For decades, New Jersey’s congressional and U.S. Senate primary elections were typically low-drama affairs. But this year’s dozen contests involve considerable intrigue.
Among the unexpected factors in the June 4 contests: the corruption trial of Senator Robert Menendez, who bowed out of the Democratic primary but has suggested he might run as an independent in November; and a court ruling that forced Democrats to redesign election ballots across the state.
Seven candidates are vying to replace Senator Menendez, a Democrat who is standing trial in Manhattan. And his fate has had considerable impact on two down-ballot races as well. In the Eighth Congressional District, a freshman congressman — Senator Menendez’s son, Representative Rob Menendez — is facing strong competition when he had been expected to coast to a second term. And in the Third District, a pair of former political allies are fighting for the House seat that became open when the incumbent, Representative Andy Kim, jumped into the Senate race.
The ballot design ruling will affect every Democratic primary in the state, after a federal judge barred the party from using a longstanding layout called “the line,” which gave prominent placement to candidates endorsed by party leaders. (Republicans, who were not party to the lawsuit that led to the decision, are free to continue using it.)
The ruling was hailed by watchdog groups and scholars, who said the century-old design, used in New Jersey and no other state, violated constitutional rights.
The June 4 primary will be the first election since the ballot ruling. New Jersey voters will consider Democratic and Republican candidates for the Senate as well as 11 of 12 congressional seats. (In the Tenth House District, a special primary will be held on June 16 and a special general election on Sept. 18, to finish the term of the late Representative Donald M. Payne Jr. of Newark.)
Here is a look at the state’s three most-watched contests:
U.S. Senate
Senator Robert Menendez, 70, who has pleaded not guilty to federal criminal charges including bribery, corruption and obstruction, will not appear on the Democratic ballot, but his trial has loomed large over the primary. Three Democrats and four Republicans are competing for a chance at his seat.
Representative Andy Kim, after fending off a fight from Tammy Murphy, the first lady of New Jersey, is the front-runner on the Democratic side. An April 15 poll by Fairleigh Dickinson University also gave Mr. Kim a nine-point edge over the two leading Republicans, in a state that has not sent a Republican to the Senate since 1972.
In the Democratic primary, voters will choose among Mr. Kim, a former Obama administration official; Lawrence Hamm, who headed Bernie Sanders’s 2020 presidential campaign in New Jersey; and Patricia Campos-Medina, a workers-rights scholar and organizer.
Mr. Kim, 41, has $4.2 million in campaign funds on hand, while his two challengers have a combined $69,000, according to Federal Election Commission filings.
Mr. Kim was a plaintiff in the ballot design lawsuit and said he wants to end New Jersey’s political cronyism. “What I hope people see in me is someone who wants to do the work,” he said in an interview.
Mr. Kim voted for the $95.3 billion aid package to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan that President Biden signed in April. In May, he called for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas “to preserve the possibility of peace through a two-state solution.”
Mr. Hamm, 70, said his record of political activism and community organizing runs 53 years, “longer than my competitors have been alive.” He said he supports a universal income and free college and health care.
Ms. Campos-Medina, 51, said her focus would be on immigrants and low-income residents. “The richest 1 percent own 40 percent of the country’s wealth,” she said by telephone. “That’s not sustainable for democracy.”
At a May 13 debate, the Democratic candidates found much common ground: Each would vote to expand the U.S. Supreme Court, scrap the Senate filibuster and push to increase access to abortion.
The two most high-profile Republican candidates are Curtis Bashaw, a 64-year-old Cape May developer, with $825,000 cash on hand; and Christine Serrano Glassner, 60, the Mendham Borough mayor, with $3,800 in her campaign account, according to federal records.
“I’m a political outsider, a business guy, and I’m good at bringing people together to get things done,” Mr. Bashaw said by telephone.
Ms. Serrano Glassner has the endorsem*nt of Donald J. Trump, who in the New Jersey presidential election in 2020 finished 16 percentage points behind Mr. Biden. In an email, she said of Mr. Kim: “He has voted with Biden 100 percent of the time, making him equally responsible for this disastrous economy.”
