As sleepy primary season ends, general election shapes up
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) -- Voters finalized their picks Tuesday for the top of the Republican and Democratic state Assembly tickets this November, but this fall's main event is already coming into focus.
Just five of the state's 40 legislative districts featured competitive races. That mirrors roughly the number of competitive races experts say they expect on Nov. 3, when voters will elect a new General Assembly.
This year, for the first time in 16 years, the Assembly is atop the ticket because of a quirk in term lengths.
At stake for Democrats is the opportunity to build on their majority. They control 48 of 80 seats. Republicans have a chance to capture the majority for the first time since 2001, though analysts say the makeup of legislative districts makes that a difficult job.
Lawmakers could also put a referendum on whether to approve casinos in northern New Jersey on the ballot. The issue divides legislators along geographic lines and would probably result in a significant influx of outside cash into the campaign, Election Law Enforcement Commission executive director Jeff Brindle said.
HOT SPOTS
Democratic voters in New Jersey's 15th, 20th and 31st Districts saw contested races Tuesday, while the GOP featured contests in the 9th and 24th Districts.
Each district elects two people to the Assembly, and most party-backed candidates run together as a ticket.
- Incumbents DiAnne Gove and Brian Rumpf defeated Howard Height and Fredric Kociban in the 9th District, which includes parts of Atlantic, Burlington and Ocean counties.
- In the Mercer and Hunterdon County-based 15th District, incumbents Reed Gusciora and Liz Muoio held off a challenge from attorney Dan Toto.
- The Elizabeth-centered 20th District featured a three-way competition. Incumbents Jamel Holley and Annette Quijano were challenged by Tony Monteiro and Giuliano Farina and by Jorge Batista and Vivian Bell.
- Hudson County's 31st District features two open seats. Nicholas Chiaravalloti, a former aide to U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, and ticket-mate Angela McKnight have the establishment backing and took on several challengers, including Joseph Conte and Ray Regalado and Bruce Alston and Washington Flores.
- In northwest New Jersey's 24th District, incumbent Parker Space and ticket-mate Gail Phoebus took on challengers Marie Bilik and Nathan Orr, who ran separately.
Analysts expect the southern New Jersey 1st and 2nd Districts to be among the most hotly contested in November. They also expect northern New Jersey's 38th District to have a competitive race.
NEW CASINO WRINKLE?
Three Democratic lawmakers from northern New Jersey introduced a long-discussed proposal this week to let voters weigh in on expanding casino gambling in Bergen, Essex and Hudson counties. Southern New Jersey lawmakers oppose the idea.
Brindle said he thinks the general election campaign
Here is a list of uncontested races in New Jersey:
State Senate - District 5
Nilsa Cruz-Perez (i), Dem
State Assembly - District 1
Sam Fiocchi (i), GOP
Jim Sauro, GOP
State Assembly - District 1
Bob Andrzejczak (i), Dem
Bruce Land, Dem
State Assembly - District 2
Chris Brown (i), GOP
Will Pauls, GOP
State Assembly - District 2
Colin Bell, Dem
Vincent Mazzeo (i), Dem
State Assembly - District 3
Samuel MacCarone, GOP
Leroy Pierce, GOP
State Assembly - District 3
John Burzichelli (i), Dem
Adam Taliaferro (i), Dem
State Assembly - District 4
Kevin Murphy, GOP
Jack Nicholson, GOP
State Assembly - District 4
Paul Moriarty (i), Dem
Gabriela Mosquera (i), Dem
State Assembly - District 5
Kevin Ehret, GOP
Ralph Williams, GOP
State Assembly - District 5
Marianne Cass, Dem
Angel Fuentes (i), Dem
State Assembly - District 6
Robert Esposito, GOP
Holly Tate, GOP
State Assembly - District 6
Louis Greenwald (i), Dem
Pamela Lampitt (i), Dem
State Assembly - District 7
Bill Conley, GOP
Rob Prisco, GOP
State Assembly - District 7
Herb Conaway (i), Dem
Troy Singleton (i), Dem
State Assembly - District 8
Joe Howarth, GOP
Maria Rodriguez-Gregg (i), GOP
State Assembly - District 9
John Bingham, Dem
