Central Jersey voter guide for the 2024 election
While the nation has been preoccupied whether Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump will be elected to four years in the White House, Central Jersey residents have Congressional, county and local races to decide on Tuesday.
While Harris is predicted to easily carry New Jersey and Democrat Any Kim is a heavy favorite to win a U.S. Senate seat over Republican Curtis Bashaw, Central Jersey's attention will be focused on the race in the 7th Congressional District which stretches across the state from Linden on the Kill Van Kull to Belvedere on the Delaware River.
Live updates: Election Day 2024 in Central Jersey
NJ election results
MyCentralJersey.com will publish results for contests across the state, as well as in Middlesex, Somerset, Hunterdon and Union counties.
Election results by town in Middlesex, Somerset, Hunterdon, Union
NJ congressional races
Republican incumbent Tom Kean Jr., the son of the former governor, is being challenged by Democrat Sue Altman in the 7th District, a race that has drawn national attention and money.
Tom Kean Jr. and Sue Altman congressional race carries national significance
With Republicans holding a slim majority in the House of Representatives, the outcome of every hotly contested deeply "purple" district has an important role in determining who will control the House and the flow of legislation.
It's a close race that may be decided by a few percentage points and which side is more successful in turning out their votes. Altman has an edge in the eastern urban part of the district while Kean has a sizable advantage in the western rural portion with the battleground being the affluent suburbs in the middle.
Registered Republicans outnumber Democrats in the district, 214,880 to 195,031. But there are 222,521 unaffiliated voters who may decide the outcome.
In the other Central Jersey Congressional districts, the incumbents are expected to win re-election – Democrat Frank Pallone in the 6th District and Bonnie Watson Coleman in the 12th District.
County races
With all the attention on the presidential race, the campaigns for county commissions in Middlesex, Somerset, Hunterdon and Union counties have been quiet.
In Middlesex County, where Democrats have a more than 2-to-1 margin over Republicans, Democrat incumbents Ronald Rios and Shanti Narra are expected to win over Republicans John McConville and Peter Pisar.
In Somerset County, where Democrats hold a 92,433-to-66,056 margin over Republicans, Democrat incumbents Shanel Robinson and Sara Sooy are favored to win reelection over Republicans Nick Cuozzo and Rakesh Ganta.
The story is the same in Union County, where Democrats outnumber Republicans by more than 100,000, Democrat incumbents Kimberly Palmieri-Mouded, Alexander Mirabella and James Baker are poised to win reelection over GOP challengers Mary O'Connor, Jeanne Kingsley and Michael Petrucci.
In Hunterdon County, the only Central Jersey county where there are more registered Republicans than Democrats – 43,957-to-31,302 – incumbent Republicans Jeff Kuhl and Susan Soloway are expected to defeat Democrats Robert Parkanyi and Daniel Connor.
Municipal races
Only in a handful of the 75-plus municipalities in Central Jersey are there municipal races generating a lot of buzz.
There are three-way races for mayor in East Brunswick, Perth Amboy and Scotch Plains.
Meet the candidates for East Brunswick mayor and where they stand on the issues
Meet the candidates for Perth Amboy mayor and where they stand on the issues
Scotch Plains mayor facing two challengers for reelection. Here's a look at the candidates
The incumbent mayors are expected to win in Piscataway, North Plainfield and Lambertville.
Meet the candidates for Piscataway mayor and where they stand on the issues
The mayoral race garnering the most attention is in Spotswood, one of Middlesex County’s smallest municipalities,
Meet the candidates for Spotswood mayor and where they stand on the issues
Incumbent Jackie Palmer, at the center of police department controversies and lawsuits, is fighting for a second term against former Spotswood Board of Education President Rich O'Brien in the non-partisan contest.
In Spotswood there is also a three-way race for two seats on the Borough Council among former Mayor Ed Seely, Councilman Andrew Zaborney and Dan Hurley.
There is a six-way race for two seats on the Manville Borough Council fueled by a split in the local Republican party.
In Hillsborough, where local Republicans have outpolled Donald Trump at the top of the ticket in the last two presidential elections, two Democrats are challenging the Republican candidates for control of the Township Committee.
Four running for Hillsborough Township Committee. Here's a look at the candidates
In Sayreville, four candidates are vying for two, three-year seats on the Borough Council.
Meet the candidates for Sayreville Borough Council and where they stand on the issues
School board races
While in many Central Jersey towns there has been trouble finding enough candidates to fill the ballot, that doesn't seem to be the problem with local school board races.
In East Brunswick, a district beset with controversy this year, there are eight candidates for three, three-year seats on the school board and two candidates for one, one-year seat.
Meet the candidates for East Brunswick school board and where they stand on the issues
There are other spirited school board races in Middlesex County. In Perth Amboy, there are 10 candidates vying for three seats. In Edison, there are seven hopefuls for three board seats. In Old Bridge and Piscataway, there are six candidates for three seats in each district.
In Somerset County, there are six districts where five candidates are running for three seats – Bernards, Bridgewater-Raritan, Green Brook, Hillsborough, Montgomery and Watchung.
In Hunterdon County, East Amwell has eight candidates running for three board seats while there are seven hopefuls for three Tewksbury board seats. In Readington, there are six hopefuls for three board seats and in Delaware Township, there are five candidates for three board seats.
Public questions
There are no statewide public questions on this year's ballot, but many Central Jersey towns are holding referendums.
These Central Jersey voters will see ballot questions in November's election
Towns with public questions are Berkeley Heights, Clinton Town, Franklin (Hunterdon), Jamesburg, Mountainside, Sayreville, South Brunswick, South Plainfield, South River and Warren.
Email: mdeak@mycentraljersey.com
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Election NJ 2024: Results, voting, candidates and issues information
