2017 New Jersey Senate election

The 2017 New Jersey State Senate elections were held on November 7, 2017, to elect senators for all 40 legislative districts across New Jersey. These elections coincided with the election of Governor Phil Murphy. The winners of this election would serve in the 218th New Jersey Legislature, with seats apportioned based on the 2010 United States census. The Democratic Party grew its majority in the Senate, with incumbent Senate President Steve Sweeney re-elected to the top leadership post. Republican Thomas Kean, Jr. continued to lead his party as minority leader. This was the first state Senate election cycle in 10 years where any party flipped a Senate seat.

Democrats flipped the 7th and 11th districts, while Republicans flipped the 2nd. Democrats briefly held 26 seats from January through December 2019 following the party switch of Dawn Addiego, resulting in the Democrats controlling the highest percentage of seats since 1977. However, a 2019 special election in District 1 reduced the Democrats back to 25 seats.

Summary of results

!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=center rowspan= 2 colspan=2| Parties !style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=center colspan=4| Seats !style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=center colspan=3| Popular vote |- bgcolor=#E9E9E9 | align="center" | 2013 | align="center" |2017 | align="center" |+/− | align="center" |Strength | align="center" |Vote | align="center" |% | align="center" |Change |- | style="background-color:;" |  | align="left" | Democratic Party | align="right" | 24 | align="right" | 25 | align="right" | 1 | align="right" | 62.50% | align="right" | 1,185,420 | align="right" | 59.5% | align="right" | +12.1% |- | style="background-color:;" |  | align="left" | Republican Party | align="right" | 16 | align="right" | 15 | align="right" | 1 | align="right" | 37.50% | align="right" | 802,418 | align="right" | 40.3% | align="right" | −11.8% |- | style="background-color:;" |  | align="left" | Green Party | align="right" | -

| align="right" | - | align="right" | - | align="right" | - | align="right" | 1,306 | align="right" | 0.1% | align="right" | - |- | style="background-color:;" |&nbsp; | align="left" | Libertarian Party | align="right" | - | align="right" | - | align="right" | - | align="right" | - | align="right" | 574 | align="right" | <0.1% | align="right" | −0.1% |- | style="background-color:;" |&nbsp; | align="left" | Independent | align="right" | - | align="right" | - | align="right" | - | align="right" | - | align="right" | 2,545 | align="right" | 0.1% | align="right" | −0.4% |- bgcolor=CCCCCC | align="center" colspan="2" | Totals | align="center" | 40 | align="center" | 40 | align="center" | 0 | align="center" | 100.0% | align="center" | 1,992,263 | align="center" | 100.0% | align="center" | - |- bgcolor=E9E9E9 | align="left" colspan=9|Source: http://njelections.org/2017-results/2017-official-general-election-results-state-senate.pdf Election Statistics – New Jersey Secretary of State (note: does not include blank, write-in and over/under votes) |-

Incumbents not seeking re-election

Democratic

• Raymond Lesniak, District 20 (running for governor)

Republican

• Diane Allen, District 7
• Joe Kyrillos, District 13

In addition, four members who were elected in the prior election in 2013 had since left office: Donald Norcross (D-5th, resigned), Peter J. Barnes III (D-18th, resigned), Kevin J. O'Toole (R-40th, resigned), and Jim Whelan (D-2nd, died in office).

Summary of results by State Senate district

Close races

Seats where the margin of victory was under 10%:

5. gain
6. gain

Results by district

District 1

Democratic primary

Declared

• Jeff Van Drew, incumbent senator

Results<br />

Republican primary

Declared

• Mary Gruccio, auperintendent of Vineland Public Schools and former Cumberland County freeholder

Results<br />

Independents and third parties

Declared

• Anthony Parisi Sanchez (independent), community activist and former Marine Corps reservist

General election

Endorsements<br />

Polling<br />

Results<br />

District 2

Incumbent Democratic senator Jim Whelan declined to seek a fourth term, announcing his retirement on January 4, 2017. Whelan died in office on August 22.

