SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — New Jersey’s primary election is less than two weeks away, and this year there is a new congressional map, so residents may be voting in U.S. House districts different from in previous years.
Below is KYW Newsradio’s guide to primary season in the Garden State.
Key Dates
— May 31: Deadline to apply for mail-in ballot
—June 3-5: In-person early voting period
—June 7: Election Day
Key Races
All congressional districts are on the ballot. In South Jersey, Democrats hold Congressional Districts 1 and 3; Republicans have 2 and 4. New Jersey has 12 districts total, currently with 10 Democrats and two Republicans.
1st District: Camden, Gloucester
Democratic incumbent Donald Norcross is challenged from the left by Mario DeSantis, a teacher in Collingswood. Claire Gustafson and Damon Galdo seek to represent Republicans in this blue stronghold.
Democrats
Donald Norcross, brother of South Jersey powerbroker George Norcross, has been in this seat since 2014. As a former union electrician, he says he has always fought for families, and he hopes voters have noticed the work he’s done to improve communities in South Jersey.
“I’ve been an advocate for jobs and I say so often the best social program is a good job, so you can take care of your family. I have been a champion of health care for all since I’ve been in public office. This is incredibly important, particularly given the recent leaked decision from the Supreme Court,” Norcross said, referencing the high court being poised to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Mario DeSantis says it’s time for the district to elect a more progressive member, and health care is his top priority. “Everyone deserves access to health care, no matter their financial status.”
He says the pandemic showed how fragile it can be for people to rely on employer provided health care if they lose their jobs. “We are one of the only countries not guaranteeing universal health care.”
He says if voters are looking for a change, give him a chance. “This is an opportunity to reimagine the kind of economy we want to re-enter.”
Republicans
Claire Gustafson is hoping to outdo her performance in 2020, when Norcross beat her by 25 points and nearly 100,000 votes.
Gustafson didn’t respond to our request for an interview. On her campaign website, she said: “We outperformed President Trump and our party’s nominee for U.S. Senate. We earned the votes of more than 45,000 voters who are not registered Republicans.”
She characterizes Democratic control of the district as a “political cartel.”
“I am a Republican because I believe in hard work, self-reliance, smaller government, the preservation of our Judeo-Christian values and the free-enterprise system that has made America the envy of the world.”
Damon Galdo, who works in construction and lives in West Deptford, says he’s the best chance to take on the Democrats. He is new to politics, and new to New Jersey, having moved from Port Richmond, Philadelphia less than two years ago. Showing up in his work clothes rather than a suit to meet voters, he says, was surprisingly successful. “I don’t even start by telling them what I want to say, I ask what they want first. I have everything written down on my clipboard and they’ll rattle off a bunch of stuff and I’ll turn my clipboard around and I’ll say you just named 99% of the stuff that I had here.”
He says inflation, illegal immigration, and the baby formula shortage are some of his priorities.
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2nd District: Cape May, Cumberland, Salem
Republican incumbent Jeff Van Drew faces a challenge from John Barker and Sean Pignatelli. The winner of Democrats Tim Alexander and Carolyn Rush face an uphill battle to turn the district blue.
Republicans
Jeff Van Drew, a former Democrat who flipped Republican in 2020, citing what he saw as an embrace of socialism and radical policies, didn’t respond to a request for an interview.. Before his stint in Congress, Van Drew has had a long career in New Jersey politics as a Democrat dating back to the 1990s, as a Cape May County commissioner, and later an assemblyman and state senator.
Ben Dworkin, political analyst and professor at Rowan University, says Van Drew continues to be the favorite because of significant advantages in name recognition and funding. And he remains the Trump-backed candidate here.
Sean Pignatelli is a father and union carpenter who says he’s always loved politics and thinks now is the time to do something about changing the direction of the country, which he says has taken a far-left turn for the worst. That starts with taking on Van Drew. “He’s not the Republican everybody was hoping he could be. It’s time for him to go.” Pignatelli said.
Pignatelli said it’s time to deliver for the people of the district, particularly veterans who he says are too often homeless and forgotten, as well as farmers and families struggling due to supply chain issues on everything from baby formula to fertilizer.
John Barker is an X-ray technician from Berkeley Township. He’s running because he is also done with DC politicians. “I got into the race because I couldn’t stand what was going on.”
He’s aware of how hard it will be to beat a career politician, but he says you gotta at least try. “I mean, do you think that I could go to Washington and do worse than the clowns that are running the show right now?”
He says he’s “a true American patriot” who is hurt by what he sees happening. “America is the greatest country in the world, that’s why everybody wants to come here. The Democrats can call everyone a racist and say this is a racist country, but all they have to do is look at the line of people waiting to come here.”
Securing the border and improving the economy are the top priorities for him.
