Primaries topple at least two Assembly incumbents — and more could follow
At least two sitting members of the Assembly appear to have lost their reelection campaigns Tuesday, though it may take days yet to determine which lawmakers will see their tenures end in January.
Democratic incumbents face defeat in the 28th and 31st districts, with the chance of another loss in the 32nd, according to election results that remain preliminary.
So far, only one incumbent, Assemblywoman Garnett Hall (D-Essex), appears certain to lose her seat in the 28th District after a single term in office. Three Democrats vied for two spots on the November ballot in this largely Democratic district.
Hall sought a second term under gubernatorial hopeful Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop's 'Democrats for Change' slogan after Essex County Democrats backed Assemblywoman Cleopatra Tucker (D-Essex) and former assistant community affairs commissioner Chigozie Onyem over Hall. Hall trails Onyem by 3,563 votes, about 12 points, with nearly 98% of the 28th District's votes reported.
The gap between Hall and the two candidates currently in the lead is insurmountable.
In the Hudson County-based 31st District, four Democrats vied for two slots, with the incumbent Assembly members — William Sampson and Barbara McCann Stamato — running against one another on opposite slates.
Hudson County Commissioner Jerry Walker, who ran with Sampson, appears certain to ascend to the Legislature, running in first place with 8,453 votes with about 96% of the district's votes counted. And Sampson narrowly leads McCann Stamato 7,161 to 6,853, with Bayonne Councilwoman Jacqueline Weimmer trailing the pack with 6,853 votes.
'We still have an election to go on in November, and we want to wipe Republicans out,' Walker said at a victory party Tuesday. 'And look, I'm happy to say this right here: Steven Fulop, you lost.'
Walker and Sampson had the backing of the Hudson County Democratic Party. McCann Stamato and Weimmer ran under a ticket backed by Fulop.
Whoever ends up in second place in this contest, one of the 31st District's incumbents won't return to Trenton next year.
In the Hudson-based 32nd District, six Democrats vying for two seats were on Tuesday's ballot. Two candidates ran with the backing of Hudson's Democratic Party, two ran on Fulop's slate, and two ran solo.
Former New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency chief of staff Katie Brennan leads the pack with 6,762 votes. Her running mate, Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla, has a narrow edge over Assemblywoman Jessica Ramirez (D-Hudson), leading Ramirez 6,535 to 6,462.
'We did it. We really did it. We just showed the whole state that the people can beat the party bosses,' Brennan said in a statement Tuesday night. 'This is what democracy looks like when it's not rigged by political machines.'
The district also hosts what appears to be the roundest defeat of party-backed Assembly candidates in the state. The Associated Press has not declared a winner in that contest yet.
Hoboken Public Library director Jennie Pu and Jersey City buildings director Crystal Fonseca — who were backed by Hudson Democrats — are in fifth and sixth place with 5,152 and 4,964 votes, respectively. Jersey City Councilman Yousef Saleh, who ran with Ramirez on Fulop's slate, is in fourth place with 5,165 votes. Pu, Fonseca, and Saleh face insurmountable gaps.
In the 35th District, which represents parts of Bergen and Passaic counties, independent Democrat Newark Corporation Counsel Kenyatta Stewart appears to have won the nomination with 7,298 votes due to a groundswell of support in the Passaic County portions of the district.
'Thank you to every single person who showed up, supported, and believed in this movement,' Stewart said on Facebook. 'We did this together, and I am deeply humbled by your trust. Now it's time to get to work — and I promise to make you proud every step of the way.'
He leads Assemblyman Al Abdelaziz (D-Passaic), who won 5,997 votes, and Passaic County Commissioner Orlando Cruz, who nabbed 5,736 votes. Romi Herrera, the district's only Fulop-backed candidate, has about half as many votes as Herrera and is well out of the running.
Officials are still counting votes, and they'll continue to receive mail ballots postmarked by 8 p.m. on Election Day until Monday.
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