Democratic primary

Declared

• Colin Bell, former Atlantic County freeholder and nominee for Assembly in 2015

Withdrawn

• Vince Mazzeo, state assemblyman (running for re-election)

Results<br />

Following the death of Whelan on August 22, 2017, Bell was unanimously selected to fill the remainder of his term by local Democratic committee members on September 5, and was sworn in on October 5.

Republican primary

Declared

• Chris A. Brown, state assemblyman

Results<br />

General election

Endorsements<br />

Polling<br />

Results<br />

District 3

Democratic primary

Declared

• Stephen M. Sweeney, incumbent senator

Results<br />

Republican primary

Declared

• Fran Grenier, chairman of the Salem County Republican Party and former Woodstown borough councilman

Results<br />

General election

Polling<br />

Endorsements<br />

Results<br />

District 4

Democratic primary

Declared

• Fred H. Madden, incumbent senator

Results<br />

Republican primary

Declared

• Michael Pascetta

Results<br />

Pascetta was not on the official list of candidates for the general election.

General election

Endorsements<br />

Results<br />

District 5

Democratic primary

Declared

• Nilsa Cruz-Perez, incumbent senator

Results<br />

Republican primary

Declared

• Keith Walker, nominee for Senate in 2011 and 2013

Results<br />

Independents and third parties

Declared

• Mohammad Kabir (independent)

General election

Endorsements<br />

Results<br />

District 6

Democratic primary

Declared

• James Beach, incumbent senator

Results<br />

Republican primary

Declared

• Robert Shapiro

Results<br />

General election

Endorsements<br />

Results<br />

District 7

Citing health concerns, incumbent Republican senator Diane Allen declined to run for a seventh term, announcing her retirement on January 31, 2017.

Republican primary

Declared

• Rob Prisco, Riverside Township committeeman and nominee for Assembly in 2015

Results<br />

On June 13, Governor Chris Christie nominated Prisco to a worker's compensation judgeship, whom consequently would later drop out. Local Republican committee members selected Delanco Mayor John Browne as a replacement candidate on September 6.

Democratic primary

Declared

• Troy Singleton, state assemblyman

Withdrawn

• Cory Cottingham

Declined

• Herb Conaway, state assemblyman (running for re-election)
• Carol A. Murphy, director of policy and communication for Assemblywoman Gabriela Mosquera (running for Assembly)

Results<br />

General election

Endorsements<br />

Results <br />

District 8

Republican primary

Declared

• Dawn Marie Addiego, incumbent senator

Results<br />

Democratic primary

Declared

• George B. Youngkin

Results<br />

General election

Endorsements <br />

Results<br />

District 9

Republican primary

Declared

• Christopher J. Connors, incumbent senator

Results<br />

Democratic primary

Declared

• Brian Corley White, attorney

Results<br />

General election

Endorsements<br />

Results<br />

District 10

Republican primary

Declared

• James W. Holzapfel, incumbent senator

Results<br />

Democratic primary

Declared

• Emma Mammano, mental health counselor

Results<br />

General election

Endorsements<br />

Results<br />

District 11

Republican primary

Declared

• Jennifer Beck, incumbent senator

Results<br />

Democratic primary

Declared

• Vin Gopal, businessman, nominee for Assembly in 2011, and former chairman of the Monmouth County Democratic Party (resigned upon declaration)

Results<br />

General election

Endorsements<br />

Polling<br />

Results<br />

District 12

Republican primary

Declared

• Art Haney, chairman of the Old Bridge Republican Party and former mayor of Old Bridge
• Samuel D. Thompson, incumbent senator

Endorsements<br />

Results<br />

Democratic primary

Declared

• David Lande, attorney

Results<br />

Independents and third parties

Declared

• Kevin Antoine (independent), SUNY health professor

General election

Endorsements <br />

Results<br />

District 13

Incumbent Republican senator Joe Kyrillos announced that he would not run for a ninth term on October 25, 2016.

