New Jersey's 7th congressional district
 | This article's factual accuracy may be compromised due to out-of-date information. (January 2022) |
| New Jersey's 7th congressional district | |
|---|---|
Interactive map of district boundaries since January 3, 2023 | |
| Representative | |
| Area | 595.03 sq mi (1,541.1 km2) |
| Distribution |
|
| Population (2023) | 778,678 |
| Median household income | $133,593[1] |
| Ethnicity |
|
| Cook PVI | R+1[2] |
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New Jersey's 7th congressional district includes all of Hunterdon and Warren Counties; and parts of Morris, Somerset, Sussex, and Union Counties. The district is represented by Republican Thomas Kean Jr., who was first elected in 2022, defeating Democratic incumbent Tom Malinowski.
The district, which has become more ethnically diverse over time, is one of the most affluent congressional districts in the United States,[3] with the twelfth-highest median income in the nation.[4]
History
[edit]In the 2012 general election, Republican incumbent Leonard Lance held his seat against Democratic challenger Upendra J. Chivukula.[5] 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.[6][7] 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.[8]
Effect of 2000 redistricting
[edit]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 Franklin Township that had historically voted reliably Democratic were moved into the adjacent 12th district in order to shore up Democratic incumbent Rush Holt, while reliably Republican Millburn was removed from the 7th, and instead split between the 10th and 11th districts. Additionally, heavily Democratic Plainfield was moved from the 7th to the already Democratic-leaning 6th district. Despite the redistricting, NJ-07 was still the most competitive House district in New Jersey, and was the only one considered to be in play in 2006 by political pundits.
In 2008, 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 general election, Lance defeated Assemblywoman Linda Stender by a margin of 25,833 votes.[9]
2018 election
[edit]In the Democratic primary Malinowski prevailed with 26,059 votes and 66.8% of the vote. Jacob finished second with 7,467 votes and 19.1% of the vote.[10]
Lance won the Republican primary with 74.9%, and 24,856 votes.[10][11]
In the 2018 election, Tom Malinowski,[12] former Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, was considered the front runner among the Democrats challenging Republican incumbent Leonard Lance.[13][14] Malinowski was endorsed by Westfield teacher/attorney Lisa Mandelblatt and attorney Scott Salmon when they withdrew from the race in February 2018.[15][16] Other candidates in the Democratic primary included lawyer Goutam Jois;[17] and social worker Peter Jacob, who was defeated by Lance in the 2016 election. Green Party of New Jersey member Diane Moxley also announced her intent to run for the seat.[18] Lindsay Brown, a product manager at the New York Post and a self-described progressive, ran in the Republican primary against Lance.[19] Berkeley Heights banking executive Linda Weber[20] and environmental advocate David Pringle[21] withdrew in March 2018.
During the fourth quarter of 2017, the Malinowski campaign raised $528,000 while the incumbent Lance raised $237,000. Jois raised $189,000 and Jacob raised $29,000.[14][22]
Malinowski won the seat in the election with 51.7% of the votes.
2020 election
[edit]Incumbent Tom Malinowski (D) ran in the Democratic party primary uncontested, winning 100% (80,334) of the vote. Challenger Thomas Kean Jr. (R) defeated Raafat Barsoom and Tom Phillips in the Republican party primary receiving 79.4% (45,395) of the vote.[23]
Incumbent Tom Malinowski (D) defeated challenger Thomas Kean Jr. (R) in the general election by 1.2 percentage points for New Jersey's 7th Congressional District on November 3, 2020. The race was expected to be competitive, with New Jersey's 7th being one of 40 seats gained by Democrats in the 2018 midterm elections.
2022 redistricting and election
[edit]The New Jersey Congressional Redistricting Commission altered the boundaries of the district effective January 6, 2022. [2] Although the district remains competitive, the district is more Republican than it was previously.
Incumbent Tom Malinowski (D) faced 2020 challenger Thomas Kean Jr. once again in 2022. In the general election held on November 8, 2022, Kean prevailed, unseating Malinowski.[24] It was one of 18 districts that would have voted for Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election had they existed in their current configuration while being won or held by a Republican in 2022.
