2008 United States House of Representatives elections in New Jersey

2008 New Jersey's 4th congressional district election
← 2006 2010 →
U.S. Representative before election; Chris Smith; Republican	Elected U.S. Representative ; Chris Smith; Republican

2008 New Jersey's 3rd congressional district election
← 2006 2010 →
U.S. Representative before election; Jim Saxton; Republican	Elected U.S. Representative ; John Adler; Democratic

2008 United States House of Representatives elections in New Jersey
← 2006 November 4, 2008 2010 →
All 13 New Jersey seats to the United States House of Representatives
Turnout	73% ( 25pp)
Democratic 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 90–100%	Republican 40–50% 50–60% 60–70%

The 2008 congressional elections in New Jersey were held on November 4, 2008 to determine who would 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 census. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected served in the 111th Congress from January 4, 2009 until January 3, 2011. The election coincided with the 2008 U.S. presidential election.

The statewide party primary elections were held June 3, 2008. District 3 was the only seat which changed party (from open Republican to Democratic), although CQ Politics had forecasted districts 3, 5 and 7 to be at some risk for the incumbent party. This is the last time that any district saw one party run uncontested (in this case, the 10th) until 2026.

Overview

United States House of Representatives elections in New Jersey, 2008^[2]
Party		Votes	Percentage	Seats	+/–
	Democratic	1,911,827	55.61%	8	1
	Republican	1,461,820	42.52%	5	1
	Green	12,554	0.37%	0
	Libertarian	1,600	0.05%	0
	Constitution	1,551	0.05%	0
	Independents	48,628	1.41%	0
Totals		3,437,980	100.00%	13	—

District 1

This district contains all or parts of Burlington, Camden and Gloucester counties.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Camille Andrews, wife of incumbent U.S. Representative Rob Andrews^[3]
John Caramanna
David G. Evans
Mahdi Ibn-Ziyad

Declined

Rob Andrews, incumbent Representative from Haddon Heights since 1990 (ran for U.S. Senate)

Incumbent Democrat Rob Andrews, in a surprise move on April 2, 2008, announced that he would challenge incumbent United States Senator Frank Lautenberg in the June primary.^[4] His House seat, which was reliably Democratic (CPVI D+14), thus became an open seat. However, the filing deadline for primary candidates was April 7, leaving only a few days for candidates to declare. As a result, Andrews's wife Camille, who had the organizational support of all three county parties within the district, was the lone candidate to join the race following his withdrawal.

Results

2008 Democratic U.S. House primary^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Camille Andrews	32,108	83.03%
	Democratic	John Caramanna	4,342	11.23%
	Democratic	Mahdi Ibn-Ziyad	2,222	5.75%
	Democratic	David G. Evans	0	0.00%
Total votes			38,672	100.00%

Republican primary

Candidates

Dale Glading, founder of Saints Prison Ministry^{[citation needed]}
Fernando Powers

Results

2008 Republican U.S. House primary^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Dale M. Glading	5,873	82.27%
	Republican	Fernando Powers	1,266	17.73%
Total votes			7,139	100.00%

General election

Candidates

Rob Andrews, incumbent Representative from Haddon Heights since 1990 (Democratic)
Margaret M. Chapman (Back to Basics)
Dale Glading, founder of Saints Prison Ministry^{[citation needed]} (Republican)
Alvin Lindsay Jr. (Lindsay for Congress)
Matthew Thieke (Green)
Everitt M. Williams III (Think Independently)

Withdrew

Camille Andrews, wife of incumbent U.S. Representative Rob Andrews (Democratic) (withdrew September 3)

After his defeat in the U.S. Senate primary, Rob Andrews decided to run for re-election to his House seat. His wife Camille, who had won the Democratic nomination in the June primary, withdrew on September 3, and Rob Andrews announced on September 4 that he would take her place as the Democratic candidate. He maintained that his wife had not been merely a placeholder candidate and said that he had only decided to run one week before his announcement. According to Andrews, his change of heart was a result of personal reflection.^[3]

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report^[6]	Safe D	November 6, 2008
Rothenberg^[7]	Safe D	November 2, 2008
Sabato's Crystal Ball^[8]	Safe D	November 6, 2008
Real Clear Politics^[9]	Safe D	November 7, 2008
CQ Politics^[10]	Safe D	November 6, 2008

