New Jersey State Senate elections, 2011

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See also: New Jersey General Assembly elections, 2011

Elections for the office of New Jersey's state senators were held in New Jersey on November 8, 2011.

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New Jersey State Senate elections, 2011

Primary Competitiveness

Majority controlCampaign contributions

Competitiveness Analysis
Candidates unopposed by a major partyPrimary challengesRetiring incumbents

RedistrictingQualifications

List of candidates
District 1District 2District 3District 4District 5District 6District 7District 8District 9District 10District 11District 12District 13District 14District 15District 16District 17District 18District 19District 20District 21District 22District 23District 24District 25District 26District 27District 28District 29District 30District 31District 32District 33District 34District 35District 36District 37District 38District 39District 40
Other 2011 State Elections
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Other 2011 Election coverage
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New Jersey State Senate

Elections were held for all 40 state senate seats. New Jersey's state senators typically serve for a 4-year term. However, after each decennial census, the senators elected in the first post-redistricting election only serve for two (2) years. Thus, in the November 8, 2011 election, each senator was each elected to a 2-year term. The elections of the state's senators in 2013 and 2017 will be for 4-year terms.

Candidates who wished to run for New Jersey State Senate on the Democratic Party or Republican Party tickets were required to file their nominating signatures and meet other filing requirements by April 11, 56 days before the statewide primary election, in order to have their names listed on the ballot.

According to a Wall Street Journal analysis of unofficial county results, New Jersey voters set a new record low turnout of roughly 26%. Of the state's 5.2 million registered voters, 1.4 million cast a ballot. The previous record was 31% in 1999.[1]

The partisan composition of the chamber did not change as a result of the 2011 elections and Democrats retained a majority.

General election results

The following candidates won election on November 8, 2011:

Odd-year elections

New Jersey was one of four states that held state house elections in 2011. The other three states that hold house elections in odd-numbered years are Louisiana, Mississippi and Virginia.

New Jersey began holding elections in odd-numbered years when the state adopted a new constitution in 1947. Prior to the new constitution, members of the Assembly were elected to one-year terms, members of the Senate to three-year terms and governors to three-year terms. The new constitution changed the term structure to include two years for representatives and four year terms for senators and governors. Because the constitution was adopted in an odd-numbered year, elections were also held in odd-numbered years and have continued in such a manner to this day.[2]

Impact of redistricting

See also: Redistricting in New Jersey

Every 10 years, the Constitution requires states to redraw Congressional and state legislative districts based on updated Census information. In 2011, New Jersey was the first state to complete its state legislative redistricting. Its 40 districts are re-drawn by a reapportionment commission comprised of 5 Democrats, 5 Republicans appointed by their respective party chairs. Since the committee could not reach a decision on new maps, an 11th, nonpartisan member was appointed by the New Jersey Supreme Court. Alan Rosenthal was chosen as the tie-breaking member. After the members from each party drafted proposals, Rosenthal cast the deciding vote, which was in agreement with the Democratic proposal. The new map had the potential to relocate more than 6 incumbents. In the Senate, two new districts had two incumbents.

A New Jersey Tea Party group filed suit over the plan in April and 38 other plaintiffs from across the state joined the suit. State courts upheld the redistricting plan passed by the reapportionment commission. The suit did not delay the state primary.[3]

Majority control

See also: Partisan composition of state senates

Going into the November 2011 elections, the Republican Party was the majority party in 29 state senates. One chamber (Nebraska) is officially nonpartisan. In 19 states, the Democratic Party was the majority party. The New Jersey State Senate was one of the 19 chambers with a Democratic Party majority.

In the other 3 states with state senate elections in 2011 (Louisiana, Mississippi and Virginia), the Democratic Party was the majority party in Virginia, while the Republican Party was the majority party in the state senates of Louisiana and Mississippi.

