New Jersey's 7th congressional district
New Jersey's 7th congressional district | ||
---|---|---|
District map as of 2013 | ||
Current Representative | Leonard Lance (R–Clinton Township) | |
Area | 595.03 mi2 (1,541.13 km2) | |
Distribution | 90.38% urban, 9.62% rural | |
Population (2009) | 669,857 | |
Median income | $48,556[1] | |
Ethnicity | 79.0% White, 5.7% Black, 10.9% Asian, 10.4% Hispanic, 0.1% Native American, 3.1% other | |
Cook PVI | R+6 |
New Jersey's Seventh Congressional District is represented by Republican Leonard Lance.
Republican incumbent Leonard Lance will face off against challenger Peter Jacob on November 8th, 2016.
Counties and municipalities in the district
For the 113th and successive Congresses (based on redistricting following the 2010 United States Census), the congressional district contains portions of four counties and 54 municipalities.[2]
- Millburn (which includes the Short Hills neighborhood)
Hunterdon County (entire county):
- Alexandria Township, Bethlehem Township, Bloomsbury, Califon, Clinton Town, Clinton Township, Flemington, Glen Gardner, Hampton, High Bridge, Holland Township, Lebanon Borough, Lebanon Township, Milford, Raritan Township, Readington Township, Tewksbury Township, Union Township and West Amwell Township
- Chester Borough, Chester Township, Dover, Long Hill Township, Mine Hill Township, Mount Arlington, Mount Olive Township, Netcong, Roxbury Township, Washington Township and Wharton
- Bedminster Township, Bernards Township, Bernardsville, Branchburg Township, Bridgewater Township, Far Hills, Green Brook Township, Hillsborough Township, Millstone, Montgomery Township, North Plainfield, Peapack-Gladstone, Raritan, Rocky Hill, Somerville, Warren Township and Watchung
- Berkeley Heights, Clark, Cranford, Garwood, Kenilworth, Mountainside, New Providence, Scotch Plains (part), Springfield, Summit, Union Township (part), Westfield and Winfield Township
- Alpha, Franklin Township, Greenwich Township, Harmony Township, Lopatcong Township, Phillipsburg and Pohatcong Township
Voting
House of Representatives elections
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Leonard Lance | 104,287 | 59.25% | ||
Democratic | Janice Kovach | 68,232 | 38.77% | ||
Libertarian | Jim Gawron | 3,478 | 1.98% | ||
Majority | |||||
Turnout | 175,997 | ||||
Republican hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Leonard Lance | 175,662 | 57.2% | ||
Democratic | Upendra Chivukula | 123,057 | 40.0% | ||
Independent | Dennis Breen | 4,518 | 1.5% | ||
Libertarian | Patrick McKnight | 4,078 | 1.3% | ||
Majority | |||||
Turnout | |||||
Republican hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Leonard Lance | 104,642 | 59.4% | ||
Democratic | Ed Potosnak | 71,486 | 40.6% | ||
Majority | |||||
Turnout | |||||
Republican hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Leonard Lance | 142,092 | 50.8% | +1.4% | |
Democratic | Linda Stender | 116,255 | 41.6% | -6.4% | |
Independent | Michael Hsing | 15,826 | 5.7% | N/A | |
Independent | Dean Greco | 3,008 | 1.1% | N/A | |
Independent | Thomas Abrams | 2,408 | .9% | -.7% | |
Majority | 25,837 | 9.2% | +7.7% | ||
Turnout | 279,589 | ||||
Republican hold | Swing | -3.9% | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Mike Ferguson | 98,399 | 49.4% | -7.5% | |
Democratic | Linda Stender | 95,454 | 48.0% | +6.3% | |
Independent | Thomas Abrams | 3,176 | 1.6% | +.8% | |
Libertarian | Darren Young | 2,046 | 1.0% | N/A | |
Majority | 2,945 | 1.5% | -13.7% | ||
Turnout | 199,075 | ||||
Republican hold | Swing | +6.9% | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Mike Ferguson | 162,597 | 56.9% | -1.1% | |
Democratic | Steve Brozak | 119,081 | 41.7% | +.8% | |
Independent | Thomas Abrams | 2,153 | .8% | N/A | |
Independent | Matthew Williams | 2,046 | .7% | N/A | |
Majority | 43,516 | 15.2% | |||
Turnout | 285,877 | ||||
Republican hold | Swing | +1.0% | |||