Results

2008 U.S. House election^[11]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Rob Andrews (incumbent)	206,453	72.40%	27.60
	Republican	Dale Glading	74,001	25.95%	N/A
	Green	Matthew Thieke	1,927	0.68%	N/A
	Independent	Margaret M. Chapman	1,258	0.44%	N/A
	Independent	Everitt M. Williams III	1,010	0.35%	N/A
	Independent	Alvin Lindsay Jr.	508	0.18%	N/A
Total votes			285,157	100.00%

By county

County^[12]	Rob Andrews Democratic		Dale Glading Republican		Various candidates Other parties		Margin		Total votes cast
County^[12]	#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%	Total votes cast
Burlington (part)	8,262	68.5%	3,525	29.2%	279	2.3%	4,737	39.3%	12,066
Camden (part)	134,011	75.1%	41,971	23.5%	2,366	1.3%	92,040	51.6%	178,348
Gloucester (part)	64,180	67.7%	28,505	30.1%	2,078	2.2%	35,675	37.6%	94,743
Totals	206,453	72.4%	74,001	26.0%	4,703	1.6%	132,452	46.4%	285,157

District 2

This district lies in the southern part of the state, containing all or portions of Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May: Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem counties.

Republican primary

Candidates

Frank LoBiondo, incumbent Representative from Millville since 1995
Donna M. Ward

Results

2008 Republican U.S. House primary^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Frank LoBiondo (incumbent)	16,026	88.78%
	Republican	Donna M. Ward	2,025	11.22%
Total votes			18,051	100.00%

Democratic primary

Candidates

Dave Kurkowski, Cape May councilman^{[citation needed]}

Results

2008 Democratic U.S. House primary^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	David Kurkowski	16,465	100.00%
Total votes			16,465	100.00%

General election

Candidates

Peter F. Boyce (Constitution)
Jason M. Grover (Green)
Dave Kurkowski, Cape May councilman^{[citation needed]} (Democratic)
Frank LoBiondo, incumbent Representative from Millville since 1995 (Republican)
Costantino Rozzo (Socialist)
Gary Stein (Rock the Boat)

Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report^[6]	Safe R	November 6, 2008
Rothenberg^[7]	Safe R	November 2, 2008
Sabato's Crystal Ball^[8]	Safe R	November 6, 2008
Real Clear Politics^[9]	Safe R	November 7, 2008
CQ Politics^[10]	Safe R	November 6, 2008

Results

2008 U.S. House election^[11]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Frank LoBiondo (incumbent)	167,701	59.06%	2.55
	Democratic	David Kurkowski	110,990	39.09%	3.49
	Green	Jason M. Grover	1,763	0.62%	N/A
	Constitution	Peter F. Boyce	1,551	0.55%	N/A
	Independent	Gary Stein	1,312	0.46%	N/A
	Socialist	Costantino Rozzo	648	0.23%	0.02
Total votes			283,965	100.00%

By county

County^[12]	Frank LoBiondo Republican		David Kurkowski Democratic		Various candidates Other parties		Margin		Total votes cast
County^[12]	#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%	Total votes cast
Atlantic	62,810	57.5%	45,166	41.3%	1,297	1.1%	17,644	16.2%	109,273
Burlington (part)	2,137	66.9%	1,012	31.7%	44	1.3%	1,125	35.2%	3,193
Camden (part)	2,454	50.2%	2,359	48.3%	74	1.5%	95	1.9%	4,887
Cape May	30,828	66.1%	14,828	31.8%	904	2.0%	16,000	34.3%	46,615
Cumberland	29,374	55.9%	21,854	41.6%	1,273	2.4%	7,520	14.3%	52,501
Gloucester (part)	21,136	57.5%	14,862	40.4%	774	2.1%	6,274	17.1%	36,772
Salem	18,962	61.7%	10,909	35.5%	853	2.8%	8,053	26.2%	30,274
Totals	167,701	59.1%	110,990	39.1%	5,274	1.9%	56,711	20.0%	283,965

District 3

This district contains all or portions of Burlington, Camden and Ocean counties.

