New Jersey goes to the polls tomorrow, and we hear a lot about it in NYC

The way it works, elections in New Jersey are always reported as something special in NYC, because there is such a link between the two places.

That huge chunk of Northeastern New Jersey which includes Newark and Hoboken etc. is really part of the NYC Metropolitan area..

So here is article on Senate primary election tomorrow. Have been hearing A LOT about it on the radio here and it is in all the rest of the media too...

United States Senate special election in New Jersey, 2013

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United States Senate special election in New Jersey, 2013

2008 ← October 16, 2013 → 2014

Party Republican Democratic

U.S. Senator before election Jeffrey Chiesa Republican Elected U.S. Senator TBD

Elections in New Jersey
[show] Federal offices
[show] State offices
[show]Jersey City
[show]Hoboken This box: view talk edit

The 2013 United States Senate special election in New Jersey will be held on October 16, 2013 to fill the New Jersey United States Senate Class 2 seat for the remainder of the term ending January 3, 2015.
The vacancy resulted from the death of five-term Democratic Senator Frank Lautenberg on June 3, 2013.^[1] In the interim, the seat is held by Republican Senator Jeffrey Chiesa, who was appointed on June 6, 2013 by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to serve until the elected winner can be sworn in.^[2] At the time of his appointment, Chiesa, then New Jersey's Attorney General, announced that he would not be a candidate in the special election.^[3]
Following Lautenberg's death, there was a great deal of speculation and controversy over when a special election would or could be scheduled, but the following day, June 4, 2013, Christie announced that the primary would take place on August 13, 2013, and the special election on October 16, 2013.^[4] Four candidates are running in the Democratic primary and two candidates are running in the Republican primary.

Contents

Background

On June 4, 2013, Democrats and Republicans interested in running in the special primary were given six days, until June 10, to collect 1,000 signatures in order to appear on the special primary ballots.^[5]
Democratic State Senator Shirley Turner, of Lawrenceville, New Jersey introduced legislation to move the general election on November 5 for all statewide offices, including governor, to the same date, October 16, as the U.S. Senate special election. This legislation was introduced in order to avoid spending an additional $12 million for a separate U.S. Senate election in October in addition to the general statewide election in November.^[6] A bill, A4237, finally passed both legislative houses on June 27, 2013. Another bill, A4249, allowing eligible voters who cast ballots on October 16 for senator to also vote early for the November general election, finally passed both legislative houses on June 27. Both bills were sent to Governor Christie for approval or veto with little expectation that either would be signed by Christie into law.^[7][8]
On June 13, 2013, the Appellate Division of the New Jersey Supreme Court unanimously rejected the Democrats' challenge, which was brought by Somerset County Democratic Chairwoman Marguerite M. Schaffer, to force Christie to change the special election date in October to the general election on November 5. They ruled “the Legislature has delegated broad authority to the State’s governor” to set the election date.^[9] On June 20, 2013, the New Jersey Supreme Court declined to hear a follow-up challenge to the special election date.^[10]
Christie's administration is looking into contingency plan options for additional state workers, transportation resources, voting machines and associated hardware, and skilled voting machine technicians in order to avoid any potential conflicts due to the short time span of 20 days between the special election and general election. Use of any of these options would increase the originally estimated cost of $12 million for the October election. Contingency plans would be needed due to potential scheduling and logistical conflicts in the use of the same voting machines for both elections. New Jersey state law requires voting machines to be locked down for 15 days after an election, in case a defeated candidate seeks a recount. Voting machines would also need to be set up several days in advance of the general election.^[11]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

• Cory Booker, Mayor of Newark^[12]
• Rush D. Holt, Jr., U.S. Representative^[13]
• Sheila Oliver, Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly^[14][15]
• Frank Pallone, U.S. Representative^[16]

Declined

• Rob Andrews, U.S. Representative^[17]
• Beth Mason, Hoboken City Councilwoman^[18]
• Stephen M. Sweeney, President of the New Jersey Senate^[19]