The partisan composition of the New Jersey State Senate before and after the election is as follows:

New Jersey State Senate
Party As of November 2011 After the 2011 Election
     Democratic Party 24 24
     Republican Party 16 16
Total 40 40

Races to watch

  • Districts 2, 14, & 38: Both PolitickerNJ and Asbury Park Press identified these districts as competitive races in 2011. APP noted that the proportion of registered Democrats declined in these districts.PolitickerNJ said that these changes would not ultimately result in GOP pick-ups. NJ Spotlight said that Assemblyman Vincent Polistina's decision to run for the Senate affected the strength of the GOP assembly ticket in District 2.[4][5][6]
  • District 1: PolitickerNJ noted that District 1 appeared lean Republican but demonstrated strong historical support for Senator Jeff Van Drew (D).NJSpotlight noted that Republicans seemed to be focused on reclaiming the district's assembly seats. Redistricting resulted in less registered Republicans in District 1.[5][6]
  • District 7: District 7 was split between both parties, with Republicans controlling the Senate seat and Democrats controlling the two Assembly seats. PolitickerNJ noted that several Republican-leaning areas were added to the area in redistricting, but since these districts came from solidly Republican districts, Democratic turnout in these areas may expand in 2011. Joseph Malone, III (R) was also moved into District 7 via redistricting, but decided to retire. Jack Conners (D) was moved out of District 7 by redistricting and decided to retire. Troy Singleton was appointed to replace Connors in the Assembly and run in District 7.[5][6]
  • District 11: District 11 was reshaped to become a minority opportunity district. NJSpotlight said Republicans were likely to win, and PolitickerNJ said that the Asbury Park Press endorsement of Vin Gopal (D) may have increased his chances of election.[5][6]
  • District 16: District 16 was reshaped in 2011, moving its population center away from Somerset County. All of the Republican candidates (two incumbents and one challenger) were from the Somerset area. However, NJSpotlight noted that despite these changes and balanced partisan registration, the Democratic ticket remained relatively unfamiliar to voters.[5][6]

Competitiveness

Candidates unopposed by a major party

2011 state legislative elections analyzed using a Competitiveness Index

One incumbent (0.9%) faced no competition in the November 8 general election.

  • 1 Republican incumbent (Dawn Addiego faced no November challenger

Addiego was slated to face Carl Lewis (D) in the general election but he was removed from the ballot over candidacy issues.

Primary challenges

Five incumbents faced competition in the June 7 primary.

The following 5 incumbents (3 Democrats, 2 Republicans) won their primaries:

Retiring incumbents

Four incumbent senators did not run for re-election, while 36 (90%) ran for re-election. Of the 4 incumbents who did not run for re-election, 1 is a Democrat and 3 are Republicans.

Incumbents who retired are:

Incumbents displaced by redistricting

Seven incumbent senators were displaced by the 2011 redistricting process. Of the 7 displaced incumbents, 5 are Democrats and 2 are Republicans.

Incumbents who were displaced by redistricting:

  • District 2: Incumbent Democrat Clarence E. Phillips now resides in district 4.
  • District 10: Incumbent Democrat Ward Armstrong was moved to district 16. He decided to move to a residence in district 9, where he now seeks election.
  • District 11: Incumbent Democrat Sean Kean, who is now running for District 30 of the General Assembly.
  • District 12: Incumbent Republican Jennifer Beck now resides in district 11.
  • District 18: Incumbent Republican Clay Athey now resides in district 29.
  • District 35: Incumbent Democrat John Girgenti , who did not seek re-election.
  • District 87: Incumbent Democrat Paula Miller now resides in district 100.

Primaries

See also: Ballotpedia news report on New Jersey primary competitiveness

As in 2007, a majority of the state's major party candidates proceeded to the general election without a primary challenge. Of the 77 party primaries, 9 featured two or more candidates competing for the nomination.

