    Source: New Jersey Department of State


    New Jersey State Senate, District 38 General Election, 2017
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Robert Gordon Incumbent 57.06% 30,881
         Republican Kelly Langschultz 42.94% 23,238
    Total Votes 54,119
    Source: New Jersey Department of State


    New Jersey State Senate, District 39 General Election, 2017
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Republican Green check mark transparent.png Gerald Cardinale Incumbent 52.77% 33,752
         Democratic Linda Schwager 46.33% 29,631
         Libertarian James Tosone 0.90% 574
    Total Votes 63,957
    Source: New Jersey Department of State


    New Jersey State Senate, District 40 General Election, 2017
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Republican Green check mark transparent.png Kristin Corrado Incumbent 56.24% 33,495
         Democratic Thomas Duch 43.76% 26,060
    Total Votes 59,555
    Source: New Jersey Department of State

    Primary candidates[edit]

    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]

    2017 New Jersey State Senate primary candidates
    District Democratic Party

    Democrat

    Republican Party

    Republican

    Other
    1 Jeff Van Drew (I) Approveda Mary Gruccio Approveda
    2 Colin Bell Approveda Chris Brown Approveda
    3 Stephen Sweeney (I) Approveda Fran Grenier Approveda
    4 Fred Madden (I) Approveda Michael Pascetta Approveda
    5 Nilsa Cruz-Perez (I) Approveda Keith Walker Approveda
    6 James Beach (I) Approveda Robert Shapiro Approveda
    7 Troy Singleton Approveda Rob Prisco Approveda
    8 George Youngkin Approveda Dawn Addiego (I) Approveda
    9 Brian Corley White Approveda Christopher Connors (I) Approveda
    10 Emma Mammano Approveda James Holzapfel (I) Approveda
    11 Vin Gopal Approveda Jennifer Beck (I) Approveda
    12 David Lande Approveda Art Haney
    Samuel Thompson (I) Approveda
    13 Joshua Leinsdorf
    Sean Byrnes Approveda
    Declan O'Scanlon Approveda
    14 Linda Greenstein (I) Approveda Ileana Schirmer Approveda
    Bruce MacDonald
    15 Shirley Turner (I) Approveda Lee Newton Approveda
    16 Laurie Poppe Approveda Christopher Bateman (I) Approveda
    17 William Irwin
    Bob Smith (I) Approveda
    Daryl Kipnis Approveda
    18 Patrick Diegnan, Jr. (I) Approveda Mark Csizmar Approveda
    19 Joseph Vitale (I) Approveda Arthur Rittenhouse Approveda
    20 Joseph Cryan Approveda Ashraf Hanna Approveda
    21 Jill Lazare Approveda Thomas Kean (I) Approveda
    22 Nicholas Scutari (I) Approveda Joseph Bonilla Approveda
    23 Christine Lui Chen Approveda Michael Doherty (I) Approveda
    24 Jennifer Hamilton Approveda William Hayden
    Steven Oroho (I) Approveda
    25 Lisa Bhimani Approveda Anthony Bucco (I) Approveda
    26 Elliot Isibor Approveda Joseph Pennacchio (I) Approveda
    27 Richard Codey (I) Approveda Pasquale Capozzoli Approveda
    28 Ronald Rice (I) Approveda No candidate
    29 Teresa Ruiz (I) Approveda Maria Lopez Approveda
    30 Amy Cores Approveda Robert Singer (I) Approveda
    31 Sandra Cunningham (I) Approveda Herminio Mendoza Approveda
    32 Nicholas Sacco (I) Approveda Paul Castelli Approveda
    33 Brian Stack (I) Approveda Beth Hamburger Approveda
    34 Nia Gill (I) Approveda Mahir Saleh Approveda
    35 Haytham Younes
    Nellie Pou (I) Approveda
    Marwan Sholakh Approveda
    36 Paul Sarlo (I) Approveda Jeanine Ferrara Approveda
    37 Loretta Weinberg (I) Approveda Modesto Romero Approveda
    Eric Fisher
    38 Robert Gordon (I) Approveda Kelly Langschultz Approveda
    39 Linda Schwager Approveda Gerald Cardinale (I) Approveda
    40 Thomas Duch Approveda Kristin Corrado Approveda
    Edward Buttimore
    Paul DiGaetano
    Notes • An (I) denotes an incumbent.
    • Candidate lists can change frequently throughout an election season. To suggest changes, click here to email our State Legislature Project.

    Primary election vote totals[edit]

    Below are election results for all contested primary elections in the New Jersey State Senate in 2017. All results are official.