Endorsements

[show]Cory Booker

[show]Rush Holt

[show]Frank Pallone

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Cory Booker	Rush D. Holt, Jr.	Sheila Oliver	Frank Pallone	Other	Undecided
Quinnipiac	August 1–5, 2013	388	± 5%	54%	15%	5%	17%	1%	8%
Monmouth	July 11–14, 2013	403	± 4.9%	49%	8%	3%	12%	—	28%
Quinnipiac	July 2–7, 2013	400	± 4.9%	52%	8%	3%	10%	1%	27%
Kean University	June 18, 2013	366	± ?%	49%	9%	9%	6%	5%	22%
Rasmussen	June 12–13, 2013	?	± ?%	54%	11%	5%	8%	3%	18%
Monmouth	June 10–11, 2013	205	± 6.9%	63%	10%	6%	8%	—	13%
Quinnipiac	June 7–9, 2013	306	± 5.6%	53%	10%	—	9%	1%	27%
Rutgers-Eagleton	June 3–9, 2013	364	± 5.1%	55%	8%	—	9%	—	28%

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

• Alieta Eck, former president of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons,^[28] founder of the Zarephath Health Center^[29] and health care reform advocate^[30][31][32]
• Steve Lonegan, former Mayor of Bogota, former State Director of Americans for Prosperity and candidate for Governor in 2005 and 2009^[33]

Declined

• Jennifer Beck, State Senator^[34]
• Jon Bramnick, Minority Leader of the New Jersey State Assembly^[35]
• Jeffrey Chiesa, incumbent U.S. Senator^[2]
• Michael J. Doherty, State Senator^[34]
• Thomas Kean, Jr., Minority Leader of the New Jersey Senate and nominee for U.S. Senate in 2006^[36]
• Joseph M. Kyrillos, State Senator and nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2012^[37]
• Leonard Lance, U.S. Representative^[38]
• Kevin J. O'Toole, State Senator^[34]
• Geraldo Rivera, talk show host^[39]

Endorsements

[show]Alieta Eck

[show]Steve Lonegan

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Alieta Eck	Steve Lonegan	Other	Undecided
Quinnipiac	August 1–5, 2013	257	± 6.1%	10%	74%	3%	13%
Quinnipiac	July 2–7, 2013	330	± 5.4%	5%	62%	1%	32%
Kean University	June 18, 2013	321	± ?%	15%	45%	12%	29%

General election

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Cory Booker (D)	Steve Lonegan (R)	Other	Undecided
Quinnipiac	August 1–5, 2013	2,042	± 2.2%	54%	29%	1%	16%
Quinnipiac	July 2–7, 2013	1,068	± 3%	53%	30%	1%	16%
Rasmussen	June 10–11, 2013	1,000	± 3%	50%	33%	—	17%
Monmouth	June 10–11, 2013	560	± 4.2%	53%	37%	—	10%
Quinnipiac	June 7–9, 2013	858	± 3.4%	54%	27%	—	18%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Rush D. Holt, Jr. (D)	Steve Lonegan (R)	Other	Undecided
Quinnipiac	July 2–7, 2013	1,068	± 3%	37%	36%	3%	24%
Monmouth	June 10–11, 2013	560	± 4.2%	44%	41%	—	15%
Quinnipiac	June 7–9, 2013	858	± 3.4%	36%	31%	1%	32%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Sheila Oliver (D)	Steve Lonegan (R)	Other	Undecided
Quinnipiac	July 2–7, 2013	1,068	± 3%	35%	37%	3%	16%
Monmouth	June 10–11, 2013	560	± 4.2%	44%	42%	—	14%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Frank Pallone (D)	Steve Lonegan (R)	Other	Undecided
Quinnipiac	July 2–7, 2013	1,068	± 3%	38%	34%	3%	25%
Monmouth	June 10–11, 2013	560	± 4.2%	45%	40%	—	14%
Quinnipiac	June 7–9, 2013	858	± 3.4%	39%	29%	2%	31%