Fran Zimmer, Dem
State Assembly - District 10
Dave Wolfe (i), GOP
Gregory McGuckin (i), GOP
State Assembly - District 10
Kimberley Casten, Dem
Valter Must, Dem
State Assembly - District 11
Mary Pat Angelini (i), GOP
Caroline Casagrande (i), GOP
State Assembly - District 11
Joann Downey, Dem
Eric Houghtaling, Dem
State Assembly - District 12
Robert Clifton (i), GOP
Ronald Dancer (i), GOP
State Assembly - District 12
David Merwin, Dem
Anthony Washington, Dem
State Assembly - District 13
Amy Handlin (i), GOP
Declan O'Scanlon (i), GOP
State Assembly - District 13
Jeanne Cullinane, Dem
Thomas Herman, Dem
State Assembly - District 14
David Jones, GOP
Philip Kaufman, GOP
State Assembly - District 14
Daniel Benson (i), Dem
Wayne DeAngelo (i), Dem
State Assembly - District 15
Anthony Giordano, GOP
Peter Mendonez, GOP
State Assembly - District 16
Jack Ciattarelli (i), GOP
Donna Simon (i), GOP
State Assembly - District 16
Maureen Vella, Dem
Andrew Zwicker, Dem
State Assembly - District 17
Robert Mettler, GOP
Brajesh Singh, GOP
State Assembly - District 17
Joseph Danielsen (i), Dem
Joseph Egan (i), Dem
State Assembly - District 18
Synnove Bakke, GOP
Teresa Hutchison, GOP
State Assembly - District 18
Patrick Diegnan Jr. (i), Dem
Nancy Pinkin (i), Dem
State Assembly - District 19
Thomas Maras, GOP
Reyes Ortega, GOP
State Assembly - District 19
Craig Coughlin (i), Dem
John Wisniewski (i), Dem
State Assembly - District 20
Stephen Kozlovich, GOP
Roger Stryeski, GOP
State Assembly - District 21
Jon Bramnick (i), GOP
Nancy Munoz (i), GOP
State Assembly - District 21
David Barnett, Dem
Jill LaZare, Dem
State Assembly - District 22
William Michelson, GOP
William Vastine, GOP
State Assembly - District 22
Jerry Green (i), Dem
James Kennedy, Dem
State Assembly - District 23
John DiMaio (i), GOP
Erik Peterson (i), GOP
State Assembly - District 24
Michael Grace, Dem
Jacqueline Stapel, Dem
State Assembly - District 25
Anthony Bucco (i), GOP
Michael Carroll (i), GOP
State Assembly - District 25
Richard Corcoran, Dem
Thomas Moran, Dem
State Assembly - District 26
BettyLou DeCroce (i), GOP
Jay Webber (i), GOP
State Assembly - District 26
Avery Hart, Dem
Wayne Marek, Dem
State Assembly - District 27
Tayfun Selen, GOP
Wonkyu Rim, GOP
State Assembly - District 27
Mila Jasey (i), Dem
John McKeon (i), Dem
State Assembly - District 28
Darnel Henry, GOP
David Pinckney, GOP
State Assembly - District 28
Ralph Caputo (i), Dem
Cleopatra Tucker (i), Dem
State Assembly - District 29
Nicholas Campione, GOP
Jeannette Veras, GOP
State Assembly - District 29
Eliana Pintor-Marin (i), Dem
Grace Spencer (i), Dem
State Assembly - District 30
Sean Kean (i), GOP
David Rible (i), GOP
State Assembly - District 30
Jimmy Esposito, Dem
Jim Keady, Dem
State Assembly - District 31
Matthew Kopko, GOP
Herminio Mendoza, GOP
State Assembly - District 32
Frank Miqueli, GOP
Lisamarie Tusa, GOP
State Assembly - District 32
Angelica Jimenez (i), Dem
Vincent Prieto (i), Dem
State Assembly - District 33
Garrett Simulcik, GOP
Javier Sosa, GOP
State Assembly - District 33
Annette Chaparro, Dem
Raj Mukherji (i), Dem
State Assembly - District 34
Louis Rodriguez, GOP
John Traier, GOP
State Assembly - District 34
Thomas Giblin (i), Dem
Sheila Oliver (i), Dem
State Assembly - District 35
David Jimenez, GOP
Ilia Villanueva, GOP
State Assembly - District 35
Shavonda Sumter (i), Dem
Benjie Wimberly (i), Dem
State Assembly - District 36
Forrest Elliott, GOP
James Lenoy, GOP
State Assembly - District 36
Marlene Caride (i), Dem
Gary Schaer (i), Dem
State Assembly - District 37
Joseph Fiscella, GOP
Gino Tessaro, GOP
State Assembly - District 37
Gordon Johnson (i), Dem
Valerie Vainieri Huttle (i), Dem
State Assembly - District 38
Anthony Cappola, GOP
Mark DiPisa, GOP
State Assembly - District 38
Tim Eustace (i), Dem
Joseph Lagana (i), Dem
State Assembly - District 39
Robert Auth (i), GOP
Holly Schepisi (i), GOP
State Assembly - District 39
John Derienzo, Dem
Jeffrey Goldsmith, Dem
State Assembly - District 40
David Russo (i), GOP
Scott Rumana (i), GOP
State Assembly - District 40
Christine Ordway, Dem
Paul Vagianos, Dem
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