Comparing Contested Primaries in Past NJ Senate Elections
Democrats Republicans Total
2007 2011 2007 2011 2007 2011
Open contested 2 0 3 4 5 4
Open uncontested 21 15 22 22 43 37
Incumbent contested 4 3 0 2 4 5
Incumbent uncontested 13 20 11 11 24 31
No Candidates 0 2 4 1 4 3
Total contested 6 3 3 6 9 9
Total uncontested 34 35 33 33 67 68

Qualifications

In order to be a candidate to run for the New Jersey State Senate, a candidate must:

  • Be a citizen of the United States
  • Reside for no less than four years in the district the candidate plans to represent.
  • Be 30 years of age or older.
  • Obtain 100 signatures via petition and submit the signatures to the New Jersey Secretary of State.[7]
  • Disclose any criminal convictions.[8]

Campaign contributions

See also: State-by-state comparison of donations to state senate campaigns

During the 2011 election, the total contributions to the 97 Senate candidates was $27,085,886. The top 10 contributors were:[9]

2011 Donors, New Jersey State Senate
Donor Amount
Senate Republican Majority of New Jersey $1,079,798
Whelan for Senate Cooper & Tyner for Assembly $716,500
New Jersey Republican Party $471,297
Union City First $245,323
New Jersey Regional Council of Carpenters $209,200
Cmte to Elect Lesniak Cryan & Quijano $198,225
New Jersey Association of Realtors $156,550
New Jersey State Laborers $135,800
New Jersey Education Association $134,100
New Jersey Automobile Dealers Assocation $122,893


On November 3, the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission published fundraising figures detailing the top fundraisers through October 25, 2011. During this period candidates from all districts spent a total of $24,828,692--an 8% drop from 2007. The top ten fundraising districts are as follows:[10]

District Amt. Raised Amt. Spent
District 2 $3,762,118 $3,161,517
District 38 $3,394,798 $3,023,924
District 27 $2,596,811 $1,478,438
District 3 $2,331,779 $1,753,254
District 7 $2,139,112 $1,642,013
District 14 $1,971,949 $1,850,513
District 36 $1,690,651 $1,205,468
District 1 $1,302,937 $1,149,273
District 18 $1,148,826 $809,782
District 17 $1,147,997 $352,571

List of candidates

Note: The following were the official candidates for the November 8 general election.

District 1

Partisan dominance in state senates
heading into the 2011 state legislative elections
New Jersey State LegislatureLouisiana State LegislatureMississippi State LegislatureVirginia State Legislature2011 Partisan Senates.png
Democratic Party June 7 Democratic primary:
  • Jeff Van Drew: 2,633 Approveda Incumbent Van Drew was first elected in 2007.
Republican Party June 7 GOP primary:

November 8 General election candidates:

Democratic Party Jeff Van Drew: 24,557 Approveda
Republican Party David DeWeese: 20,857

District 2

Democratic Party June 7 Democratic primary:
  • Jim Whelan: 3,907 Approveda Incumbent Whelan was first elected in 2007.
Republican Party June 7 GOP primary:
  • Vincent Polistina: 4,681 Approveda Polistina was first elected to Assembly District 2 in 2007.
Grey.png Independent candidate:

November 8 General election candidates:

Democratic Party Jim Whelan: 24,075 Approveda
Republican Party Vincent Polistina: 20,997

District 3

Democratic Party June 7 Democratic primary:
Republican Party June 7 GOP primary:

November 8 General election candidates:

Democratic Party Stephen Sweeney: 25,299 Approveda
Republican Party Michael Mulligan: 20,197

District 4

Democratic Party June 7 Democratic primary:
  • Fred Madden: 4,599 Approveda Incumbent Madden was first elected in 2003.
Republican Party June 7 GOP primary:
Grey.png Independent candidate:

November 8 General election candidates:

Democratic Party Fred Madden: 23,868 Approveda
Republican Party Giancarlo D'Orazio: 14,569

District 5

Democratic Party June 7 Democratic primary:
Republican Party June 7 GOP primary:

November 8 General election candidates:

Democratic Party Donald Norcross: 17,712 Approveda
Republican Party Keith Walker: 13,444

District 6

Democratic Party June 7 Democratic primary:
  • James Beach: 3,635 Approveda Incumbent Beach was first elected in 2009.
Republican Party June 7 GOP primary:

November 8 General election candidates:

Democratic Party James Beach: 25,297 Approveda
Republican Party Phil Mitsch: 15,415

District 7

Democratic Party June 7 Democratic primary:
Republican Party June 7 GOP primary:

