By Walter Elliott
NEWARK – July 7’s initial major party primary election results, whose ballots are to be received here at the Essex County Hall of Records until 8 p.m. July 14, are exhibiting two trends with potential local through federal level impact.
Workers for Essex County Clerk Christopher Durkin and county Board of Elections Clerk Linda von Nessi are still closely following, validating and counting the mostly Vote-By-Mail ballots as of “Local Talk” press time. There are also some provisional ballots to count and counts from what few voting machines have been deployed in what Gov. Phil Murphy called in June a “hybrid” election.
Registered Democratic and Republican party voters had their late Spring Primary say on who will represent them on the Nov. 3 general Election ballot.
Murphy – citing the need to curb the spread of the COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus – issued Executive Order 144 to move the June 6 primary date to July 7. The Governor later modified his order to allow county election clerks to deploy at least one voting machine polling station – like here at the Hall of Records – 6 a.m. – 8 p.m. July 7.
Durkin, von Nessi and company had counted enough earlier-received ballots to issue an initial results report on essexclerk.com five seconds after the polls’ 8 p.m. closing.
One early trend is that candidates endorsed by the Essex County Democratic Committee had repelled those who were fielded by more progressive or independent Democrats. This trend had mostly held up in their municipal, state and federal level primaries.
There is one Republican primary for one of New Jersey’s U.S. Senate seats that remain too close to call as of Noon July 8.
Herewith an initial, unofficial results summary. Final results are not to be certified by Durkin here until July 24.
PRESIDENT
Countywide Democratic voters selected Joseph R. Biden, of Delaware, over Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders 62,367 votes to 7,210. That Sanders halted his campaign in May, making Biden the presumptive nominee, may have been a factor in the nine-to-one vote ratio.
Incumbent President Donald J. Trump, of New York, received a wider ratio against any challengers in the Republican primary. Trump drew 6,863 votes to 451 “write-in” votes. Some of those write-ins may have included those for former Boston, Mass. Mayor William “Bill” Weld.
CONGRESS
U.S. Senate
Incumbent Cory A. Booker, of Newark, received an eight-to-one ratio against Lawrence “Larry” Hamm, of Montclair, in Essex County and statewide, in the Democratic primary. Booker will either face Rikin “Rik” Metha, of Morris Twp. or Hirsh V. Singh, of Atlantic City, as his Republican Challenger Nov. 3.
61,839 registered participating Democrats selected Booker against 6,944 for Hamm. Hamm headed a “Not Me, Us” slate that competed for selected Congressional through Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholder nominations. There were 50 write-in votes so far counted.
Metha, who holds a narrow lead on Singh for the Republican nomination both here and statewide, mustered 3,422 Essex Countywide votes to Singh’s 1,956 among 8,052 votes counted so far. Patricia Flanagan, of Lawrenceville, drew 1,086 votes, followed by Natalie Lynn Rivera, of Sicklerville, at 346 votes, Eugene T. Anatgnos, of East Hanover, at 171 votes, and 81 write-ins.
Metha, who received 17 of the state’s 21 Republican party county organizations, drew 37 percent of New Jersey votes to Singh’s 37. Flanagan trails with 17 percent of that vote, Rivera five percent and Anatgnos three percent.
HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES
Eighth Congressional District
Incumbent Albio Sires, of W. New York, turned back a substantial challenge from Hector Omar Osequera, Jr., of Union City, and William Sheehan, of Bayonne, for his bid for a ninth Congressional term.
Essex County voters favored Sires with 4,390 markers to “Not Me, Us” runner Osequera’s 1,231 votes and “Sanders 2020” runner Sheehan’s 246. There were 32 write-ins.
While Osequera waged a vigorous grassroots and social media campaign, Sires was endorsed by Booker, Gov. Phil Murphy (D-Rumson) and Lt. Governor Sheila Y. Oliver (D-East Orange), among others.
Sires is to face at least Republican nominee Jason Todd Mushnik, of Jersey City. Essex County GOP voters gave Mushnik 630 ballots against 14 write-ins.
10th CD
Democratic voters re-selected Donald M. Payne, Jr., of Newark, over independent John J. Flora, of Jersey City, and Sanders 2020/Not Me, Us runner Eugene David Mazo, of Newark.
Payne garnered 34,798 votes to Mazo’s 2,724. Flora tallied 1,166. There were 32 write-ins. He is to face at least Republican Jennifer “Jen” Zinone, of Bayonne, on the Nov. 3 General Election ballot. Zinone, in Essex County, got 688 votes against 22 write-ins.
11th CD
Essex County Democrats gave incumbent Mikie Sherrill, of Montclair, an almost unanimous endorsement 19,917 votes to 56 write-ins. Sherrill is to square off against Republican nominee Rosemary Becchi, of Parsippany, Nov. 3. Essex County GOP members gave Becchi 4,759 against 38 write-ins.
ESSEX COUNTY
Incumbent Essex County Democratic Committee Board of Chosen Freeholders and County Clerk candidates fended off what progressive, independent or write-in candidates they faced in Tuesday’s primaries.
All four At Large Freeholders turned back a “Not Me, Us” slate on a five-to-one ratio.
Irvington’s Romaine Graham topped the at-large tallies at 55,851 Livingston’s Patricia Seabold was second at 53,561, followed by Montclair’s Brendan Gill, at 51,954, and Newark’s Rufus Johnson, at 51,758.
East Orange’s Simone J. Jelks-Bandison, at 11,567, finished fifth overall and as the top “Not Me, Us” vote-getter. Anthony Diaz, at 11,391, and fellow Newarker Sabre Burroughs, at 10,474, rounded out the balloted field.
The incumbents are to face an all-female slate of Essex County Republican Organization challengers Nov. 3.
GOP voters, at 6,481, gave Alexandra Campisi, of Fairfield, their top tallies. Gynise Gotto, of Belleville, was next at 6,375. Monique Headen was next at 6,369 and fellow Newarker Bernada Quezada followed at 6,277.
District Freeholders
District Four, covering West Orange and “West Essex,” had a Democratic and a pending Republican challenge to incumbent Leonard Luciano.
The ECDC-backed Luciano, of Fairfield, tallied 11,230 votes. “Not Me, Us” challenger Jennifer Larsen, of West Orange, netted 4,698.
Luciano is to face GOP nominee Adam Kraemer, of West Orange. Kraemer carried his party’s nod with 3,852 votes.
Primary results for the other four county district freeholders, barring independent or write-in General Election campaigns, may be the first step towards the incumbent’s coronation. The ECDC endorsees had no intraparty opposition and the EPRO did not file candidate petitions.
In District One, Newarker Robert Mercado mustered 4,746 unopposed votes. Fellow Newarker Wayne Richardson received 12,143 in District Two. East Orange’s Tyshammie Cooper carried 13,513 in District Three. Bloomfielder Carlos Pomares polled 15,072 in District Five.
Voters of parties faithful have respectively nominated incumbent Christopher Durkin, of South Orange, and challenger Kristina Christoforou, of Fairfield, to vie for Essex County Clerk.
Durkin got the Democratic nod with 63,138 votes, Christoforou the GOP nod with 6,584.
Durkin and von Nessi, barring any challenges or recounts, intend to certify July 7’s party primary results on or by July 24. Independent/minor party candidates and non-partisan board of education candidates are to file their respective Nov. 3 General Election ballot petitions by 4 p.m. July 25 here at the Hall of Records.