The other two Republican candidates are Albert Harshaw of Jackson, a Navy veteran; and Justin Murphy of Tabernacle, a former deputy mayor.
8th Congressional District
Representative Rob Menendez of Jersey City, 38, is facing a Democratic primary challenge from Ravi Bhalla, the 50-year-old mayor of Hoboken; and Kyle Jasey, 41, of Jersey City, who runs a real-estate finance company. The lone Republican is Anthony Valdes, 43, of West New York, a building inspector.
Representative Menendez has not been accused of wrongdoing and has not been implicated in the legal case against his father. He said those seeking to oust him are opportunists who regard him as vulnerable because of his father’s legal trouble.
“You look at Ravi’s messaging — it’s largely about my father, not so much distinctions between him and I,” Mr. Menendez said by telephone. Though internal polls have him and Mr. Bhalla statistically tied, Mr. Menendez’s $1.8 million in campaign cash is double that of Mr. Bhalla, and he has collected endorsem*nts from political leaders, organized labor and civic groups.
In an interview, Mr. Menendez said his office has resolved 1,600 cases for residents who had problems with the federal government, “the large percentage of those which are immigration-related.” He said he was instrumental in securing $11 billion in federal money for Amtrak’s Gateway passenger-rail project. “In Washington we’ve developed a profile in the caucus of someone who does the hard work,” he said.
As mayor and a former councilman, Mr. Bhalla has led a safety campaign to end traffic-related deaths and injuries in one of New Jersey’s most densely populated cities, on the Hudson River across from Manhattan. He also oversaw the first lawsuit by a New Jersey municipality against the oil industry, claiming its contribution to climate change has contributed to his city’s catastrophic flooding.
“Mayors have to solve challenges,” Mr. Bhalla said. “I have that experience.”
Mr. Jasey, who has less than $9,000 in campaign cash on hand, said he initially wanted to run for the senior Menendez’s Senate seat, then saw a shot at unseating his son.
“You’ve got this clear case of nepotism in the district,” he said in an interview.
3rd Congressional District
Mr. Kim’s Senate bid put his House seat in play, and five Democrats and four Republicans are hoping to replace him. Since 2018, when Mr. Kim unseated a two-term Republican, Tom MacArthur, redistricting has made the district significantly more Democratic.
The most prominent Democratic candidates are two State Assembly members: Carol Murphy, 61, who took office in 2018 and in the past worked for lawmakers; and Herb Conaway, 61, a physician who also has a law degree and was first elected in 1997. He has received endorsem*nts from the Democratic organizations in Burlington, Monmouth and Mercer counties, which would have given him the most visible ballot position under the old system.
“Had ‘the line’ remained, he would have been considered the overwhelming favorite,” said Ben Dworkin, director of the Rowan University Institute for Public Policy & Citizenship. “Without the line, he is favored, but he doesn’t have that added benefit of preferred ballot position.”
Mr. Conaway and Ms. Murphy worked together in the Assembly and had similar voting records. As congressional candidates, both said they would champion reproductive rights.
“I will continue to defend a woman’s right to choose and a patient’s right to consult with physicians to direct their health care,” said Mr. Conaway, who has been Assembly health committee chairman for 18 years.
Ms. Murphy, the majority whip with six years in the Assembly, said she is a more natural fit on reproductive matters. “As a woman, it is relevant to this race, and I will keep using my voice as a woman,” she said.
Also running as Democrats are Joe Cohn, a lawyer from Lumberton; Brian Schkeeper, a 44-year-old teacher from Medford; and Sarah Schoengood, 30, a seafood business owner who was a plaintiff in the ballot lawsuit.
The Republican candidates are Michael F. Faccone of Freehold; Shirley Maia-Cusick of Medford, an immigration consultant; Rajesh Mohan of Holmdel, a cardiologist; and Gregory Sobocinski of Southampton, a financial adviser.
