SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — Early voting for New Jersey’s primary election begins Thursday, and Election Day is Tuesday, June 4. Although first lady Tammy Murphy dropped out of the competitive Senate race in March, there are still a few big races to follow.
3rd Congressional District
The battle to replace Congressman Andy Kim — who is expected to win the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate handily — is one of the most interesting contests in the state. Two assembly members, Herb Conaway and Carol Murphy, are going against one another after being running mates for years.
Micah Rasmussen, director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University, said the contest will show just how much sway the former county line system had.
“Herb Conaway has the support of all the county organizations in the district: Mercer, Monmouth and Burlington,” Rasmussen said. “And under the old line system, those would have been prohibitive advantages for him.”
A federal appeals court upheld a lower court’s decision in April to scrap the county line system, which was widely viewed as a method that favored candidates with establishment backing. The ballots listed candidates with political party support in one column and relegated others to another.
Carol Murphy has criticized Conaway’s support for that system and said she’s running to protect democracy.
“I am running to be the first woman elected to Congress from South Jersey,” she said in a statement. “We need women in Congress who understand on a personal level how essential it is to protect reproductive rights, close the wage gap, strengthen services for victims of domestic violence, and support women-owned businesses. I have fought like hell at the state Capitol and will bring that same fight to Congress.”
Business owner Sarah Schoengood and Joe Cohn are also on the Democratic primary ballot in the 3rd Congressional District. Cohn said he’s fought and won civil rights battles in red states, and that experience sets him apart.
“The reality is that voters are not picking a representative to send to Trenton where Democrats have held all the power for years,” Cohn said. “We are electing someone to represent the 3rd Congressional District in Washington where Republicans — whether we like it or not — will have real power.”
Rasmussen said this district is now considered heavily Democratic after redistricting added blue areas of Mercer County and removed red areas of Ocean County.
Republican primary for U.S. Senate
Another interesting contest is the Republican side of the U.S. Senate primary. Curtis Bashaw has the county line support in 14 counties. Christine Serrano-Glassner has support in five counties, as well as support from Donald Trump, who endorsed her during his recent visit to Wildwood — shore-area hotel owner Bashaw’s home turf.
“[Trump] says that Bashaw is a Christie Republican, and that is clearly meant to be an insult,” Rasmussen said.
The recent court ruling to remove the county line ballot system only applies to the Democratic primary, not the Republican side.
2nd Congressional District
The Democratic primary for the 2nd Congressional District is a rematch from two years ago. Tim Alexander beat Carolyn Rush in the primary, then lost by more than 40,000 votes in the general election to Republican Congressman Jeff Van Drew.
Joe Salerno joins them on the ballot this year.
Voter turnout
Rasmussen expects turnout to be very low, maybe around 10%. That isn’t typical for a presidential year, but he said there’s no real race with President Joe Biden and Trump all but locked in.
He believes the U.S. Senate contest to replace Bob Menendez and other congressional races may not be enough to excite voters for higher turnout.
New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin said his office is working hard to ensure every eligible voter has access to the polls.
“We have built the infrastructure to promptly resolve voting-related issues, and we will hold accountable anyone who attempts to disrupt our democratic process,” he said.
Platkin also noted it’s illegal to solicit or electioneer voters within a “protective zone” as they enter or exit a polling location. The “protective zone” extends 100 feet from the outside entrance of any polling site.
To report voting-related problems or concerns, call 1-877-NJVOTER.
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