More than a week after Election Day, we finally know the new political makeup of the New Jersey Legislature.
Democratic incumbents Vince Mazzeo and John Armato have emerged victorious in the tight race for the two state Assembly seats in South Jersey’s 2nd legislative district — home to Atlantic City.
For days, their battle against Republicans Phil Guenther and John Risley was too close to call.
But
after mail-in and provisional ballots were counted Wednesday night,
Mazzeo and Armato narrowly garnered more votes to win re-election, said
Kevin McArdle, a spokesman for the Assembly Democrats.
That means Republicans in this month’s elections
picked up three seats in the Legislature, the body that crafts New
Jersey’s laws and helps decide how your taxpayer money is spent in the
state budget
GOP
candidates flipped the state Senate seat and both Assembly seats in
South Jersey’s 1st District, located at the bottom tip of the state.
It marks the first time Republicans have gained legislative seats in New Jersey since 2009.
Democrats
will still heavily control both the Legislature’s houses, the Senate
and Assembly, when the new legislative session begins in January. But
their numbers in each chamber will drop slightly.
In the Senate, Democrats will go from holding 26 to 25 of the 40 seats.
In the Assembly, they will go from holding 54 to 52 of the 80 seats.
Republicans painted the elections as a referendum on Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat who is now two years into his first term since succeeding Republican Chris Christie. They called these the “Murphy midterms.”
The
GOP gained seats even though Democrats have made major gains in New
Jersey — and other states — in recent years. Democrats now have a 2-to-1
voter registration advantage in the Garden State and have been
bolstered by the unpopularity here of Christie and Republican President Donald Trump.
But Murphy and other Democratic leaders said the elections were not a loss because Democrats still have a strong hold on the Legislature and won various local races across the state.
Murphy
supporters also point to how all the losses came in one South Jersey
district, where the local Democratic machine is less progressive than
the governor. Trump is also popular in that area.
Map at above link
N.J. Assembly power map
State legislative districts shaded in
blue are controlled by Democrats in the Assembly. Districts shaded in
red are controlled by Republicans in the Assembly. Districts in orange
are currently controlled by Democrats in the Assembly but will be
changing to Republican Control In January 2020
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