Elections in New Jersey |
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A general election was held in the U.S. state of New Jersey on November 3, 2009. Primary elections were held on June 2. Most state positions were up in this election cycle, which includes all 80 seats in the New Jersey General Assembly, as well as Governor and Lieutenant Governor (which was up for the first time). In addition to the State Legislative elections, numerous county offices and freeholders in addition to municipal offices were up for election. There was one statewide ballot question. Some counties and municipalities may have had local ballot questions as well. Non-partisan local elections, some school board elections, and some fire district elections also happened throughout the year.
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Turnout | 46.9% [1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Christie: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Corzine: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Tie: 40–50% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The following three candidates all qualified to appear, and did appear, in the debates.
Nine other candidates qualified to appear on the ballot as independents or third-party nominees but did not raise enough money to qualify for the debates. These include Libertarian Kenneth Kaplan, the Socialist Party USA's Greg Pason, and the following independents: Jason Cullen, Joshua Leinsdorf, Alvin Lindsay, David R. Meiswinkle, Kostas Petris, Gary T. Steele, and Gary Stein. At least five others, including popular New Jersey comedian Uncle Floyd, announced that they would run write-in campaigns.
Former U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie had long been considered the front-runner for the Republican nomination. He was heavily favored by the party establishment and had won the endorsement and county line of all county GOP organizations. [5] Christie's chief opponent in the primary was former Bogota mayor Steve Lonegan, known for his very right-wing positions and vocal opposition to the Corzine administration; another staunch conservative, General Assemblyman Rick Merkt was also on the ballot. David Brown, Christian Keller, and Franklin Township mayor Brian D. Levine also filed to run in the Republican primary, but their petitions were challenged by Lonegan and they were disqualified from the ballot when administrative judges ruled that their nominating petitions failed to meet the threshold of 1,000 valid signatures. [6] Upon leaving the race, Brown and Levine endorsed Christie. [7] [8]
Christie and Lonegan attacked each other relentlessly throughout the primary campaign through mailers and robocalls, with each seeking to undermine the other by drawing the public's attention to scandals involving the other. Lonegan proposed ending the state's progressive income tax system and replacing it with a 2.9% flat tax for all New Jerseyans. Christie strongly opposed this proposal, arguing that Lonegan's proposal would amount to a tax increase for most New Jerseyans. Christie instead proposed cutting taxes "across the board," although he refused to say by how much. [9] There were two televised debates, which excluded Merkt, and two radio debates, which included him. Ultimately, Christie was able to win the primary with 55% of the vote to Lonegan's 42% and Merkt's 3%.
The following Republican Primary candidates were removed from the ballot:
Although polls indicated his vulnerability in the general election, Governor Jon S. Corzine was heavily favored to win the Democratic primary over his three little-known challengers. The only one of those to have held elected office, former Glen Ridge mayor Carl Bergmanson, was running on a platform of fiscal discipline, social liberalism, and government reform; he had received the support of the Citizens Against Tolls website. Roger Bacon, Democrat of Phillipsburg, an unsuccessful candidate for the United States House of Representatives in New Jersey's 5th congressional district in 2008, [13] and Jeff Boss, Democrat of Guttenberg, an unsuccessful candidate for United States Senate in 2008, [14] also ran. In the primary, Corzine won renomination with 77% of the vote, while Bergmanson, his closest competitor, received about 9%.
Since the primaries, polls consistently showed Christie leading Corzine, sometimes by double digits. The election became a three-way race on July 7, when independent candidate Christopher Daggett announced that he had raised enough money to qualify for public funds and to qualify for participation in the debates. [15] On July 20, Christie selected Kim Guadagno as his running mate. [16] On July 24, Corzine announced in an e-mail to his supporters that he had selected Loretta Weinberg as his running mate. [17] On July 27, Daggett announced that he had selected longtime Kean University professor and administrator Frank J. Esposito as his running mate. [18]
Although the economy and taxes have long been prominent issues in the campaign, the issue of ethics and anti-corruption efforts was thrust into the spotlight in July when several public officials were arrested on corruption charges in Operation Bid Rig. One of Corzine's main lines of attack has involved Christie's ties to the unpopular former President of the United States George W. Bush, who appointed Christie to the U.S. Attorney's office in 2001. In August 2009, Bush political strategist Karl Rove revealed that he had held conversations with Christie about a potential gubernatorial run during Christie's time as U.S. Attorney. U.S. Attorneys are prohibited from engaging in partisan political activities by the Hatch Act of 1939. [19] Corzine quickly incorporated this into his advertisements targeting Christie. [20] Nonetheless, Christie defeated Corzine by 4 points.
