3 days ago
New Jersey primary election polls open
Voters will select which candidates will face off in November, when the governorship and all 80 seats in the Assembly come up for a vote. (Ed Murray for New Jersey Monitor)
It's primary day in New Jersey.
The Garden State's voters will select which candidates will face off in November, when term-limited Gov. Phil Murphy's seat and all 80 seats in the Legislature's lower chamber come up for a vote.
This year's contests have seen a swell of candidacies. Six Democrats and five Republicans are seeking their parties' nods for governor, and more candidates are seeking seats in the Assembly than at any point since 1993.
On the Republican side, contractor Justin Barbera, state Sen. Jon Bramnick, former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, ex-Englewood Cliffs Mayor Mario Kranjac, and longtime radio host Bill Spadea hope to flip the governorship after eight years of Democratic rule.
The Democratic contest includes Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, Rep. Josh Gottheimer, Rep. Mikie Sherrill, teachers union president Sean Spiller, and ex-state Sen. Steve Sweeney. They are hoping to win a third consecutive gubernatorial term for their party for the first time since Gov. Richard Hughes succeeded Gov. Robert Meyner more than half a century ago.
Polls have shown Sherrill and Ciattarelli leading their respective races, though public surveys of both contests have been rare, and the sheer number of candidates makes the results unpredictable, particularly on the Democratic side.
Twenty-five of the state's 40 legislative districts will play host to intraparty challenges Tuesday. Most of those come on the Democratic side and from candidates recruited by and aligned with Fulop, though Republicans face primaries in some districts too.
It's likely some sitting lawmakers will see their tenures ended by Tuesday's results.
In the 31st District, Assemblyman William Sampson (D-Hudson) and Hudson County Commissioner Jerry Walker face Assemblywoman Barbara McCann Stamato (D-Hudson) and Bayonne Councilwoman Jacqueline Weimmer, who are running under Fulop's slogan.
In the neighboring 32nd District, Assemblywoman Jessica Ramirez (D-Hudson) and Jersey City Councilman Yousef Saleh — both on Fulop's slate — face party-backed candidates Hoboken Public Library director Jennie Pu and Crystal Fonseca, division director of buildings and street maintenance in Jersey City.
Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla and former state administrator Katie Brennan, whose accusations of sexual assault against a 2017 Murphy campaign staffer roiled Trenton, are also seeking the nod in the 32nd District.
Close to half a million New Jerseyans had already voted by Monday morning.
Statewide, 148,686 residents cast in-person ballots at early voting stations during the state's six days of early voting, said a spokesperson for the Department of State. Another 317,984 had returned mail-in ballots as of Monday morning.
Election officials will accept mail ballots postmarked by Election Day for six days after polls close at 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Residents vote in person at their polling place on Tuesday or by delivering their vote-by-mail ballot to a secure ballot drop box or their county board of elections.