    New Jersey State Senate, District 12 Republican Primary, 2017
    Candidate Vote % Votes
    Green check mark transparent.png Samuel Thompson Incumbent 59.82% 4,277
    Art Haney 40.18% 2,873
    Total Votes 7,150
    Source: New Jersey Department of State


    New Jersey State Senate, District 13 Democratic Primary, 2017
    Candidate Vote % Votes
    Green check mark transparent.png Sean Byrnes 92.76% 7,252
    Joshua Leinsdorf 7.24% 566
    Total Votes 7,818
    Source: New Jersey Department of State


    New Jersey State Senate, District 14 Republican Primary, 2017
    Candidate Vote % Votes
    Green check mark transparent.png Ileana Schirmer 80.86% 3,481
    Bruce MacDonald 19.14% 824
    Total Votes 4,305
    Source: New Jersey Department of State


    New Jersey State Senate, District 17 Democratic Primary, 2017
    Candidate Vote % Votes
    Green check mark transparent.png Bob Smith Incumbent 71.98% 10,103
    William Irwin 28.02% 3,933
    Total Votes 14,036
    Source: New Jersey Department of State


    New Jersey State Senate, District 24 Republican Primary, 2017
    Candidate Vote % Votes
    Green check mark transparent.png Steven Oroho Incumbent 74.33% 10,828
    William Hayden 25.67% 3,740
    Total Votes 14,568
    Source: New Jersey Department of State


    New Jersey State Senate, District 35 Democratic Primary, 2017
    Candidate Vote % Votes
    Green check mark transparent.png Nellie Pou Incumbent 94.96% 7,247
    Haytham Younes 5.04% 385
    Total Votes 7,632
    Source: New Jersey Department of State


    New Jersey State Senate, District 37 Republican Primary, 2017
    Candidate Vote % Votes
    Green check mark transparent.png Modesto Romero 52.67% 1,133
    Eric Fisher 47.33% 1,018
    Total Votes 2,151
    Source: New Jersey Department of State


    New Jersey State Senate, District 40 Republican Primary, 2017
    Candidate Vote % Votes
    Green check mark transparent.png Kristin Corrado 62.01% 7,792
    Paul DiGaetano 29.99% 3,768
    Edward Buttimore 8.00% 1,005
    Total Votes 12,565
    Source: New Jersey Department of State

    Qualifications[edit]

    See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

    In order to be a candidate to run for the New Jersey State Senate, a candidate must:[3]

    • Be a citizen of the United States
    • Reside for no less than four years in the district the candidate plans to represent.
    • Be 30 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[edit]

    See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
    State legislative salaries, 2022
    SalaryPer diem
    $49,000/yearNo per diem is paid.

    When sworn in[edit]

    See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

    New Jersey legislators assume office at noon on the second Tuesday in January following the election.[4]

    Races we watched[edit]

    New Jersey State Senate
    Races to Watch
    Democratic seats
    Democratic Party District 3
    Democratic Party District 14
    Democratic Party District 18
    Democratic Party District 38
    Republican seats
    Republican Party District 7

    Ballotpedia identified five races to watch in the New Jersey State Senate 2017 elections: four Democratic seats and one Republican seat. 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 24-16 majority. Republicans needed to pick up five seats in order to take control of the chamber. Democrats needed to pick up three 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 four factors listed below:

    1. If the incumbent won less than 55 percent of the vote in the most recent election prior to 2017
    2. If the presidential candidate opposite of the incumbent's party won the district in the 2016 elections and the incumbent’s margin of victory in the previous election was 10 percentage points or less
    3. If the presidential candidate opposite of the incumbent's party won the district in the 2016 elections and the incumbent did not file to run for re-election
    4. If the presidential candidate opposite of the 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 eight counties with races to watch. Seven counties had races involving Democratic seats that we highlighted. These counties were Bergen, Cumberland, Gloucester, Mercer, Middlesex, Passaic, and Salem. One county had a race involving a Republican seat that we highlighted. This county was Burlington.

    District 3[edit]

    District 7[edit]

    District 14[edit]

    District 18[edit]

    District 38[edit]

    New Jersey political history[edit]

    Overview[edit]

    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.[5] 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[edit]

    Democrats in the New Jersey State Senate maintained a 24-16 majority in the November 2013 elections.

    New Jersey State Senate
    Party As of November 4, 2013 After the 2013 Election
         Democratic Party 24 24
         Republican Party 16 16
    Total 40 40

    Trifectas[edit]

    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: 1992-2022
    Eleven 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
    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
    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
    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

    Presidential politics in New Jersey[edit]

    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[edit]

    U.S. presidential election, New Jersey, 2016
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes Electoral votes
         Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngHillary 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[edit]

    The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state Senate 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.[6][7]

    In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 28 out of 40 state Senate 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 Senate districts in New Jersey with an average margin of victory of 31.5 points. Clinton won six districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2017 elections.
    In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 12 out of 40 state Senate 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 Senate 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.

    Pivot Counties[edit]

    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 Senate districts in New Jersey intersect with Pivot Counties. As of May 2017, Democrats controlled all three of them.

    State senate 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[edit]

    2017 gubernatorial election[edit]

    See also: New Jersey gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2017

    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.[8] 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.[9]

    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."[10][11][12]

    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[edit]

    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.[13] 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.[14]
    • 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.[15]


    Competitiveness[edit]

    See also: A "Competitiveness Index" for capturing competitiveness in state legislative elections

    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[edit]

    See also: Open seats in the 2017 state legislative elections

    In 2017, three incumbents (7.5 percent) did not file for re-election, leaving three open seats.