Democrats
Carolyn Rush, who worked for 35 years as an engineer, is frustrated by the lack of bipartisanship in Washington, and she wants to make a difference. “I want to go to DC and find common ground with both parties, build consensus, and get legislation passed that will benefit the folks of the United States.”
Rush thinks she has the people skills and practical approach to negotiating that will help build bridges to connect people on both sides of the aisle.
Tim Alexander is also seeking the Democratic nomination. We were unable to get him for a recorded interview. Tim worked as a detective for the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, then earned a law degree and went to work for the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office. His campaign website says he’s a champion for racial and social justice. “At a young age, Tim was shot at and beaten by police officers. After that experience, he was more convinced than ever that he wanted to serve the public and help reform law enforcement from within,” the website says of Alexander, who is Black.
3rd District: Burlington, Mercer
Democrat Andy Kim faces a primary challenge from Reuven Hendler in a district the Cook Political Report expects to be the most competitive in South Jersey in the fall, though rated “likely Democratic.” Republicans Ian Smith and Bob Healey are fighting for the chance to defeat Kim.
Democrats
Andy Kim, first elected in 2018, may get a boost in his bid for a third term by the state’s new congressional map. This district now covers most of Burlington County and some of Mercer County, which Dworkin notes adds to its count of registered Democrats. Kim’s campaign did not reply to a request for an interview. His website says he’s raising his family not far from where he grew up and he is fighting to improve the quality of life for families working to achieve the American dream.
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Reuven Hendler, a 25-year-old project manager at a civil engineering firm, is running a long-shot candidacy to take down the incumbent. “A lot of incumbents are not having primary challengers, and I find that undemocratic,” he said.
Hendler says health care is the top issue for him. He went to get a spot on his head checked out a few years ago and it turned out to be cancerous. “Fortunately, in that time, I was in New Jersey family care, which had zero deductible and allowed me to get tested. I knew then I probably wouldn’t have treatment in time, before it’s too late, if I would have had a deductible, with some deductibles as high as $6,000.”
Hendler also believes health care tied to employment is a bad idea. Statistics from Duke University show 2.7 million people lost employer health plans in 12 weeks from spring to summer of 2020.
Republicans
Dworkin, of Rowan, says the battle between gym owner Ian Smith and businessman Bob Healey Jr. is the most interesting race in South Jersey.
Ian Smith became known for his defiant stance against Gov. Phil Murphy’s pandemic orders. He kept his Atilis Gym in Bellmawr open and paid fines as a result. He also spent years in prison for killing a teenager while driving under the influence of alcohol and he was pulled over in Cinnaminson this year for suspicion of DUI. “I’ve had to take responsibility for the pain and suffering that I caused 15 or so years ago. That’s something I carry with me every day, and it’s shaped who I am.”
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Smith is running on a commitment to liberty, small government and America first. “I’m not what I like to call the ‘cologne and cufflinks’ class of Republican, who don’t really identify with the struggles of middle America.”
Bob Healey is executive co-chairman of the Viking Group, a company he says employs over 1,000 South Jersey residents. He’s running on a platform of fighting against “radical liberals” and vows to defend personal liberties and freedoms. Healey says he “will champion policies that give a hand-up to the less fortunate, helping them improve their lives through education, trade skills, and job-training, not a handout that creates more dependence on government and strips people of their human dignity.”
4th District: Atlantic, Ocean
Incumbent Republican Chris Smith has served 41 years in Congress. He faces several challengers, including Mike Crispi and Steve Gray. Democrat Matthew Jenkins is running unopposed in a district considered somewhat safe for the GOP, according to Dworkin.
Republicans
Chris Smith, who did not respond to our request for comment, has been around a long time and Dworkin says his popularity in the district may even increase with some of the subjects in the headlines these days.
“The pro-life stance has been Chris Smith’s signature issue for 40 years. He was the leader of New Jersey’s pro-life movement,” Dworkin said. “I think all of this has helped people rally around Smith. There are new people who are running to his right.”
Mike Crispi says he’s been making his voice heard anywhere he can find an audience, either on his radio show or traveling the country. “I think we cannot give an inch when it comes to allowing the radical left to permeate our school curriculum with sexual education.”
Crispi is a former business owner and current Trump loyalist who says the country is on the wrong path. Crispi criticizes Smith for voting in support of the panel that has been investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, as well as the Biden-backed infrastructure bill, which Van Drew also greenlit. “He threw a bone to Nancy Pelosi. And he threw a bone to Joe Biden,” said Crispi.
Steve Gray did not reply to a request for an interview. He’s a retired FBI agent who was born and raised in Somers Point, N.J. On his campaign website, he says “Socialist Democrats feel that illegal immigrants and drug users should have free prescription drugs and medical care while Americans who have worked hard their entire life receive no such benefits.” Gray also says the United States education system needs to be completely dismantled and rebuilt from the ground up. He claims almost every country in the world, including China, Russia, and India, has a better educational system.