November 8 General election candidates:

Democratic Party Gail Cook: 20,370
Republican Party Diane Allen: 27,011 Approveda

District 8

Democratic Party June 7 Democratic primary:
  • Carl Lewis: 2,654 Approveda Note: Lewis was removed from the ballot on April 25, 2011 due to residency conflicts. On May 5, the U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Lewis should remain on the ballot for the June 7 Democratic primary until the constitutionality of New Jersey's residency requirement could be determined.[12] Lewis was once again removed from the candidate rolls by Lt. Gov Kim Guadagno on August 16; Guadagno argued that the court injunction keeping Lewis on the ballot applied only to the primary.[13] On September 13, Lewis was ordered back on the ballot by a 2-1 federal court decision.[14] However, on September 22, the panel reversed itself, concluding that Lewis' California activities contradicted his claim of New Jersey residency.[15] On September 23, Lewis announced that he would not appeal the 3rd Circuit's ruling which removed him from the ballot.[16]
Republican Party June 7 GOP primary:
  • Dawn Addiego: 4,702 Approveda Incumbent Addiego was first elected in 2009.

November 8 General election candidates:

Democratic Party Carl Lewis
Republican Party Dawn Addiego: 22,396 Approveda

District 9

Democratic Party June 7 Democratic primary:
Republican Party June 7 GOP primary:

November 8 General election candidates:

Democratic Party Dorothy Ryan: 17,320
Republican Party Christopher Connors: 32,027 Approveda

District 10

Democratic Party June 7 Democratic primary:
Republican Party June 7 GOP primary:
  • James Holzapfel: 4,220 Approveda Holzapfel was first elected to Assembly District 10 in 1993.
Note: Republican incumbent Andrew Ciesla did not run for re-election.

November 8 General election candidates:

Democratic Party Charles Tivenan: 16,105
Republican Party James Holzapfel: 28,675 Approveda

District 11

Democratic Party June 7 Democratic primary:
Republican Party June 7 GOP primary:
Note: Republican incumbent Sean Kean did not run for re-election. He instead ran for Assembly District 30.

November 8 General election candidates:

Democratic Party Raymond Santiago: 15,487
Republican Party Jennifer Beck: 20,226 Approveda

District 12

Democratic Party June 7 Democratic primary:
Republican Party June 7 GOP primary:
  • Samuel Thompson: 2,161 Approveda Thompson was first elected to Assembly District 12 in 1997.
Note: Republican incumbent Jennifer Beck did not run for re-election to District 12, rather she ran for District 11.

November 8 General election candidates:

Democratic Party Robert Brown: 15,125
Republican Party Samuel Thompson: 22,578 Approveda

District 13

Democratic Party June 7 Democratic primary:
Republican Party June 7 GOP primary:
Grey.png Independent candidates:
Constitution Party Constitution party candidates:

November 8 General election candidates:

Democratic Party Christopher Cullen: 14,785
Republican Party Joseph Kyrillos: 24,121 Approveda
Grey.png Mac Dara Lyden: 260
Grey.png Karen Anne Zaletel: 519
Constitution Party Stephen Boracchia: 556

District 14

Democratic Party June 7 Democratic primary:
Republican Party June 7 GOP primary:

November 8 General election candidates:

Democratic Party Linda Greenstein: 26,206 Approveda
Republican Party Richard Kanka: 21,176

District 15

Democratic Party June 7 Democratic primary:
Republican Party June 7 GOP primary:

November 8 General election candidates:

Democratic Party Shirley Turner: 21,512 Approveda
Republican Party Donald Cox: 10,900

District 16

Democratic Party June 7 Democratic primary:
Republican Party June 7 GOP primary:

November 8 General election candidates:

Democratic Party Maureen Vella: 17,460
Republican Party Christopher Bateman: 21,040 Approveda

District 17

Democratic Party June 7 Democratic primary:
  • Bob Smith: 3,065 Approveda Incumbent Smith was first elected in 2001.
Republican Party June 7 GOP primary:

November 8 General election candidates:

Democratic Party Bob Smith: 15,507 Approveda
Republican Party Jordan Rickards: 8,715