On November 8, 2005, voters passed a Constitutional amendment to the New Jersey State Constitution which created the office of Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey, the first of whom is to be elected in the 2009 general election and to take office in January 2010. Until the creation of the office, governors who died in office or stepped down were succeeded by the President of the New Jersey Senate. This has happened twice in recent years, with the resignations of Christine Todd Whitman in 2001 and James McGreevey in 2004. Concerns over the separation of powers, as Acting Governors continued to serve concurrently in the Senate, and the fact that Acting Governors were not elected by the people to succeed the Governor led to the Constitutional amendment that created the new office. All 12 candidates for governor appearing on the ballot selected their running mates by the June 27, 2009 deadline. [21]
Chris Christie, the Republican nominee for governor, selected Monmouth Beach's Kim Guadagno , the sheriff of Monmouth County, as his running mate. Others mentioned for the post had included New Jersey Senators Diane Allen and Jennifer Beck, as well as Bergen County Clerk Kathleen Donovan.
Incumbent Governor Jon Corzine, the Democratic nominee, selected Teaneck's Loretta Weinberg , a New Jersey Senator and former New Jersey General Assemblywoman, as his running mate. Other mentioned for the post had included New Jersey Senator Barbara Buono, New Jersey General Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, and wealthy businessman Randal Pinkett.
Chris Daggett, an independent candidate who has qualified for matching funds, selected Ocean Township's Frank J. Esposito , a longtime professor and administrator at Kean University who served as an advisor to the Commissioner of Education in the Thomas Kean administration, as his running mate. Others mentioned for the post had included Edison Mayor Jun Choi, Atlantic County freeholder Alisa Cooper, and Passaic County freeholder James Gallagher.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
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Democratic | James Beach * √ | 33,916 | 57.9 | |
Republican | Joseph Adolf | 24,614 | 42.1 | |
Total votes | 58,530 | 100 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
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Republican | Michael J. Doherty √ | 51,599 | 71.4 | |
Democratic | Harvey Baron | 20,694 | 28.6 | |
Total votes | 72,293 | 100 |
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All 80 seats to the General Assembly | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Results: Democratic hold Republican hold Republican gain | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2009 New Jersey General Assembly elections were held on November 3, 2009, for all 80 seats in the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. The election coincided with a gubernatorial election where Democratic incumbent Governor Jon Corzine was defeated by Republican challenger Chris Christie. Democrats held a 48-32 majority in the lower house prior to the election. The members of the New Jersey Legislature are chosen from 40 electoral districts. Each district elects one State Senator and two State Assembly members. New Jersey uses coterminous legislative districts for both its State Senate and General Assembly.
The Democratic Party won a 47-33 majority while losing the popular vote. Republicans were able to flip one seat in the 4th district.
Summary of the November 3, 2009 New Jersey General Assembly election results:
47 | 33 |
Democratic | Republican |
Parties | Candidates | Seats | Popular Vote | ||||||
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2007 | 2009 | +/- | Strength | Vote | % | Change | |||
Democratic | 79 | 48 | 47 | 1 | 59% | 2,001,772 | 47.6% | 0.0% | |
Republican | 78 | 32 | 33 | 1 | 41% | 2,181,345 | 51.9% | 0.0% | |
Green | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 1,635 | 0.2% | 0.0% | ||
Libertarian | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 1,823 | 0.3% | 0.0% | ||
Total | 160 | 80 | 80 | 0 | 100.0% | 4,186,575 | 100.0% | - |
One statewide question was on the ballot which was approved by voters:
Barbara A. Buono is an American politician who served in the New Jersey Senate from 2002 to 2014, where she represented the 18th Legislative District. She served from 2010 to 2012 as the Majority Leader in the Senate, succeeding Stephen Sweeney, and was succeeded by Loretta Weinberg. She is a member of the Democratic Party and was the Democratic nominee for Governor of New Jersey in the 2013 general election, which she lost to Republican incumbent Chris Christie.
Loretta Weinberg is an American Democratic Party politician, who served as a member of the New Jersey Senate from 2005-2022, where she represented the 37th Legislative District. She also served as Senate Majority Leader. Weinberg served in the General Assembly before being selected to replace retiring Senator Byron Baer.
Sean T. Kean is an American Republican Party politician, who has represented the 30th legislative district in the New Jersey General Assembly since being sworn into office on January 10, 2012. Prior to redistricting, Kean served in the New Jersey Senate from 2008 to 2012, representing the 11th legislative district. He had previously represented the 11th district in the General Assembly from 2002 to 2008.
Richard A. Merkt is an American Republican Party public official, attorney, and businessman who served from 1998 to 2010 in the New Jersey General Assembly, where he represented the 25th legislative district. In his sixth term as a legislator, he unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for Governor of New Jersey in 2009 rather than running for re-election to the Assembly.