    Open Seats in the New Jersey State Senate: 2013 and 2017
    Year Total seats Open seats Seats with incumbents running for re-election
    2017 40 3 (7.5 percent) 37 (92.5 percent)
    2013 40 1 (2.5 percent) 39 (97.5 percent)

    Major party candidates with and without major party competition[edit]

    See also: Major party candidates with major party competition in the November 2017 state legislative elections

    In 2017, there was one seat where a candidate faced no major party opposition. In District 28, no Republican filed to run against Democratic incumbent Ronald Rice. In 2013, Rice won re-election with 75.7 percent of the vote.

    Races with and without major party opposition in the New Jersey Senate
    Year Total races Races without major party opposition Races with major party opposition Democrats without major party opposition Republicans without major party opposition
    2017 40 1 (2.5 percent) 39 (97.5 percent) 1 0
    2013 40 2 (5 percent) 38 (95 percent) 1 1

    Incumbents who did not file for re-election in 2017[edit]

    See also: New Jersey gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2017

    The following incumbents did not file for re-election in 2017:[16]

    Contested primaries[edit]

    See also: Primary competitiveness in 2017 state legislative elections

    The New Jersey State Senate has 40 seats in 40 districts. A primary in the New Jersey State Senate was considered contested if more than one candidate filed to run for a seat. Out of 80 possible primaries in the New Jersey State Senate, eight (10 percent) were contested in 2017: three Democratic primaries and five Republican primaries. The number of contested primaries in 2017 was similar to the numbers from the previous two elections. In 2013, there were 10 contested primaries: four Democratic primaries and six Republican primaries. In 2011, there were 9 contested primaries: three Democratic primaries and six Republican primaries.

    Contested Primaries in the New Jersey State Senate: 2011, 2013, and 2017
    Year Possible primaries Total contested primaries Democratic contested primaries Republican contested primaries
    2017 80 8 (10 percent) 3 5
    2013 80 10 (12.5 percent) 4 6
    2011 80 9 (11 percent) 3 6

    Incumbents who faced primary challengers[edit]

    See also: Incumbents with a primary challenger in the 2017 state legislative elections

    In 2017, four incumbents faced challengers in the 2017 primary elections: two Democrats and two Republicans. In the 2011, 2013, and 2017 elections, no incumbent in the New Jersey Senate 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 40 35 (87.5 percent) 4 (11.4 percent) 0
    2013 40 39 (97.5 percent) 7 (79.9 percent) 0
    2011 40 36 (90 percent) 5 (13.8 percent) 0

    Historical context[edit]

    See also: Competitiveness in State Legislative Elections: 1972-2014

    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.

    F5 Pop. % with uncontested state legislative races.png

    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[edit]

    External links[edit]


    Footnotes[edit]

    1. New Jersey Secretary of State, "2017 Primary Election Timeline," accessed March 21, 2017
    2. 2.0 2.1 New Jersey Division of Elections, "Official List, Candidate for State Senate for Primary Election, June 6, 2017," accessed April 13, 2017
    3. New Jersey Secretary of State, "Partisan Office Candidate Requirements," accessed December 18, 2013
    4. New Jersey Constitution, "Article IV, Section II (2.)," accessed February 10, 2021
    5. Cohen, R. et al. (2015), The Almanac of American Politics. Bethesda, MD:Columbia Books Inc. (page 1163)
    6. Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
    7. Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
    8. 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
    9. Politico, "Christie is now New Jersey's least popular governor ever, with 15 percent approval," June 14, 2017
    10. Cook Political Report, "2017/2018 GOVERNORS RACE RATINGS FOR JUNE 22, 2017," June 22, 2017
    11. Governing, "2017-2018 Governors' Races: Where Power Is Most and Least Likely to Flip," January 5, 2017
    12. Sabato's Crystal Ball, "Initial 2018 Gubernatorial Ratings," April 20, 2017
    13. NY Times, "Standoff Ends in Budget Deal for New Jersey," July 3, 2017
    14. NBC New York, "Gov. Christie Orders New Jersey Government Shutdown Amid Budget Impasse," July 1, 2017
    15. 15.0 15.1 Politico, "Christie signs N.J. budget, ending 3-day government shutdown," July 3, 2017
    16. 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.


    Current members of the New Jersey State Senate
    Senators
    District 1
    District 2
    District 3
    District 4
    District 5
    District 6
    District 7
    District 8
    District 9
    District 10
    District 11
    Vin Gopal (D)
    District 12
    District 13
    District 14
    District 15
    District 16
    District 17
    Bob Smith (D)
    District 18
    District 19
    District 20
    District 21
    District 22
    District 23
    District 24
    District 25
    District 26
    District 27
    District 28
    District 29
    District 30
    District 31
    District 32
    District 33
    District 34
    Nia Gill (D)
    District 35
    District 36
    District 37
    District 38
    District 39
    District 40
    Democratic Party (24)
    Republican Party (16)



    Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 | Original source: https://ballotpedia.org/New_Jersey_State_Senate_elections,_2017
    Status: cached on November 03 2022 09:32:02
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