District 18

Democratic Party June 7 Democratic primary:
  • Barbara Buono: 5,225 Approveda Incumbent Buono was first elected in 2001.
Republican Party June 7 GOP primary:

November 8 General election candidates:

Democratic Party Barbara Buono: 19,631 Approveda
Republican Party Gloria Dittman: 13,042

District 19

Democratic Party June 7 Democratic primary:
  • Joseph Vitale: 5,442 Approveda Incumbent Vitale was first elected in 1997.
Republican Party June 7 GOP primary:

November 8 General election candidates:

Democratic Party Joseph Vitale: 18,623 Approveda
Republican Party Paul Lund: 9,232

District 20

Democratic Party June 7 Democratic primary:
Republican Party June 7 GOP primary:

November 8 General election candidates:

Democratic Party Raymond Lesniak: 12,510 Approveda
Republican Party Helen Rosales: 4,052

District 21

Democratic Party June 7 Democratic primary:
Republican Party June 7 GOP primary:
  • Thomas Kean: 4,730 Approveda Incumbent Kean was first elected in 2003.

November 8 General election candidates:

Democratic Party Paul Swanicke: 13,351
Republican Party Thomas Kean: 27,750 Approveda

District 22

Democratic Party June 7 Democratic primary:
Republican Party June 7 GOP primary:

November 8 General election candidates:

Democratic Party Nicholas Scutari: 16,104 Approveda
Republican Party Michael Class: 10,024

District 23

Democratic Party June 7 Democratic primary:
Republican Party June 7 GOP primary:
Grey.png Independent candidate:

November 8 General election candidates:

Democratic Party John Graf: 12,579
Republican Party Michael Doherty: 21,596 Approveda
Grey.png Daniel Seyler: 1,040

District 24

Democratic Party June 7 Democratic primary:
Republican Party June 7 GOP primary:
  • Steven Oroho: 7,582 Approveda Incumbent Oroho was first elected in 2007.

November 8 General election candidates:

Democratic Party Edwin Selby: 10,837
Republican Party Steven Oroho: 21,044 Approveda

District 25

Democratic Party June 7 Democratic primary:
Republican Party June 7 GOP primary:

November 8 General election candidates:

Democratic Party Rick Thoeni: 12,298
Republican Party Anthony Bucco: 19,228 Approveda

District 26

Democratic Party June 7 Democratic primary:
Republican Party June 7 GOP primary:
Grey.png Independent:

November 8 General election candidates:

Democratic Party Wasim Khan: 10,317
Republican Party Joseph Pennacchio: 20,230 Approveda
Grey.png Joseph Scafa: 913

District 27

Democratic Party June 7 Democratic primary:
  • Richard Codey: 7,605 Approveda Incumbent Codey was first elected in 1981.
Republican Party June 7 GOP primary:

November 8 General election candidates:

Democratic Party Richard Codey: 27,089 Approveda
Republican Party William Eames: 16,741

District 28

Democratic Party June 7 Democratic primary:
  • Ronald Rice: 7,596 Approveda Incumbent Rice was first elected in 1985.
Republican Party June 7 GOP primary:

November 8 General election candidates:

Democratic Party Ronald Rice: 14,781 Approveda
Republican Party Russell Mollica: 4,519

District 29

Democratic Party June 7 Democratic primary:
  • Teresa Ruiz: 4,356 Approveda Incumbent Ruiz was first elected in 2007.
Republican Party June 7 GOP primary:
Grey.png Independent candidate:

November 8 General election candidates:

Democratic Party Teresa Ruiz: 9,076 Approveda
Republican Party Aracelis Sanabria Tejada: 1,598
Grey.png Laurie Taylor: 363

District 30

Democratic Party June 7 Democratic primary:
Republican Party June 7 GOP primary:
  • Robert Singer: 3,829 Approveda Incumbent Singer was first elected in 1993.