Republican primary

Declared

• Declan O'Scanlon, state assemblyman

Withdrawn

• Amy Handlin, state assemblywoman (running for re-election)

Results<br />

Democratic primary

Declared

• Sean Byrnes, former Middletown Township committeeman
• Joshua Leinsdorf, former Princeton school board member and perennial candidate

Results<br />

General election

Endorsements

Results<br />

District 14

Democratic primary

Declared

• Linda R. Greenstein, incumbent senator

Results<br />

Republican primary

Declared

• Bruce MacDonald, jewelry store owner
• Ileana Schirmer, Hamilton Township (Mercer) councilwoman

Results<br />

General election

Endorsements<br />

Results<br />

District 15

Democratic primary

Declared

• Shirley Turner, incumbent senator

Results<br />

Republican primary

Declared

• Lee Eric Newton

Results<br />

General election

Endorsements<br />

Results<br />

District 16

Republican primary

Declared

• Christopher Bateman, incumbent senator

Results<br />

Democratic primary

Declared

• Laurie Poppe, attorney, social worker, and nominee for Hillsborough Township Committee in 2015 and 2016

Withdrawn

• Zenon Christodoulu, businessman

Declined

• Andrew Koontz, Mercer County freeholder
• Liz Lempert, mayor of Princeton
• Andrew Zwicker, state assemblyman (running for re-election)

Results<br />

General election

Endorsements<br />

Polling<br />

Results<br />

District 17

Democratic primary

Declared

• Bill Irwin, Piscataway Board of Education president
• Bob Smith, incumbent senator

Results<br />

Republican primary

Declared

• Daryl J. Kipnis, attorney

Results<br />

General election

Endorsements<br />

Results<br />

District 18

Democratic primary

Declared

• Patrick J. Diegnan, incumbent senator

Results<br />

Republican primary

Declared

• Mark Csizmar, former East Brunswick police officer and nominee for East Brunswick Township Council in 2016

Results<br />

Csizmar was replaced on the ballot for the general election by Lewis Glogower, who was previously one of the nominees for the Assembly seat.

General election

Endorsements<br />

Results<br />

District 19

Democratic primary

Declared

• Joe Vitale, incumbent senator

Results<br />

Republican primary

Declared

• Arthur J. Rittenhouse Jr.

Results<br />

Following the primary, Rittenhouse dropped out of the race on September 14.

General election

Endorsements<br />

Results<br />

District 20

Incumbent Democratic senator Raymond Lesniak declined to run for re-election and instead ran for governor.

Democratic primary

Declared

• Joseph Cryan, Union County Sheriff, former state assemblyman, and former chairman of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee

Results<br />

Republican primary

Declared

• Ashraf Hanna

Results<br />

General election

Endorsements<br />

Results<br />

District 21

Republican primary

Declared

• Thomas Kean Jr., incumbent senator

Results<br />

Democratic primary

Declared

• Jill LaZare, attorney and nominee for Assembly in 2013 and 2015

Results<br />

General election

Endorsements<br />

Results<br />

District 22

Democratic primary

Declared

• Nicholas Scutari, incumbent senator

Results<br />

Republican primary

Declared

• Joseph A. Bonilla

Results<br />

General election

Endorsements<br />

Results<br />

District 23

Republican primary

Declared

• Michael J. Doherty, incumbent senator

Results<br />

Democratic primary

Declared

• Christine Lui Chen, health care executive

Results<br />

General election

Endorsements<br />

Results<br />

District 24

Republican primary

Declared

• William Hayden, NJDOT employee and vice president of the Skylands Tea Party
• Steve Oroho, incumbent senator

Withdrawn

• Gail Phoebus, state assemblywoman

Results<br />

Democratic primary

Declared

• Jennifer Hamilton, attorney

Results<br />

General election

Endorsements<br />

Results<br />

District 25

Republican primary

Declared

• Anthony Bucco, incumbent senator

Results<br />

Democratic primary

Declared

• Lisa Bhimani, OB/GYN

Results<br />

General election

Endorsements

Results<br />

District 26

Republican primary

Declared

• Joseph Pennacchio, incumbent senator

Declined

• Tom Mastrangelo, Morris County freeholder

Results<br />

Democratic primary

Declared

• Elliot Isibor, nominee for Assembly in 2011 and 2013

Results<br />

General election

Endorsements

Results<br />

District 27

Democratic primary

Declared

• Richard Codey, incumbent senator

Results<br />

Republican primary

Declared

• Pasquale "Pat" Capozzoli, Caldwell borough councilman

Results<br />

General election

Endorsements<br />

Results<br />

District 28

Democratic primary

Declared

• Ronald Rice, incumbent senator

Results<br />

Republican primary

No Republicans filed.

