Election 2024: Contested local and statewide elections playout amid highly publicized political scandals in New Jersey
Writer: Mirella Franzese
4 min read July 2024 — Following the results of the New Jersey primary election last Tuesday — which saw Newark City Council President LaMonica McIver win the U.S. House Democratic seat with little opposition — the general election later this year will decide the Senate and Governor representatives for the Garden State.
Registered voters will also pick 12 candidates to serve in the U.S. House from each of the state’s 12 districts, despite the outcome of the primary election in the 10th District, as McIver’s term will end in January 2025. The newly appointed Democratic representative takes over from the late Donald Payne Jr., who served in the House for two decades before passing away in April. McIver is a contender for the full-term Democratic seat in the November ballot; however, she still faces Republican Carmen Bucco in the special election slated for Sept. 18.
New Jersey is one of nine U.S. states to hold multi-winner contests for state representative seats — meaning two state representatives are elected from each district. State senators and governors are all elected through the traditional single-winner electoral system.
New Jersey’s semi-closed primary system only allows registered voters with party affiliations to vote in a primary. Residents without a previously indicated political affiliation can register as Democrats or Republicans on the day of the election to ensure eligibility to vote. Primary elections in the Garden State are decided by plurality vote, which awards the win to the candidate who secures the highest number of votes, regardless of whether the candidate obtains a majority of votes.
According to the New Jersey Division of Elections, the state’s electoral base includes 6,524,732 registered voters as of May 1, 2024 — 2,520,768 (38%) of whom are Democrats and 1,590,941 (24%) are Republicans. Democrats outnumber Republicans in pivotal counties for the 2024 elections: Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, and Camden. New Jersey also ranks among the top eight states with the largest share of eligible Latino voters (16%). The presence of a prominent Hispanic community in New Jersey could give the Democrats a slight edge over the Republicans, considering 64% of Latinos are affiliated with the Democratic Party, while only 12% are affiliated with the Republican Party. Among the state’s white non-Hispanic electorate, the margins are significantly tighter — 41% of voters lean Republican, while 42% lean Democrat — indicating a heated political race among this ethnic group.
In addition to the presidential elections, New Jersey will convene a political race for positions in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. The Democratic Party has obtained a majority in every senatorial general election in the past 50 years, but the political fallout from Sen. Bob Menendez corruption scandal could mean a major shake-up in the race for a seat in Congress.
“It is probably the most significant shift in New Jersey politics in decades,” Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop told the New York Times.
Sen. Menendez was convicted on charges of bribery earlier this week after a lengthy trial in New York since his arrest last year. In light of the guilty verdict, Menendez has officially announced his resignation which will take effect Aug. 20, leaving a political vacuum in the Senate. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy will appoint a replacement to take over from Mendendez. Democrat Andy Kim and Republican Curtis Bashaw will both be vying for his seat in the general election in November. Kim’s bid for the Senate is built around LGBTQ and reproductive rights, the creation of local jobs, environmental protection, and ending government corruption, among other measures. Kim is a three-term Congressman and the favorite to win against Bashaw, a Wharton MBA graduate and hotel entrepreneur, whose campaign promises to cut spending and reduce inflation, support small businesses, and secure borders.
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The Menendez case is not the only one to stir up local politics recently. Last month, New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin brought up racketeering charges against George Norcross and his associates, all of whom were charged with conducting illegal business dealings across Camden, New Jersey. Norcross is a New Jersey power broker and the former chairman of the Camden County Democratic Committee. Also complicit in the scheme is Dana Redd, who previously served in the state Senate and presided over the city of Camden as mayor from 2010 to 2018.
With New Jersey at the center of these two highly publicized political scandals, state Democrats will find themselves in hot water if they are unable to regain civic trust ahead of the general elections.
Local municipal and county elections are also at stake, with a special spotlight on Jersey City’s mayoral race as incumbent Mayor Steven Fulop will not be seeking re-election in a bid to run for governor. Six challengers have thrown their names in the ring to succeed Fulop. Among them are Mussab Ali, former president of the Jersey City Board of Education; Flash Gordon, the father of former New York Giants linebacker Jonathan Casillas; Jim McGreevey, former governor of New Jersey; Bill O’Dea, Hudson County commissioner from the 2nd District; and Joyce Watterman, president of the Jersey City Council.
As for municipal elections, Hudson County will see Democrat Tilo Rivas run against Republican Juliana Lombard for re-election as county surrogate, while Essex County’s Juan Rivera Jr. (D) and Jeffrey Polewka (R) will both be jostling for the county register position.
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