Republican primary

Candidates

John P. Kelly, Ocean County Freeholder^[13]^[14]
Justin Michael Murphy, deputy mayor of Tabernacle^[13]^[14]
Chris Myers, mayor of Medford and vice president at Lockheed Martin^[14]

Withdrew

Virginia E. Haines, member of the Republican National Committee, former executive director of the New Jersey Lottery, and former assemblywoman from Toms River^[14]
Maurice Hill, member of the Toms River Township Council^[14]
Joe Vicari, Ocean County Freeholder^[14]

Declined

Jim Saxton, incumbent Representative from Mount Holly since 1984

Endorsements

John P. Kelly

County party organizations

Ocean County Republican Party^[5]

Justin Michael Murphy

Individuals

Bret Schundler, former mayor of Jersey City and nominee for governor in 2001

Chris Myers

County party organizations

Burlington County Republican Party^[5]
Camden County Republican Party^[5]

Results

2008 Republican U.S. House primary^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Chris Myers	12,694	49.36%
	Republican	John P. Kelly	6,531	25.39%
	Republican	Justin Michael Murphy	6,494	25.25%
Total votes			25,719	100.00%

Democratic primary

Candidates

John Adler, state senator from Cherry Hill

Results

2008 Democratic U.S. House primary^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John Adler	18,130	100.00%
Total votes			18,130	100.00%

General election

Candidates

John Adler, state senator from Cherry Hill (Democratic)
Chris Myers, mayor of Medford (Republican)

Campaign

Incumbent Republican Jim Saxton announced that he would retire at the end of his term.^[15] A mid-September internal poll by McLaughlin & Associates showed Myers defeating Adler by a margin of 33% to 29%, with a 37% plurality of voters undecided.^[16] The poll attributed Myers' lead to a general dissatisfaction among voters towards Adler's negative ads and negative mailers from various political committees supporting the Democrat. It also indicated that Adler's low approval ratings were partially due to the perception that he is a "career politician" and the fact that he is an Ivy League-educated lawyer. Adler's association with unpopular Democratic governor Jon Corzine also hurt him, while Myers was helped from his endorsement by incumbent Rep. Jim Saxton, who held a 53 percent favorable rating.^[17] However, later polls indicated that the race was too close to call.

Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report^[6]	Tossup	November 6, 2008
Rothenberg^[7]	Tilt D (flip)	November 2, 2008
Sabato's Crystal Ball^[8]	Lean D (flip)	November 6, 2008
Real Clear Politics^[9]	Tossup	November 7, 2008
CQ Politics^[10]	Tossup	November 6, 2008

Results

2008 U.S. House election ^[11]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	John Adler	166,390	52.08%	11.04
	Republican	Chris Myers	153,122	47.92%	10.48
Total votes			319,512	100.00%
	Democratic gain from Republican

By county

County^[12]	John Adler Democratic		Chris Myers Republican		Margin		Total votes cast
County^[12]	#	%	#	%	#	%	Total votes cast
Burlington (part)	86,471	55.8%	68,602	44.2%	17,689	11.6%	155,073
Camden (part)	23,295	64.6%	12,742	35.4%	10,553	29.2%	36,037
Ocean (part)	56,624	44.1%	71,778	55.9%	-15,154	-11.8%	128,402
Totals	166,390	52.1%	153,122	47.9%	13,268	4.2%	319,512

District 4

This district lies in the central part of the state, including all or portions of Burlington County, Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean counties.

Republican primary

Candidates

Chris Smith, incumbent Representative since 1981

Results

2008 Republican U.S. House primary^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Chris Smith (incumbent)	16,818	100.00%
Total votes			16,818	100.00%

Democratic primary

Candidates

Joshua Zeitz, author and historian

Results

2008 Democratic U.S. House primary^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Joshua Zeitz	13,114	100.00%
Total votes			13,114	100.00%

General election

Candidates

Chris Smith, incumbent Representative since 1981 (Republican)
Steven Welzer (Green)
Joshua Zeitz, author and historian (Democratic)

Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report^[6]	Safe R	November 6, 2008
Rothenberg^[7]	Safe R	November 2, 2008
Sabato's Crystal Ball^[8]	Safe R	November 6, 2008
Real Clear Politics^[9]	Safe R	November 7, 2008
CQ Politics^[10]	Safe R	November 6, 2008

Results

2008 U.S. House election^[11]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Chris Smith (incumbent)	202,972	66.21%	0.53
	Democratic	Josh Zeitz	100,036	32.63%	0.56
	Green	Steven Welzer	3,543	1.16%	N/A
Total votes			306,550	100.00%