Steven Mark Lonegan is an American businessman and politician who served as mayor of Bogota, New Jersey, from 1996 to 2007. He was also the Republican Party's nominee in the 2013 Special Senate election in New Jersey, which he lost to Cory Booker.
Thomas P. Giblin is an American Democratic Party politician, who serves in the New Jersey General Assembly where he represents the 34th legislative district, having taken office on January 10, 2006. He has been the Assembly's Deputy Majority Leader since 2008.
Marcia A. Karrow is an American politician affiliated with the Republican Party. She is currently serving as the mayor of Flemington, New Jersey. She previously served in the New Jersey State Senate representing the 23rd Legislative District from February 9, 2009 to November 23, 2009. She previously served for three years in the General Assembly representing the same district she represented in the Senate.
Scott T. Rumana is an Assyrian-American Republican Party politician, and was a member of the New Jersey General Assembly, where he represented the 40th legislative district from January 8, 2008 until his resignation on October 20, 2016. On October 20, 2016, he was confirmed by the New Jersey Senate as a judge of the New Jersey Superior Court for Passaic County. He has also served as the mayor and as a councilman in Wayne and is a former member of the Passaic County Board of Chosen Freeholders.
Ralph R. Caputo is an American Democratic Party politician, who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 2008 to 2023, where he represented the 28th Legislative District. He had previously served on the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders from 2003 to 2011 and as a Republican in the General Assembly from 1968 until 1972.
The 2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election took place on November 3, 2009. Incumbent Democratic governor Jon Corzine ran for a second term against Republican Chris Christie, Independent Christopher Daggett, and nine others, in addition to several write-in candidates. Christie won the election, with about 48.5 percent of the vote, to 44.9 percent for Corzine and 5.8 percent for Daggett. He assumed office on January 19, 2010. This was the first election to fill the newly created office of lieutenant governor, with the candidates for governor choosing their running mates. Kim Guadagno, Christie's running mate, became New Jersey's first lieutenant governor following her inauguration.
Domenick DiCicco Jr. was an American Republican Party politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 2010 to 2012, where he represented the 4th Legislative District.
The 2012 United States Senate election in New Jersey took place on November 6, 2012, concurrently with the 2012 U.S. presidential election as well as other elections to the United States Senate and House of Representatives and various state and local elections.
The 2013 United States elections were held on Tuesday, November 5, 2013. This off-year election cycle featured several special elections to the United States Congress; two gubernatorial races; state legislative elections in a few states; and numerous citizen initiatives, mayoral races, and a variety of other local offices on the ballot.
The 2013 New Jersey gubernatorial election took place on November 5, 2013, to elect the governor of New Jersey. Incumbent Republican governor Chris Christie ran for re-election to a second term in office. He faced Democratic nominee Barbara Buono and six others in the general election.
The 2014 United States Senate election in New Jersey was held on November 4, 2014, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of New Jersey. Incumbent senator Cory Booker was first elected in a 2013 special election to complete the term of fellow Democrat Frank Lautenberg, who died in office. Booker defeated Jeff Bell (R) to win a first full term.
The 2014 United States House of Representatives elections in New Jersey were held on Tuesday, November 4, 2014, to elect the 12 U.S. representatives from the state of New Jersey, one from each of the state's 12 congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2014 United States midterm elections for other federal and state offices, including U.S. House elections in other states and a U.S. Senate election in New Jersey.
The 2013 United States Senate special election in New Jersey was held on October 16, 2013, to fill the New Jersey United States Senate Class 2 seat for the remainder of the term ending January 3, 2015. The vacancy resulted from the death of 5-term Democratic senator Frank Lautenberg on June 3, 2013. On June 4, 2013, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie announced that a primary election to fill the vacancy would take place on August 13, 2013, and that a special election would follow on October 16, 2013. Christie appointed Republican New Jersey Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa to the seat as a placeholder; Chiesa announced at the time of his appointment that he would not be a candidate in the special election.
This is the electoral history of Chris Christie, the former Governor of New Jersey.
The 2017 New Jersey General Assembly elections were held on November 7, 2017, to elect members to all 80 seats of the New Jersey General Assembly. Prior to the elections, Democrats held a 52–28 majority in the lower house. Overall, the Democrats increased their majority by 2 to a super-majority at 54–26, due to holding all their seats as well as picking up open seats in District 2 and District 16. This tied Democrats for their largest majority since 1979.
All 80 seats in the General Assembly were up for election this year. In each Legislative district, there are two people elected; the top two winners in the general election are the ones sent to the Assembly. Typically, the two members of each party run as a team in each election. After the previous election, Democrats captured 48 seats while the Republicans won 32 seats. At the time of the general election, there were two vacancies: One in the 5th District resulting from Democrat Angel Fuentes's resignation on June 30, 2015, and one in the 24th District resulting from Republican Alison Littell McHose's resignation on October 17, 2015.