Composition
[edit]For the 118th and successive Congresses (based on redistricting following the 2020 census), the district contains all or portions of six counties and 93 municipalities.[25]
Hunterdon County (24):
- All 24 municipalities
Morris County (12):
- Chester Borough, Chester Township, Long Hill Township, Mendham Borough, Mendham Township (part; also 11th), Mine Hill Township, Mount Arlington, Mount Olive Township, Netcong, Roxbury, Washington Township, Wharton
Somerset County (13):
- Bedminster, Bernards Township, Bernardsville, Branchburg, Bridgewater Township (part; also 12th; includes Bradley Gardens, Bridgewater Center, Green Knoll, Martinsville, and part of Finderne), Far Hills, Green Brook Township, Hillsborough Township (part; also 12th; includes Neshanic and part of Belle Mead and Flagtown), Peapack-Gladstone, Raritan, Somerville, Warren Township, Watchung
Sussex County (10):
- Andover Borough, Byram, Fredon, Green Township, Hopatcong, Ogdensburg, Sparta, Stanhope, Stillwater, Walpack
Union County (12):
- Berkeley Heights, Clark, Fanwood, Linden (part; also 10th), Mountainside, New Providence, Rahway, Scotch Plains, Springfield, Summit, Westfield, Winfield Township
Warren County (22):
- All 22 municipalities
Recent statewide election results
[edit]- Results under current lines (since 2023)
| Year | Office | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | President | Trump 50.8% – 45.2% |
| 2017 | Governor | Guadagno 54.3% – 43.3% |
| 2018 | Senator | Hugin 53.2% – 43.4% |
| 2020 | President | Biden 51.0% – 47.4% |
| 2020 | Senator | Booker 49.2% – 49.0% |
| 2021 | Governor | Ciattarelli 55.8% – 43.4% |
- Results under old lines
| Year | Office | Results |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | President | Gore 54 – 43% |
| 2004 | President | Bush 53 – 47% |
| 2008 | President | Obama 51 – 48% |
| 2012 | President | Romney 52.5 – 46.3% |
| 2016 | President | Clinton 48.6 – 47.5% |
| 2017 | Governor | Guadagno 52.2% – 45.5% |
| 2020 | President | Biden 54.2 – 44.3% |
| 2020 | Senate | Booker 52.1% – 46.3% |
| 2021 | Governor | Ciattarelli 52.7% – 46.5% |
Recent election results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mike Ferguson (incumbent) | 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% | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mike Ferguson (incumbent) | 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 | 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% | −0.7 | |
| Majority | 25,837 | 9.2% | +7.7 | ||
| Turnout | 279,589 | ||||
| Republican hold | Swing | −3.9% | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Leonard Lance (incumbent) | 104,642 | 59.4% | ||
| Democratic | Ed Potosnak | 71,486 | 40.6% | ||
| Majority | 33,156 | 18.9% | |||
| Turnout | 176,128 | ||||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Leonard Lance (incumbent) | 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 | 52,605 | 17.1% | |||
| Turnout | 307,315 | ||||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Leonard Lance (incumbent) | 104,287 | 59.25% | ||
| Democratic | Janice Kovach | 68,232 | 38.77% | ||
| Libertarian | Jim Gawron | 3,478 | 1.98% | ||
| Majority | 36,055 | 20.5% | |||
| Turnout | 175,997 | ||||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Leonard Lance (incumbent) | 185,850 | 54.08% | ||
| Democratic | Peter Jacob | 148,188 | 43.12% | ||
| Libertarian | Dan O'Neill | 5,343 | 1.56% | ||
| Conservative | Arthur T. Haussmann, Jr. | 4,254 | 1.24% | ||
| Majority | 37,662 | 10.96% | |||
| Turnout | 343,635 | ||||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Tom Malinowski | 166,985 | 51.7 | |
| Republican | Leonard Lance (incumbent) | 150,785 | 46.7 | |
| Green | Diane Moxley | 2,676 | 0.8 | |
| Independent | Gregg Mele | 2,296 | 0.7 | |
| Total votes | 322,742 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Tom Malinowski (incumbent) | 219,688 | 50.6 | |
| Republican | Tom Kean Jr. | 214,359 | 49.4 | |
| Total votes | 434,047 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Tom Kean Jr. | 159,392 | 51.4 | |
| Democratic | Tom Malinowski (incumbent) | 150,701 | 48.6 | |
| Total votes | 310,093 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican gain from Democratic | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Thomas Kean Jr. (incumbent) | 223,331 | 51.8 | |
| Democratic | Sue Altman | 200,025 | 46.4 | |
| Libertarian | Lana Leguia | 3,784 | 0.9 | |
| Green | Andrew Black | 4,258 | 1.0 | |
| Total votes | 431,398 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
List of members representing the district
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References
[edit]- ^ Center for New Media & Promotion (CNMP), US Census Bureau. "My Congressional District". www.census.gov. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
- ^ "2022 Cook PVI: District Map and List".