By county

County^[12]	Chris Smith Republican		Joshua Zeitz Democratic		Various candidates Other parties		Margin		Total votes cast
County^[12]	#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%	Total votes cast
Burlington (part)	19,409	55.7%	14,995	43.0%	435	1.2%	4,414	12.7%	34,839
Mercer (part)	40,766	59.9%	26,897	39.5%	438	0.6%	13,869	20.4%	68,101
Monmouth (part)	55,778	70.1%	22,239	27.9%	1,598	2.0%	33,539	42.2%	79,615
Ocean (part)	87,019	70.2%	35,905	29.0%	1,072	0.9%	51,114	41.2%	123,996
Totals	202,972	66.2%	100,036	32.6%	3,543	1.2%	102,936	33.6%	306,551

District 5

This district contains most of the Northern New Jersey Skylands Region of Sussex and Warren counties and stretches along the New York border into Northern Passaic and Bergen Counties, including the townships of Paramus and Ridgewood.

Republican incumbent Scott Garrett had been elected by safe margins in the past, but in 2006 he only won by 10 points against Paul Aronsohn, the smallest margin of his career.

Republican primary

Candidates

Scott Garrett, incumbent Representative from Wantage since 2003

Results

2008 Republican U.S. House primary^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Scott Garrett (incumbent)	19,914	100.00%
Total votes			19,914	100.00%

Democratic primary

Candidates

Carmen Abate, Glen Rock lawyer and candidate for this seat in 2006
Roger Bacon, perennial candidate
Dennis Shulman, psychologist, public speaker, and rabbi

Results

2008 Democratic U.S. House primary^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Dennis Shulman	9,390	61.11%
	Democratic	Camille M. Abate	4,861	31.64%
	Democratic	Roger Bacon	1,114	7.25%
Total votes			15,365	100.00%

General election

Candidates

Ed Fanning (Green)
Scott Garrett, incumbent Representative from Wantage since 2003 (Republican)
Dennis Shulman, psychologist, public speaker, and rabbi (Democratic)

Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report^[6]	Likely R	November 6, 2008
Rothenberg^[7]	Safe R	November 2, 2008
Sabato's Crystal Ball^[8]	Lean R	November 6, 2008
Real Clear Politics^[9]	Safe R	November 7, 2008
CQ Politics^[10]	Likely R	November 6, 2008

Results

2008 U.S. House election^[11]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Scott Garrett (incumbent)	172,653	55.87%	0.96
	Democratic	Dennis Shulman	131,033	42.40%	1.42
	Green	Ed Fanning	5,321	1.72%	N/A
Total votes			309,007	100.00%

By county

County^[12]	Scott Garrett Republican		Dennis Shulman Democratic		Various candidates Other parties		Margin		Total votes cast
County^[12]	#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%	Total votes cast
Bergen (part)	98,048	52.3%	87,120	46.5%	2,285	1.2%	10,928	5.8%	187,453
Passaic (part)	14,439	57.4%	10,409	41.4%	303	1.2%	4,030	16.0%	25,151
Sussex (part)	32,487	64.1%	16,371	32.3%	1,785	3.5%	16,116	31.8%	50,643
Warren (part)	27,679	60.5%	17,133	37.4%	948	2.1%	10,546	23.1%	45,760
Totals	172,653	55.9%	131,033	42.4%	5,321	1.7%	41,620	13.5%	309,007

District 6

Incumbent Frank Pallone defeated Republican challenger Robert McLeod, a municipal judge. Between 2003 and 2013, this district covered parts of Middlesex, Monmouth, Somerset and Union counties.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Frank Pallone, incumbent Representative from Long Branch since 1988

Results

2008 Democratic U.S. House primary^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Frank Pallone (incumbent)	18,609	100.00%
Total votes			18,609	100.00%

Republican primary

Candidates

Peter Cerrato
James P. Hogan
Robert E. McLeod, municipal judge^{[citation needed]}

Results

2008 Republican U.S. House primary^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Robert E. McLeod	3,698	55.14%
	Republican	Peter Cerrato	1,946	29.02%
	Republican	James P. Hogan	1,062	15.84%
Total votes			6,706	100.00%

