New Jersey's 7th congressional district election, 2008
Encyclopedia
Congressman Leonard Lance
defeated state Assembly Woman Linda Stender
in a long fought race for the highly competitive seat. Leonard Lance announced his plans to continue to "fight for the republican party I have come to know" and stating that he has suggested an update to the Republican Party
.
The incumbent, Republican Representative Mike Ferguson, announced on November 19, 2007, that he would not seek reelection, citing family obligations.
The district is considered to lean Republican, but was expected to be highly competitive, considering the closeness of the 2006 election when Ferguson, the incumbent Republican, narrowly defeated Stender, the Democratic challenger. Results of the election were Lance 142,004 51% to Stender 116,171 41%.
, New Jersey Assemblywoman
, and the 2006 Congressional nominee, was unopposed in the Democratic primary. She was narrowly defeated by Ferguson in the 2006 election
.
Three other candidates who had sought support in Republican conventions in the district, but failed to win any organizational support, declined to file petitions to run in the Republican primary: Warren Mayor Victor Sordillo, Bridgewater Councilman Michael Hsing, and former Hillsborough Deputy Mayor Chris Venis. Hsing, however, later filed to run in the general election as an independent.
During the convention process, Lance won the "organization line" in Hunterdon and Somerset Counties, which together account for about 70 percent of the Republican primary voters in the district. Hatfield won the line in Union County and Whitman won in Middlesex County. The portion of the district in Middlesex has by far the fewest number of registered Republican voters of any of the four counties in the district.
, being vacated by retiring Republican Jim Saxton
.
There was some speculation that Hsing, a Republican councilman in Bridgewater, might act as a spoiler by taking Republican votes away from Lance.
The Democratic Party directly tried to take advantage of Hsing's conservatism by sending out direct mail attacking Lance's conservative credentials in order to divert Republican voters to Hsing.
However, an internal poll conducted by Stender's campaign in late October showed that Lance was leading in the race by four points.
On October 31, The Pindell Report changed its rating of the race from "Leans Democratic" to "Leans Republican."
for a debate hosted at the Jewish Community Campus of Central New Jersey. It was moderated by Westfield
rabbi Douglas Segal. The candidates met in October in Edison
for a second debate, which was televised on News 12 New Jersey
and moderated by Walt Kane.
followed suit. Eight other newspapers also endorsed Lance over Stender. Stender's bid was not endorsed by a single newspaper during the campaign.
Both major-party candidates have campaigned with prominent politicians of their party in the months before the election. Lance campaigned with then-U.S. President George W. Bush
and former Massachusetts
Governor Mitt Romney
. Stender campaigned with former U.S. president Bill Clinton
and U.S. House of Representatives majority leader Steny Hoyer
.
Leonard Lance
Leonard Lance is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2009. He is a member of the Republican Party. He previously served in the New Jersey Senate and the New Jersey General Assembly....
defeated state Assembly Woman Linda Stender
Linda Stender
Linda Stender is an American Democratic Party politician who has served in the New Jersey General Assembly since 2002, where she represents the 22nd legislative district. She ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing New Jersey's 7th District, in 2006 and...
in a long fought race for the highly competitive seat. Leonard Lance announced his plans to continue to "fight for the republican party I have come to know" and stating that he has suggested an update to the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
.
The incumbent, Republican Representative Mike Ferguson, announced on November 19, 2007, that he would not seek reelection, citing family obligations.
The district is considered to lean Republican, but was expected to be highly competitive, considering the closeness of the 2006 election when Ferguson, the incumbent Republican, narrowly defeated Stender, the Democratic challenger. Results of the election were Lance 142,004 51% to Stender 116,171 41%.
Democratic primary
Linda StenderLinda Stender
Linda Stender is an American Democratic Party politician who has served in the New Jersey General Assembly since 2002, where she represents the 22nd legislative district. She ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing New Jersey's 7th District, in 2006 and...
, New Jersey Assemblywoman
New Jersey General Assembly
The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature.Since the election of 1967 , the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts for a term of two years, each representing districts with average...
, and the 2006 Congressional nominee, was unopposed in the Democratic primary. She was narrowly defeated by Ferguson in the 2006 election
United States House of Representatives elections in New Jersey, 2006
The 2006 United States House of Representatives elections in New Jersey were held on November 4, 2006 to determine who will represent the state of New Jersey in the United States House of Representatives. New Jersey has thirteen seats in the House, apportioned according to the 2000 United States...
.
Republican primary
Seven candidates appeared on the Republican primary ballot:- A.D. Amar of Warren, New Jersey, Seton Hall UniversitySeton Hall UniversitySeton Hall University is a private Roman Catholic university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by Archbishop James Roosevelt Bayley, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan university in the United States. Seton Hall is also the oldest and largest Catholic university in the...
Business Professor - Kelly Hatfield, former SummitSummit, New JerseySummit is a city in Union County, New Jersey, United States. At the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 21,457. Summit had the 16th-highest per capita income in the state as of the 2000 Census....
Council President - Leonard LanceLeonard LanceLeonard Lance is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2009. He is a member of the Republican Party. He previously served in the New Jersey Senate and the New Jersey General Assembly....
, State SenatorNew Jersey SenateThe New Jersey Senate was established as the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. From 1844 until 1965 New Jersey's counties elected one Senator, each. Under the 1844 Constitution the term of office was three years. The 1947...
and former Minority Leader - Martin L. Marks, MayorMayorIn many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Scotch PlainsScotch Plains, New JerseyScotch Plains is a township in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the township population increased to a record high of 23,510.-History:... - Thomas Roughneen of WatchungWatchung, New JerseyWatchung is a Borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 5,801.Watchung was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on May 23, 1826, from portions of North Plainfield Township based on the results...
