In New Jersey primaries, easy wins for powerful political machines

Candidates backed by powerful county-level political machines took easy wins in key New Jersey legislative primary races on Tuesday.

Longtime state Sen. Dick Codey (D-West Orange) secured his party’s nomination – and likely reelection come November – in the Essex County-based 27th Legislative District. No Republican is challenging him for the seat.

His victory effectively ousts state Sen. Nia Gill (D-Montclair) the longest-serving Black woman in the Senate. Redistricting following the 2020 Census moved Gill out of the 34th District, and set up the only incumbent versus incumbent fight of the primary.

As of 10:50 p.m. on Tuesday, Codey had 58% of the vote, compared to Gill’s 42%, with 92% of votes counted, according to the Associated Press, which called the race. The results are unofficial and do not yet include mail-in ballots that can be received for several days after Election Day.

Codey has served in the state Senate for more than 40 years. He’s a former senate president and governor, taking the latter office twice, after the resignations of Christine Todd Whitman and Jim McGreevey.

Codey and Gill had been longtime allies who spoke of one another cordially in the campaign. They’d also been running mates when Gill first ran for and won an Assembly seat three decades ago.

Codey ran with the Essex County Democratic Committee’s backing, giving him placement on the “county line” — which is widely believed to give a candidate a strong advantage.

Most New Jersey primary ballots group all county party-endorsed candidates on a single column or row — the “line.” Candidates unfamiliar to voters can get a bump by being lumped in with more familiar incumbents and nominees for higher-profile contests, such as races for governor or president. This year, there was no statewide or national race, which pollsters said would lead to very low turnout.

A federal lawsuit that would change the ballot design still hasn’t been decided.

Gill had run her campaign saying she wasn’t intimidated by the advantage party that endorsement brings; she has a history of overcoming it. She was first elected to the state Senate in 2021. In 2003, she fended off a primary challenge from party-backed LeRoy Jones, who is now chair of both the Democratic State Committee and the Essex County Democratic Committee, and went on to win re-election.

In Essex County, endorsements are made by leaders in the Essex County Democratic Committee, without any involvement of the rank-and-file committee members. In some county organizations, committee members vote among themselves to decide which candidates the party will back.

Codey’s running mates, Assembly incumbent John McKeon and candidate Alixon Collazos-Gill, won their party’s nomination over Eve Robinson and Craig Stanley. No Republican is challenging them in the fall.

Each of New Jersey’s 40 legislative districts has three seats on the ballot this year — two Assembly seats and one state Senate seat. But among those, there were contested party primaries in just 13 districts.

Some other key results

Essex County line dominates in the 28th: In the 28th Legislative District, also in Essex County, Assembly candidates Garnet Hall and incumbent Cleopatra Tucker took a victory over Frank McGehee. Hall and Tucker had the county line; McGehee had campaigned against it

“Ed the Trucker” wins again: In South Jersey’s rural 3rd District, incumbent state senator and Trump loyalist Ed Durr, a truck driver, fended off a primary challenge from current Assemblywoman Beth Sawyer. The two had been running mates in 2021, when Durr won a surprise general election victory over then-Senate President Steve Sweeney.

Political observers say Durr, in a “purple” district, could be vulnerable to the challenge he’ll face from Democrats this fall. The 3rd Legislative District has about 11,000 more Democrats than Republicans according to voter registration data. Durr will be up against current Assemblyman John Burzichelli, who ran for the Democratic nomination with the party machine’s backing and who took an easy primary win over Mario De Santis, a teacher and progressive reformer.

Durr’s running mates, incumbent Bethanne Patrick and Thomas Tedesco, won the Republican nomination for Assembly over Sawyer’s running mate, Joseph Collins. In November, they’ll face Democrats Heather Simmons and Dave Bailey, who won their party’s nomination over Robert Fitzpatrick and Tanzie Youngblood.

Another purple district in South Jersey: Republican state senate candidate Christopher Del Borrello, former Washington Township councilperson, took a win over the more conservative and pro-Trump Nick Desilvio in the 4th District.

Del Borrello was backed by the Republican organizations in Atlantic and Camden counties. DeSilvio was endorsed by the party organization in Gloucester County.

Republicans are hopeful to flip the district. Del Borrello will face incumbent Assemblyman Paul Moriarty, who ran uncontested for the Democratic nomination, in the fall.

Del Borrello’s running mates – Assembly candidates Matt Walker and Amanda Esposito — won over Michael Clark, Denise Gonzalez and John Keating. They’ll face Democrats Dan Hutchison and Cody Miller, who ran uncontested in their primary.