Assembly races top N.J. ballot
New Jersey is holding elections Tuesday for all 80 seats in the Assembly and local offices across the state. Democrats control the lower chamber in the Statehouse by 47-32, with one vacancy. They are expected to retain their majority, though Republicans are competing to pick up seats in South Jersey's First and Second Districts at the Shore.
New Jersey is holding elections Tuesday for all 80 seats in the Assembly and local offices across the state.
Democrats control the lower chamber in the Statehouse by 47-32, with one vacancy. They are expected to retain their majority, though Republicans are competing to pick up seats in South Jersey's First and Second Districts at the Shore.
The two districts are each represented by one Democrat and one Republican.
Tuesday marks the first time since 1999 that Assembly elections will top the ballot. With no high-profile races for higher office, analysts are predicting record-low turnout.
Gov. Christie, a Republican, has been notably absent from the New Jersey campaign trail as he courts voters across the country in his bid for the presidency.
Taking questions from reporters Monday following a roundtable discussion on policing in Camden, Christie said he had "raised a lot of money for the Assembly candidates."
"That's the role that most campaigns want me to play at the moment," he said.
There is one special election for state Senate, in the Fifth District, which spans parts of Camden and Gloucester Counties. Democrat Nilsa Cruz-Perez is running unopposed.
She was appointed to the seat by the two county Democratic committees after Donald Norcross was elected to Congress and resigned from his state Senate seat last year. Assuming Cruz-Perez wins, she'll hold the seat for another two years.
Although the stakes are relatively low Tuesday, a Democratic super PAC has spent millions of dollars on cable and broadcast advertising attacking Republicans and supporting Democrats in the First District, which includes parts of Atlantic, Cape May, and Cumberland Counties, and the Second, which represents parts of Atlantic County.
The First District candidates are incumbent Democrat Bob Andrzejczak and his running mate, Bruce Land, and Republican incumbent Sam Fiocchi and his running mate, Jim Sauro. In the Second, Democratic incumbent Vince Mazzeo and running mate Colin Bell are running against Republican incumbent Chris A. Brown and Will Pauls.
The super PAC, General Majority PAC, also has spent money in Bergen County's 38th District, typically a battleground.
But Republican efforts there seemed to be derailed when Politico reported that one of the GOP candidates had written a book 12 years ago filled with rants, slurs, and stereotypes about gay men and women, blacks, Asians, senior citizens, Muslims, and foreign-born business owners.
Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
aseidman@phillynews.com 856-779-3846
@AndrewSeidman
Inquirer staff writer Maddie Hanna contributed to this article.
Voting Help
Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. For locations and other voting information, go to elections.nj.gov. On the ballot are all 80 Assembly seats, along with a number of county, municipal, and school board races.
Useful numbers:
For election irregularities, voter intimidation or suspected fraud, contact the state attorney general's Election Day hotline: 888-636-6596
Burlington County Superintendent of Elections, 609-265-5111; Board of Elections, 609-265-5062 or 609-265-5161.
Camden County Superintendent of Elections, 856-661-3555; Board of Elections, 856-401-8683.
Gloucester County Superintendent of Elections and Board of Elections, 856-384-4500.
Inquirer staff
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