- ^ "After the Midterms, One Party Controls All the Wealthiest Congressional Districts". finance.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
- ^ Kaptur, Marcy (October 15, 2021). "U.S. Median Household Income Per Congressional District for 117th Congress" (PDF). Congress.gov. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
- ^ Salvador Rizzo, The Star-Ledger. "N.J. 7th Congressional District winner: Leonard Lance". NJ.com. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
- ^ "Potosnak files 2012 bid for US Congress in NJ's 7th Congressional District". Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
- ^ Max Pizarro (May 5, 2011). "Choi announces 7th District Congressional candidacy | Observer". Politickernj.com. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
- ^ Max Pizarro (January 16, 2012). "Potosnak ends CD 7 run to take job as ED of League of Conservation Voters | Observer". Politickernj.com. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
- ^ "Local and National Election Results - Election Center 2008 - Elections & Politics from CNN.com". CNN. Archived from the original on November 7, 2008. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
- ^ a b New York Times, Primary results, accessed, June 6, 2018 Archived June 7, 2018, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Almukhtar, Sarah. "New Jersey Primary Election Results". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 7, 2018. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
- ^ The Hill, Ben Kamisar, October 2, 2017, Obama State Department official to run for House in NJ, Retrieved October 2, 2017
- ^ "CD7 Flashpoint: Malinowski Beats Weber in Union". Insider NJ. March 11, 2018. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
- ^ a b Ballotpedia, New Jersey's 7th Congressional District election, 2018 Archived December 29, 2020, at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved May 7, 2018
- ^ Salant, Jonathan D. (February 8, 2018). "Democrat drops run against Republican Leonard Lance". nj. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
- ^ "Democrats are now lining up behind this candidate to take on Republican Leonard Lance". NJ.com. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
- ^ "Goutam Jois for Congress NJ-07". Archived from the original on March 17, 2018.
- ^ Moxley For US Archived December 29, 2020, at the Wayback Machine (website)
- ^ ABC News, March 29, 2018, House races offer Democrats best shot at claiming a chamber in Congress Archived December 29, 2020, at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved May 17, 2018
- ^ Jonathan D. Salant, May 14, 2017, NJ.com, Meet the newest challenger to N.J.'s Leonard Lance, Retrieved May 14, 2017
- ^ "Pringle Exits the CD7 Contest - Insider NJ". March 26, 2018. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
- ^ Politico "House Q4 FEC Reports," Archived December 29, 2020, at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved May 7, 2018
- ^ "New Jersey's 7th Congressional District election, 2020". Ballotpedia. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
- ^ "Kean unseats Malinowski in 7th congressional district". November 9, 2022.
- ^ [1], New Jersey Redistricting Commission, December 23, 2021. Accessed November 5, 2022.
- ^ "Candidates for House of Representatives" (PDF). New Jersey Department of State. Division of Elections. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
- ^ "Official results" (PDF). www.state.nj.us. 2014.
- ^ "Candidates for House of Representatives" (PDF). New Jersey Department of State. Division of Elections. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
- ^ "New Jersey's 7th Congressional District election, 2016". Ballotpedia. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
- ^ a b "Official List, Candidates for House of Representatives For GENERAL ELECTION 11/03/2020 Election" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Elections. October 14, 2021. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
- ^ "2022 Official General Election Results: U.S. House of Representatives" (PDF). New Jersey Department of State - Division of Elections. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
- ^ Tom Malinowski, Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. Accessed October 9, 2022. "Hometown: Rocky Hill"
Bibliography
[edit]- 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