Results<br />

Independents and third parties

Declared

• Troy Knight-Napper (Green)

General election

Endorsements<br />

Results<br />

District 29

Democratic primary

Declared

• Teresa Ruiz, incumbent senator

Results<br />

Republican primary

Declared

• Maria E. Lopez

Results<br />

Independents and third parties

Declared

• Pablo Olivera (One Nation Party), perennial candidate

General election

Endorsements<br />

Results<br />

District 30

Republican primary

Declared

• Robert Singer, incumbent senator

Results<br />

Democratic primary

Declared

• Amy Sara Cores, attorney

Results<br />

General election

Endorsements<br />

Results<br />

District 31

Democratic primary

Declared

• Sandra Bolden Cunningham, incumbent senator

Declined

• Angela V. McKnight, state assemblywoman (running for re-election)

Results<br />

Republican primary

Declared

• Herminio Mendoza

Results<br />

General election

Endorsements<br />

Results<br />

District 32

Democratic primary

Declared

• Nicholas Sacco, incumbent senator

Results<br />

Republican primary

Declared

• Paul Castelli

Results<br />

General election

Endorsements<br />

Results<br />

District 33

Democratic primary

Declared

• Brian P. Stack, incumbent senator

Results<br />

Republican primary

Declared

• Beth Hamburger

Results<br />

General election

Results<br />

District 34

Democratic primary

Declared

• Nia Gill, incumbent senator

Results<br />

Republican primary

Declared

• Mahir Saleh

Results<br />

General election

Endorsements<br />

Results<br />

District 35

Democratic primary

Declared

• Nellie Pou, incumbent senator
• Haytham Younes, real estate investor and candidate for Paterson City Council in 2014

Results<br />

Republican primary

Declared

• Marwan Sholakh

Results<br />

General election

Endorsements<br />

Results<br />

District 36

Democratic primary

Declared

• Paul Sarlo, incumbent senator

Results<br />

Republican primary

Declared

• Jeanine Ferrara

Results<br />

General election

Endorsements<br />

Results<br />

District 37

Democratic primary

Declared

• Loretta Weinberg, incumbent senator

Results<br />

Republican primary

Declared

• Eric P. Fisher
• Modesto Romero

Results<br />

General election

Endorsements<br />

Results<br />

District 38

Democratic primary

Declared

• Robert M. Gordon, incumbent senator

Results<br />

Republican primary

Declared

• Kelly Langschultz, New Milford borough councilwoman

Declined

• John Cosgrove, mayor of Fair Lawn

Results<br />

General election

Endorsements<br />

Results<br />

District 39

Republican primary

Declared

• Gerald Cardinale, incumbent senator

Withdrawn

• John McCann, former Cresskill borough councilman

Results<br />

Democratic primary

Declared

• Linda Schwager, mayor of Oakland

Results<br />

Independents and third parties

Declared

• James Tosone (Libertarian)

General election

Endorsements<br />

Results<br />

District 40

Incumbent Republican senator Kevin J. O'Toole announced on January 15, 2016, that he would not run for re-election. On March 13, 2017, he was confirmed by the state senate to the board of commissioners of The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. O'Toole, however, did not immediately resign to accept the position, staying for the time being in his Senate seat to "tie up loose ends." He officially resigned his seat on July 1.

Republican primary

Declared

• Edward Buttimore, former investigator for the New Jersey Attorney General
• Kristin Corrado, Passaic County Clerk
• Paul DiGaetano, chairman of the Bergen County Republican Party and former state assemblyman (District 36)

Results<br />

Following O'Toole's resignation, Corrado was selected without opposition by local Republican committee members to serve the remainder of his term on July 26, and was sworn in on October 5.

Democratic primary

Declared

• Thomas Duch, Garfield City Manager

Results<br />

General election

Endorsements<br />

Polling<br />

Results<br />

See also

• 2017 New Jersey elections
• 2017 New Jersey General Assembly election
• List of New Jersey state legislatures

References