State Record- $30.4 Million Spend On Asembly Race

CHRISTIAN HETRICK, Staff Writer
A lot of money was spent on a little number of votes.

With local races leading the way, a state-record $30.4 million was spent on Assembly races this year, according to campaign finance reports released Wednesday. The influx of campaign cash took place as the state saw its lowest voter turnout in more than nine decades.

Special interest groups accounted for 35 percent of the campaign spending, another state record. The biggest independent spender was General Majority PAC, a Washington D.C. based super political action committee that supported Democrats and has ties to South Jersey

 

The race in the 2nd Legislative District, which covers most of Atlantic County, was the most expensive this year with nearly $5 million spent. Adjusted for inflation, the race was the second most expensive Assembly campaign in state history, second only to the 2005 Assembly race in the 2nd District, when $4.45 million was spent. 

 

More than $3.5 million was spent in the 1st Legislative District, which covers Cape May County and parts of Cumberland and Atlantic counties. That made it the second most expensive race this year and the third-most expensive Assembly-only campaign in state history.

“A handful of districts typically attract the most campaign money because the voter mix in those districts is more even. That makes them more competitive than most other districts around the state,” said Jeff Brindle, executive director of the state Election Law Enforcement Commission, which compiles the spending data.

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