Presidential elections
Election results from presidential races | ||
---|---|---|
Year | Office | Results |
2012 | President | Romney 52.5 - 46.3% |
2008 | President | Obama 51 - 48% |
2004 | President | Bush 53 - 47% |
2000 | President | Bush 49 - 48% |
Representatives
Representative | Party | Years | District home | Note |
---|---|---|---|---|
District created March 4, 1873 | ||||
Isaac W. Scudder | Republican | March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1875 | Jersey City | Retired |
Augustus Albert Hardenbergh | Democratic | March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1879 | Jersey City | Retired |
Lewis A. Brigham | Republican | March 4, 1879 – March 3, 1881 | Jersey City | Lost re-election |
Augustus Albert Hardenbergh | Democratic | March 4, 1881 – March 3, 1883 | Jersey City | Retired |
William McAdoo | Democratic | March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1891 | Jersey City | Lost re-nomination |
Edward F. McDonald | Democratic | March 4, 1891 – November 5, 1892 | Harrison | Died in office |
Vacant | November 5, 1892 – March 3, 1893 | |||
George Bragg Fielder | Democratic | March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1895 | Jersey City | Retired |
Thomas McEwan, Jr. | Republican | March 4, 1895 – March 3, 1899 | Jersey City | Retired |
William Davis Daly | Democratic | March 4, 1899 – July 31, 1900 | Hoboken | Died in office |
Vacant | July 31, 1900 – December 3, 1900 | |||
Allan Langdon McDermott | Democratic | December 3, 1900 – March 3, 1903 | Jersey City | Redistricted to the 10th district |
Richard W. Parker | Republican | March 4, 1903 – March 3, 1911 | Newark | Redistricted from the 6th district |
Edward W. Townsend | Democratic | March 4, 1911 – March 3, 1913 | Montclair | Redistricted to the 10th district |
Robert G. Bremner | Democratic | March 4, 1913 – February 5, 1914 | Totowa | Died in office |
Vacant | February 5, 1914 – April 7, 1914 | |||
Dow H. Drukker | Republican | April 7, 1914 – March 3, 1919 | Passaic | Retired |
Amos H. Radcliffe | Republican | March 4, 1919 – March 3, 1923 | Paterson | Lost re-election |
George N. Seger | Republican | March 4, 1923 – March 3, 1933 | Passaic | Redistricted to the 8th district |
Randolph Perkins | Republican | March 4, 1933 – May 25, 1936 | Woodcliff Lake | Died in office |
Vacant | May 25, 1936 – January 3, 1937 | |||
J. Parnell Thomas | Republican | January 3, 1937 – January 2, 1950 | Allendale | Resigned upon being convicted of fraud |
Vacant | January 2, 1950 – February 6, 1950 | |||
William B. Widnall | Republican | February 6, 1950 – December 31, 1974 | Hackensack | Lost re-election, resigned |
Andrew Maguire | Democratic | January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1981 | Ridgewood | Lost re-election |
Marge Roukema | Republican | January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1983 | Ridgewood | Redistricted to the 5th district |
Matthew John Rinaldo | Republican | January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1993 | Union Township | Retired |
Bob Franks | Republican | January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2001 | Summit | Retired to run for U.S. Senate |
Mike Ferguson | Republican | January 3, 2001 – January 3, 2009 | Warren Township | Retired |
Leonard Lance | Republican | January 3, 2009 – present | Clinton Township | Incumbent |
History
In the 2012 general election, Republican incumbent Leonard Lance held his seat against Democratic challenger Upendra J. Chivukula.[4] In the 2010 general election, Democratic challenger Ed Potosnak challenged Lance, but Lance defeated Potosnak by a margin of 59% to 41%. For the 2012 election, both Potosnak and former Edison Mayor Jun Choi announced their candidacies for the Democratic nomination.[5][6] Choi dropped out of the race in December 2011 after redistricting left his Edison home outside the 7th District. Potosnak dropped out of the race in January 2012 to take a position as executive director of the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters, leaving a momentarily empty field for the Democratic nomination.[7]
