MAIL IT IN
NJ residents use mail, drop boxes to cast votes in primary
TRENTON » The COVID-19 pandemic did not prevent New Jersey from having a mostly vote-by-mail primary election Tuesday.
Early and unofficial election results suggest that Republican Congressman Chris Smith of Hamilton and Democratic Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman of Ewing easily defeated their primary challenger.
Lisa McCormick hoped to defeat Watson Coleman in the Democratic primary, but early ballot counts showed the congresswoman securing some 90 percent of the vote, grabbing at least 11,606 votes in part of the 12th Congressional District compared with McCormick getting at least 1,233.
The 12th Congressional District spans parts of Middlesex, Somerset, Union and Mercer counties, including the entire City of Trenton.
A three-term incumbent, Watson Coleman first won election to the U.S. House of Representatives in November 2014. She is the first African-American woman to represent New Jersey in Congress.
On her website, McCormick describes herself as a fighter who “conquered adversity,” revealing she had “suffered some terrible injuries” in prior accidents, including a 2008 car crash.
McCormick has been accused of running a dirty campaign.
Counsel for Bonnie Watson Coleman sent a letter to McCormick’s campaign dated July 5 alleging she has used “potentially illegal” campaign tactics.
“You have created several fake websites, email accounts and virtual personas in an attempt to smear my clients and deceive the public,” Watson Coleman’s attorney, Rajiv D. Parikh, said in his letter to McCormick.
Watson Coleman may take legal action against the McCormick campaign, according to Parikh’s letter, which said the Democratic challenger had a “legal obligation to maintain all documents, communications and information that may be relevant to future legal proceedings.”
The Daily Princetonian this week published a lengthy story detailing McCormick’s baggage as a political candidate.
Trenton’s West Ward Councilwoman Robin Vaughn endorsed McCormick in the Democratic primary, saying, “McCormick will fight for us because she’s one of us.”
Vaughn, internationally known as the trash-talking politician who called openly gay Mayor Reed Gusciora a “pedophile” during a homophobic rant May 2, suggested that Watson Coleman accepts “dirty money” from big donors like Goldman Sachs.
The Bonnie Watson Coleman for Congress campaign in the 2019-20 reporting period has received more than $478,000 in contributions, according to Federal Election Commission data.
Projected as the winner of her primary, Watson Coleman will face Republican challenger Mark Razzoli in November. Razzoli, a township councilman in Old Bridge, ran unopposed in Tuesday’s GOP primary.
Smith is the projected winner in his GOP primary. He was challenged by Alter Eliezer Richter.
The Shore News Network reported that Richter is “most known for his organized anti-LGBTQ protest of the Lakewood BlueClaws ‘Pride’ Day last summer.”
Richter described himself as a “very far-right” candidate who “isn’t at all worried about being politically
correct,” according to his website.
An orthodox Jew, Richter pledged to “restore the country’s faith and raise people’s values.”
But the Republican voters of the Fourth Congressional District, based upon early unofficial results, appear to have easily stuck with the incumbent Smith.
The Fourth Congressional District spans parts of Ocean, Monmouth and Mercer counties, including Hamilton Township and Robbinsville. Smith has been serving in the U.S. House since 1981 and has authored a variety of human rights legislation during his political career. He is seeking re-election to a 21st term.
The Democratic candidates running for Smith’s Fourth Congressional District seat included Christine Conforti, Stephanie Schmid and David Applefield.
Schmid is a former U.S. State Department diplomat; Conforti has a background in teaching and sustainable development; and Applefield built a career in writing and publishing.
It was too soon to project a winner of the Democratic primary between Schmid, Conforti and Applefield, but
Schmid appeared to be dominating in Ocean County as of 9 p.m. Tuesday.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Cory Booker appeared to win his primary Tuesday night, crushing challenger Lawrence Hamm statewide.
Five Republicans ran for U.S. Senate in Tuesday’s primary: Eugene T. Anagnos, Natalie Lynn Rivera, Hirsh Singh, Patricia Flanagan and Rikin ‘Rik’ Mehta. It was not immediately clear who won, but the GOP’s victorious candidate will face Booker in November’s general election.
Gov. Phil Murphy ordered New Jersey’s 2020 primary election to be conducted primarily via vote-by-mail to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
New Jersey usually holds primary elections in the month of June, but Murphy this year postponed it to July 7 because of the novel coronavirus disease that has killed more than 13,000 New Jerseyans to date.
Primary elections pave the way for the main event in November, when presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is expected to face off against incumbent GOP President Donald Trump.