November 07, 2017
With Chris Christie's eight years in the governor's office drawing to an unceremonial close, New Jersey voters will elect his successor in Tuesday's general election.
Also on the ballot: a host of state Senate and General Assembly races, and two statewide questions.
Here's a rundown of what local voters can expect, as well as a list of voter resources:
The big question in the gubernatorial race is whether the Republican nominee, Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno, can shake off the association with her boss, the least popular governor in America according to a recent survey. She is challenged by Democratic nominee Phil Murphy, a former U.S. Ambassador to Germany and Goldman Sachs executive. Polls indicate Guadagno faces a difficult path to the governor's office.
Christie cannot seek a third term because of term limits, setting up New Jersey as one of only two states with a race for governor this year. Democrats are favored in the general election, in part because of an 800,000-voter registration advantage and because of political headwinds stemming from the unpopularity of Christie and President Donald Trump.
Guadagno, 58, who also served the Christie administration as secretary of state, is a former assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and the District of New Jersey. She was also Assistant New Jersey Attorney General. She holds a bachelor of arts degree from Ursinus College and a law degree from the Washington College of Law in Washington, D.C. She is married and has three children, her campaign website says.
Murphy, 60, was appointed U.S. ambassador to Germany by President Barack Obama. He also served as finance chairman for the Democratic National Committee under Howard Dean. He retired as an executive with Goldman Sachs in 2006 following a 23-year career. He has an economics degree from Harvard University and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He is married with four children.
Also running for governor are third-party candidates Seth Kaper-Dale of the Green Party, Gina Genovese of the Reduce Property Taxes Party, Matthew Riccardi of the Constitution Party, Peter J. Rohrman of the Libertarian Party and Vincent Ross of the We the People Party.
In the 1st Legislative District, which includes Cape May County and parts of Atlantic and Cumberland counties, Democratic incumbent Jeff Van Drew is challenged by Republican Mary Gruccio and third-party candidate Anthony Parisi of the Cannot Be Bought Party.
In the 2nd Legislative District, comprising part of Atlantic County, it's a race between Republican Chris Brown and Democrat Colin Bell .
In the 3rd Legislative District, which includes Salem County and parts of Cumberland and Gloucester counties, Democratic incumbent Steve Sweeney is challenged by Republican Fran Grenier.
In the 4th Legislative District, which includes part of Gloucester and Camden counties, Democratic incumbent Fred H. Madden is unopposed.
In the 5th Legislative District, which includes parts of Camden and Gloucester counties, Democratic incumbent Nilsa Cruz-Perez is challenged by Republican Keith Walker and third-party candidate Mohammad Kabir of the Challenge Promise Fix Party.
In the 6th Legislative District, which includes part of Camden County, Democratic incumbent James Beach is opposed by Republican Robert Shapiro.
In the 7th Legislative District, which includes part of Burlington County, incumbent Democrat Troy Singleton is opposed by Republican John Browne.
In the 8th Legislative District, which includes parts of Burlington and Camden counties, the race is between Democrat George B. Youngkin and Republican Dawn Marie Addiego.
In the 9th Legislative District, which includes parts of Atlantic, Burlington and Ocean counties, Republican incumbent Christopher J. Connors is challenged by Democrat Brian Corley White.
In the 1st Legislative District, which includes Cape May county and parts of Atlantic and Cumberland counties, Democrats Bob Andrzejczak and R. Bruce Land are the bracketed incumbents challenged by Republicans James R. Sauro and Robert G. Campbell.
In the 2nd Legislative District, which comprises part of Atlantic County, Democratic incumbent Vince Mazzeo is bracketed with Democrat John Armato. They are challenged by Republicans Vince Sera and Brenda Taube. Also on the ballot are third-party candidates Heather Gordon of the Independent, Honest, Reliable Party and Mico Lucide of the Green Party.
In the 3rd Legislative District, which includes Salem County and parts of Cumberland and Gloucester counties, Democrats John J. Burzichelli and Adam Taliaferro are the bracketed incumbents challenged by bracketed Republicans Philip J. Donohue and Linwood H. Donelson III. Edward R. Durr of the One For All Party is also on the ballot.
In the 4th Legislative District, which includes part of Gloucester and Camden counties, Democrats Paul D. Moriarty and Gabriela M. Mosquera are the bracketed incumbents challenged by bracketed Republicans Patricia Jefferson Kline and Eduardo J. Maldonado. William McCauley Jr. of the Represent, Not Rule Party is also on the ballot.
In the 5th Legislative District, which includes parts of Camden and Gloucester counties, Democrats Patricia Egan Jones and Arthur Barclay are the bracketed incumbents challenged by bracketed Republicans Kevin Ehret and Teresa L. Gordon
In the 6th Legislative District, which includes part of Camden County, Democrats Louis D. Greenwald and Pamela R. Lampitt are the bracketed incumbents challenged by bracketed Republicans Winston Extavour and David C. Moy. Monica Sohler of the American Solidarity Party is also on the ballot.
In the 7th Legislative District, which includes part of Burlington County, Democratic incumbent Herb Conaway is bracketed with Democrat Carol Murphy. They are challenged by Republicans Octavia Scott and Robert Thibault.
In the 8th Legislative District, which includes parts of Burlington and Camden counties, Republican incumbent Joe Howarth and Republican Ryan Peters are challenged by bracketed Democrats Joanne Schwartz and Maryann Merlino. Also on the ballot is Ryan T. Calhoun of the No Status Quo Party.
In the 9th Legislative District, which includes parts of Atlantic, Burlington and Ocean counties, Republicans Brian E. Rumpf and Dianne C. Gove are the bracketed incumbents. They are challenged by bracketed Democrats Jill Dobrowansky and Ryan Young.
The Yes-or-No question reads: "Do you approve the “New Jersey Library Construction Bond Act”?
This bond act authorizes the State to issue bonds in the aggregate principal amount of $125 million, with the proceeds to be used to provide grants to public libraries. The grants will be used to build, equip and expand public libraries to increase capacity and serve the public.
Municipalities or counties that fund public libraries will match the grant amount. The municipality or county may solicit private funding to support its match. The state librarian, in consultation with the president of Thomas Edison State University, will set eligibility criteria for the grants.
The Yes-or-No question reads: "Do you approve amending the Constitution to dedicate all moneys collected by the State relating to natural resource damages in cases of contamination of the environment?"
This amendment would dedicate monies collected by the state relating to natural resource damages through settlements or awards for legal claims based on environmental contamination. The moneys would have to be used to repair, restore, replace or preserve the state’s natural resources and would be spent in an area as close as possible to the geographical area in which the damage occurred. The moneys may also be used to pay legal or other costs incurred by the state in pursuing its claims. Currently, these moneys may be used for any state purpose
Polls in New Jersey are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 7. Anybody in line by 8 p.m. must be allowed to vote in the general election. If you suspect voter fraud, call the U.S. Attorney's Office hotline at (888) 636-6596.
Don't head to the polls without an umbrella. There is a 60 percent chance of rain on Election Day, with precipitation more likely after 5 p.m. The high will be around 51, according to the National Weather Service.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
