Credit: (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Nearly all the candidates expected to win did so, although there were a couple of surprises in the Republican races in the 5th and 11th districts in North Jersey.
Democrats currently hold 10 of the state’s 12 congressional seats, with three or four considered swing districts. Redistricting made three of those more Democratic, with the fourth trending more Republican. But the party in power in the White House typically loses seats in the midterms and this year high gas prices, high inflation and other issues are expected to weigh on Democrats as they try to keep control of the House of Representatives.
Democrats have a 12-vote margin in the House. Any losses in districts now held by Democrats, or considered to lean toward the party in November, would help Republicans take control.
Voter turnout won’t be known for at least several more days, but there are indications it may wind up being larger than in past midterm primary elections. New Jersey’s primaries generally have low turnouts, usually with only staunch Democrats and Republicans voting. Those not affiliated with either party can vote by declaring a party at the polls, but few do. While in-person turnout was reportedly light in some areas, mail-in balloting was heavy and more ballots will be coming into counties in the next several days.
In the last midterm election, in 2018, about 706,000 people voted, representing roughly 20% of registered partisans. The continuing rise in popularity of mail-in voting, coupled with the first period of in-person early voting by machine in a primary meant more than 277,000 people had already voted through Sunday, with 20,230 voting in person and the rest using a mail-in ballot. Democrats cast most of those ballots — 71% of all. About 8% of the state’s 2.5 million registered Democrats voted early, compared with 4% of the 1.49 million registered Republicans.
This year’s races were more crowded than usual, which for the most part reflected the interest of Republican newcomers in unseating incumbents. The fact that congressional district boundaries were redrawn last year to reflect population changes measured by the 2020 U.S. census gave some more confidence they could win.
Others decided to run as independent candidates. As of Monday, 21 independents already had filed to run in November, at least one in every district. Some are perennial candidates and others are newcomers. The filing deadline to run as an independent was Tuesday.
Only the 9th District based in Passaic County and the 12th in Mercer had no primary challenges for either party. In the state’s other 10 districts, the Democratic or Republican nominations, or both, were contested.
Here are highlights from Tuesday’s key primaries and contests expected to shape the November House races in New Jersey. Check the results from all 12 House primaries here.
7th District: Incumbent underdog?
The one district where the Democratic incumbent, Tom Malinowski, is considered the underdog for the general election is the 7th District, which stretches from Hunterdon and Warren counties across the state and into Union County. Malinowski, who urged caution when The Associated Press declared him the winner shortly after 9 p.m., had token opposition from Roger Bacon, a conservative from Phillipsburg.
Tom Kean Jr. resigned from the state Senate last year to devote more time to this congressional race. Kean lost to Malinowski two year ago by about 5,000 votes, or 1.2-percentage points. This is his fourth attempt at federal office. Kean appeared to win his primary, with the AP calling the race for him at 10:30 p.m. when he had 45% of the vote with two-thirds of the results counted.
Kean, the son of one of the state’s most popular governors, is a veteran state legislator and frequent challenger for federal office. This time he faced six opponents, the largest primary field in the state this year. His opponents included state Assemblyman Erik Peterson, 2021 GOP gubernatorial also-ran Phil Rizzo, Fredon Mayor John Flora and three men from Morris County.
Long considered a moderate, Kean moved further to the right this campaign, calling himself “pro-cop” and “pro-border security” in ads and vowing on his website to “protect the unborn from egregious abortion laws.” Peterson, Rizzo and Flora all tried to portray him as a RINO (Republican in name only). But Malinowski first won his seat in 2018 with the help of votes of moderate Republicans.
3rd District: A GOP battle
The 3rd is a swing district predicted to lean Democratic; it covers parts of Burlington, Mercer and Monmouth counties.
Democratic Rep. Andy Kim faced Reuven Hendler in his primary. Kim was declared the winner by the AP less than an hour after polls closed.
In the Republican primary, Burlington County business owner Bob Healey had the backing of the GOP establishment and significant advantage in campaign cash. AP called the race with about 83% of the vote counted when Healy had about 53% of the vote.