In the 2008 election, Mike Ferguson (who had first been elected in 2000, replacing Bob Franks) did not seek another term. Linda Stender won the Democratic nomination unopposed, while Republican primary voters chose State Senator Leonard Lance in a field of eight candidates. In the 2008 general election, Lance defeated Assemblywoman Linda Stender by a margin of 25,833 votes and became the Congressman.[8]
2006 election
Party | Candidate | Votes Won | Percent Won |
---|---|---|---|
Republican | Ferguson (Incumbent) | 98,399 votes | 49.42% |
Democrat | Stender | 95,454 votes | 47.94% |
Other | Abrams | 3,176 votes | 1.59% |
Libertarian | Young | 2,046 votes | 1.02% |
Source: NJ Division of Elections. Official 2006 Election Results..
Major issues in 2006 race
Linda Stender campaigned on the issues of stem cell research and the Iraq War, while Mike Ferguson campaigned on the issues of Ms. Stender's prior legislative record and her close ties to New Jersey's Democratic political machine.
Effect of redistricting
New Jersey's 7th district and the 12th district were redistricted after the 2000 census by a bipartisan panel. By consensus of the panel, the Democratic and Republican parties agreed to trade areas in the two districts to make them safer for their respective incumbents. It is likely that this tradeoff, which made New Jersey's 7th less competitive for Democrats, had an effect on the outcome of 2006 election, which was decided by approximately 3,000 votes. Areas of the former 7th district such as Somerset in Franklin Township (Somerset County) that have historically voted reliably Democratic were moved into the 12th district to shore up the Democratic incumbent's hold on the adjacent 12th district. Despite the redistricting, NJ-07 is still the most competitive House district in New Jersey, and was the only one considered to be in play in 2006 by political pundits.
District changes
The district has been progressing in a different direction in the past few years, turning from a once reliable Republican district to a competitive district. The district has become more mixed in terms of ethnic backgrounds with Caucasians now comprising, as of 2009, 79 percent of the racial makeup of the district, African Americans 5.7 percent, Asians 11 percent and Latinos 10 percent of the district. In addition, the district is home to a large group of foreign born residents, who totaled 131,000 or 20 percent of the population, in 2009.[9]
References
- ↑ http://bigstory.ap.org/article/party-rich-congress-its-democrats
- ↑ Plan Components Report, New Jersey Department of State. Accessed November 6, 2016.
- ↑ http://www.state.nj.us/state/elections/2014-results/2014-official-general-results-us-house.pdf
- ↑ http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2012/11/nj_7th_congressional_district.html
- ↑ http://www.edpotosnak.com/press-releases/319-potosnak-files-2012-bid-for-us-congress-in-njs-7th-congressional-district.html
- ↑ http://www.politickernj.com/47411/choi-announces-congressional-candidacy
- ↑ http://www.politickernj.com/53944/potosnak-ends-cd-7-run-take-job-ed-league-conservation-voters
- ↑ "Local and National Election Results - Election Center 2008 - Elections & Politics from CNN.com". CNN. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
- ↑ http://fastfacts.census.gov/servlet/ACSCWSFacts?_event=Search&geo_id=&_geoContext=&_street=lynnwood+road&_county=&_cd=&_state=&_zip=08820&_lang=en&_sse=on&pctxt=fph&pgsl=010&_industry=
- Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
- Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
- Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present
Coordinates: 40°36′N 74°30′W / 40.60°N 74.50°W