- Kate Whitman of Peapack-GladstonePeapack-Gladstone, New JerseyPeapack and Gladstone is a borough in Somerset County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 Census, the borough population was 2,582...
, daughter of former New Jersey GovernorGovernor of New JerseyThe Office of the Governor of New Jersey is the executive branch for the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of Governor is an elected position, for which elected officials serve four year terms. While individual politicians may serve as many terms as they can be elected to, Governors cannot be...
Christine Todd WhitmanChristine Todd WhitmanChristine Todd "Christie" Whitman is an American Republican politician and author who served as the 50th Governor of New Jersey from 1994 to 2001, and was the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency in the administration of President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2003. She was New... - Darren Young of Summit
Three other candidates who had sought support in Republican conventions in the district, but failed to win any organizational support, declined to file petitions to run in the Republican primary: Warren Mayor Victor Sordillo, Bridgewater Councilman Michael Hsing, and former Hillsborough Deputy Mayor Chris Venis. Hsing, however, later filed to run in the general election as an independent.
During the convention process, Lance won the "organization line" in Hunterdon and Somerset Counties, which together account for about 70 percent of the Republican primary voters in the district. Hatfield won the line in Union County and Whitman won in Middlesex County. The portion of the district in Middlesex has by far the fewest number of registered Republican voters of any of the four counties in the district.
Independent candidates
- Tom Abrams of Raritan, New JerseyRaritan, New JerseyRaritan is a Borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the borough population was 6,881.-Geography:Raritan is located at ....
, a marketing executive and peace activist, running under the "Prosperity Not War" slogan - Dean Greco of Flemington, New JerseyFlemington, New JerseyFlemington is a borough in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the borough population was 4,581. It is the county seat of Hunterdon County....
, a middle school teacher, running under the "All-Day Breakfast Party" slogan - Michael Hsing of Bridgewater, New Jersey, Bridgewater Township Councilman and a technology executive
Campaign
The 7th District is one of two open congressional seats in New Jersey for the 2008 elections, the other being the 3rd districtNew Jersey's 3rd congressional district
New Jersey's Third Congressional District is currently represented by Republican Jon Runyan. It is a swing district, with a Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+1. Former NFL player Republican Jon Runyan defeated John Adler in the 2010 House elections...
, being vacated by retiring Republican Jim Saxton
Jim Saxton
Hugh James "Jim" Saxton is an American Republican Party politician. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives. He represented from 1984 to 1993. From 1993 to 2009, he represented .-Life:...
.
Fundraising
As of July, Stender had a huge lead over Lance in terms of both funds raised and cash on hand. In fact, Lance was trailing independent Michael Hsing in terms of cash on hand. In spite of Stender's financial advantage, Lance still polled fairly evenly with her throughout the race.Polling
In mid-September a poll showed Stender leading Lance 36 to 33 percent with Hsing at 9 percent.There was some speculation that Hsing, a Republican councilman in Bridgewater, might act as a spoiler by taking Republican votes away from Lance.
The Democratic Party directly tried to take advantage of Hsing's conservatism by sending out direct mail attacking Lance's conservative credentials in order to divert Republican voters to Hsing.
However, an internal poll conducted by Stender's campaign in late October showed that Lance was leading in the race by four points.
On October 31, The Pindell Report changed its rating of the race from "Leans Democratic" to "Leans Republican."
Debates
Lance and Stender debated each other twice during the campaign. In September, they met in Scotch PlainsScotch Plains, New Jersey
Scotch Plains is a township in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the township population increased to a record high of 23,510.-History:...
for a debate hosted at the Jewish Community Campus of Central New Jersey. It was moderated by Westfield
Westfield, New Jersey
Westfield is a town in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 30,316. The old village area, now the downtown district, was settled in 1720 as part of the Elizabethtown Tract....
rabbi Douglas Segal. The candidates met in October in Edison
Edison, New Jersey
Edison Township is a township in Middlesex County, New Jersey. What is now Edison Township was originally incorporated as Raritan Township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 17, 1870, from portions of both Piscataway Township and Woodbridge Township...
for a second debate, which was televised on News 12 New Jersey
News 12 New Jersey
News 12 New Jersey is a 24-hour cable news television channel reaching more than 1.8 million television homes within the New York City metropolitan area. The channel operates as an independent unit of News 12 Networks, the first, largest and most watched regional news network in United States...
and moderated by Walt Kane.
Endorsements
On October 21, The Newark Star-Ledger editorial board endorsed Lance in the 2008 election. On October 25, The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
followed suit. Eight other newspapers also endorsed Lance over Stender. Stender's bid was not endorsed by a single newspaper during the campaign.
Both major-party candidates have campaigned with prominent politicians of their party in the months before the election. Lance campaigned with then-U.S. President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
and former Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
Governor Mitt Romney
Mitt Romney
Willard Mitt Romney is an American businessman and politician. He was the 70th Governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 and is a candidate for the 2012 Republican Party presidential nomination.The son of George W...
. Stender campaigned with former U.S. president Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
and U.S. House of Representatives majority leader Steny Hoyer
Steny Hoyer
Steny Hamilton Hoyer is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1981. The district includes a large swath of rural and suburban territory southeast of Washington, D.C.. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
.
See also
- United States Senate election in New Jersey, 2008United States Senate election in New Jersey, 2008The 2008 United States Senate election in NJ was held on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg won re-election to a fourth, non-consecutive term.-Background:...
- New Jersey's 3rd congressional district election, 2008