Healy faced conservative celebrity Ian Smith, a gym owner who made news in 2020 when he defied the state’s COVID-19 lockdown orders, and political novice Nicholas Ferrara of Hamilton, a town added as part of redistricting.
Healey was the most moderate of the Republican candidates and Smith may have been hurt by a drunk-driving arrest earlier this year. That brought to light an earlier DWI incident where he was convicted of vehicular manslaughter in 2007 when, at age 20, he reportedly ran a stop sign and killed another college student while drunk.
4th District: Unusual challenge to Smith
Rep. Chris Smith, a 40-year incumbent who ties as the longest-serving House member in the nation, saw an unusually strong challenge in the 4th District, which encompasses parts of Monmouth and Ocean counties. But that challenge failed. Smith was declared the winner with 56% of the vote after 77% of the results were tallied.
Long a conservative, Smith however was more moderate than opponents Mike Crispi, a conservative podcaster who courted but did not receive an endorsement from Trump, and Steve Gray, a former agent with the FBI. They portrayed Smith, a lifelong opponent of abortion, as a RINO. Smith is known for strong constituent relations and has been an outspoken proponent of human rights. Democrat Matthew Jenkins of Colts Neck was unopposed.
5th District: Vying to face Gottheimer
Democrat Josh Gottheimer has represented the northernmost 5th District, covering parts of Bergen, Passaic and Sussex counties, since 2016 and he was favored to win reelection again.
In the Republican race to face Gottheimer, Frank Pallotta, the 2020 Republican nominee, defeated Nick De Gregorio in what political observers considered an upset. De Gregorio had the backing of the Bergen County GOP, which is the lion’s share of the district, while the Passaic and Sussex Republicans backed Pallotta, who lost to Gottheimer by 7.5%, or more than 30,000 votes, two years ago. Pallotta declared victory shortly after midnight.
Pallotta may have benefited from a mailer Gottheimer reportedly sent to Republican homes tying Pallotta to Donald Trump, who endorsed Pallotta in 2020. This unusual move was Gottheimer’s attempt to pick his rival, given he beat Pallotta handily in 2020.
8th District: Big party backing for Menendez
In the 8th District, which covers parts of Essex, Hudson and Union counties, Democrat Rob Menendez was heavily favored against two other candidates to win the nomination. Menendez, the son of the U.S. senator and making his first run at an elective office, received endorsements from the county parties as well as from Gov. Phil Murphy and a host of other officials in the effort to succeed the retiring Rep. Albio Sires.
Menendez led the race as soon as votes began to be reported and was declared the winner around 10 p.m. with 82% of the vote counted so far. He now is expected to face Republican Marcos Arroyo in November, though this is a district where a Democrat is unlikely to lose.
11th District: Five GOP candidates
The final swing district for November is the 11th, straddling Essex, Morris and Passaic counties, where Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill had no primary opposition.
The Republican primary race saw Paul DeGroot, a former deputy Passaic County prosecutor, eke out a win over Morris County Commissioner Tayfun Selen in another unexpected result. Selen had the backing of the Essex and Morris Republican Party organizations, but political observers say he did little campaigning. DeGroot got the Republican nod in Passaic and beat Selen there by some 2,300 votes, more than enough to make up for Selen’s meager 1,000-vote lead in Morris. Toby Anderson may have been a spoiler, getting almost 20% of the vote. DeGroot’s plurality of 40% was the lowest of any primary winner.
10th District: Taking on Payne Jr.
In the 10th District, which includes parts of Essex, Hudson and Union counties, Rep. Donald Payne Jr. saw an unusually strong primary challenge from two opponents, including the well-financed Imani Oakley. With about three quarters of the vote counted, Payne had polled almost 84%. He benefited from the party line. The Democratic nominee typically wins the seat here. The Republican opponent in November will be David Pinckney, who received 83% of the vote.
— Additional reporting by Lilo H. Stainton