November 8 General election candidates:

Democratic Party Steve Morlino: 11,376
Republican Party Robert Singer: 21,990 Approveda

District 31

Democratic Party June 7 Democratic primary:
Republican Party June 7 GOP primary:

June 7 Eliminate Primary Elections party primary:

November 8 General election candidates:

Democratic Party Sandra Cunningham: 13,275 Approveda
Republican Party Donnamarie James: 2,836
Independent Louis Vernotico: 320

District 32

Democratic Party June 7 Democratic primary:
Republican Party June 7 GOP primary:
Grey.png Independent candidate:

November 8 General election candidates:

Democratic Party Nicholas Sacco: 16,413 Approveda
Republican Party Edward O'Neill: 3,312
Grey.png Herbert Shaw: 588

District 33

Democratic Party June 7 Democratic primary:
  • Brian Stack: 17,536 Approveda Incumbent Stack was first elected in 2007.
Republican Party June 7 GOP primary:

November 8 General election candidates:

Democratic Party Brian Stack: 20,223 Approveda
Republican Party Beth Hamburger: 3,136

District 34

Democratic Party June 7 Democratic primary:
  • Nia Gill: 8,393 Approveda Incumbent Gill was first elected in 2001.
Republican Party June 7 GOP primary:

November 8 General election candidates:

Democratic Party Nia Gill: 17,118 Approveda
Republican Party Ralph Bartnik: 4,386

District 35

Democratic Party June 7 Democratic primary:
  • Nellie Pou: 3,918 Approveda Pou was first elected to the New Jersey General Assembly in 1997.
Republican Party June 7 GOP primary:
Note: Democratic incumbent John Girgenti did not run for re-election in 2011.

November 8 General election candidates:

Democratic Party Nellie Pou: 14,386 Approveda
Republican Party Ken Pengitore: 4,867

District 36

Democratic Party June 7 Democratic primary:
  • Paul Sarlo: 2,412 Approveda Incumbent Sarlo was first elected in 2003.
Republican Party June 7 GOP primary:

November 8 General election candidates:

Democratic Party Paul Sarlo: 18,582 Approveda
Republican Party Donald DiOrio: 11,055

District 37

Democratic Party June 7 Democratic primary:
Republican Party June 7 GOP primary:

November 8 General election candidates:

Democratic Party Loretta Weinberg: 23,141 Approveda
Republican Party Robert Lebovics: 9,980

District 38

Democratic Party June 7 Democratic primary:
  • Robert Gordon: 2,666 Approveda Incumbent Gordon was first elected in 2007.
Republican Party June 7 GOP primary:

November 8 General election candidates:

Democratic Party Robert Gordon: 22,299 Approveda
Republican Party John Driscoll, Jr.: 19,745

District 39

Democratic Party June 7 Democratic primary:
  • Lorraine Waldes: 119 Note: Waldes was removed from the ballot after a candidacy challenge from Republicans, but was replaced in August.
Republican Party June 7 GOP primary:
  • Gerald Cardinale: 3,321 Approveda Incumbent Caredinale was first elected in 1981.
  • Michael Cino Note: Cino's candidacy was found invalid by the Secretary of State in late April.

November 8 General election candidates:

Democratic Party Lorraine Waldes: 16,097
Republican Party Gerald Cardinale: 28,041 Approveda

District 40

Democratic Party June 7 Democratic primary:
Republican Party June 7 GOP primary:
  • Kevin O'Toole: 5,438 Approveda Incumbent O'Toole was first elected in 2007.

November 8 General election candidates:

Democratic Party John Zunic: 13,733
Republican Party Kevin O'Toole: 22,821 Approveda

See also

External links

Footnotes


Current members of the New Jersey State Senate
Leadership
Senate President:Nicholas Scutari
Majority Leader:Teresa Ruiz
Minority Leader:Anthony Bucco
Senators
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
Vin Gopal (D)
District 12
District 13
District 14
District 15
District 16
District 17
Bob Smith (D)
District 18
District 19
District 20
District 21
District 22
District 23
District 24
District 25
District 26
District 27
District 28
District 29
District 30
District 31
District 32
District 33
District 34
District 35
District 36
District 37
District 38
District 39
District 40
Democratic Party (25)
Republican Party (15)