General election

Candidates

Robert McLeod, municipal judge^{[citation needed]} (Republican)
Frank Pallone, incumbent Representative from Long Branch since 1988 (Democratic)
Herb Tarbous, candidate for this seat in 2006 (Regular Independent)

Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report^[6]	Safe D	November 6, 2008
Rothenberg^[7]	Safe D	November 2, 2008
Sabato's Crystal Ball^[8]	Safe D	November 6, 2008
Real Clear Politics^[9]	Safe D	November 7, 2008
CQ Politics^[10]	Safe D	November 6, 2008

Results

2008 U.S. House election^[11]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Frank Pallone (incumbent)	164,077	66.95%	1.73
	Republican	Robert McLeod	77,469	31.61%	1.41
	Independent	Herb Tarbous	3,531	1.44%	0.31
Total votes			245,077	100.00%

By county

County^[12]	Frank Pallone Democratic		Robert McLeod Republican		Various candidates Other parties		Margin		Total votes cast
County^[12]	#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%	Total votes cast
Middlesex (part)	68,993	67.6%	31,396	30.8%	1,632	1.6%	37,597	36.8%	102,021
Monmouth (part)	77,527	63.0%	43,836	35.6%	1,666	1.4%	33,691	27.4%	123,029
Somerset (part)	5,435	80.9%	1,176	17.5%	107	1.6%	4,259	63.4%	6,718
Union (part)	12,122	91.1%	1,061	8.0%	126	0.9%	11,061	83.1%	13,309
Totals	164,077	66.9%	77,469	31.6%	3,531	1.4%	86,608	35.3%	245,077

District 7

2008 New Jersey's 7th congressional district election

← 2006

2010 →


Nominee	Leonard Lance	Linda Stender	Michael Hsing
Party	Republican	Democratic	Independent Republican
Popular vote	148,461	124,818	16,419
Percentage	50.2%	42.2%	5.6%

U.S. Representative before election

Mike Ferguson
Republican

Elected U.S. Representative

Leonard Lance
Republican

The incumbent, Republican Representative Mike Ferguson, announced on November 19, 2007, that he would not seek re-election, citing family obligations.^[18]

Republican primary

Candidates

A.D. Amar, Seton Hall University professor
Kate Whitman, former ice hockey player and daughter of former Governor of New Jersey Christine Todd Whitman
P. Kelly Hatfield, former Summit council president
Leonard Lance, State Senator from Clinton and former Senate Minority Leader (Republican)
Martin Marks, mayor of Scotch Plains
Thomas Roughneen, former Union and Essex assistant county prosecutor
Darren Young, Libertarian nominee for this seat in 2006

Withdrew

Michael P. Hsing, Bridgewater councilman (withdrew following loss at Somerset County convention; ran in general election as independent)
Chris Venis, former deputy mayor of Hillsborough

Declined

Jon Bramnick, Assemblyman from Westfield
Mike Ferguson, incumbent Representative from Union since 2001

Results

2008 Republican U.S. House primary^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Leonard Lance	10,094	39.47%
	Republican	Kate Whitman	5,052	19.75%
	Republican	P. Kelly Hatfield	3,902	15.26%
	Republican	Martin Marks	3,211	12.55%
	Republican	Tom Roughneen	1,845	7.21%
	Republican	Darren Young	1,232	4.82%
	Republican	A.D. Amar	241	0.94%
Total votes			25,577	100.00%

Democratic primary

Candidates

Linda Stender, Assemblywoman from Fanwood and nominee for this seat in 2006

Results

2008 Democratic U.S. House primary^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Lisa Stender	15,776	100.00%
Total votes			15,776	100.00%

General election

Candidates

Thomas D. Abrams, perennial candidate (Prosperity Not War)
Dean Greco, Clinton schoolteacher (All-Day Breakfast Party)
Michael P. Hsing, Bridgewater councilman (Hsing for Congress)
Leonard Lance, State Senator and former Senate Minority Leader (Republican)
Linda Stender, Assemblywoman from Fanwood and nominee for this seat in 2006 (Democratic)

Campaign

The district was considered to lean Republican, but the 2008 election was expected to be highly competitive, considering the closeness of the previous election.

Lance and Stender debated each other twice during the campaign. In September, they met in Scotch Plains for a debate hosted at the Jewish Community Campus of Central New Jersey. The candidates met in October in Edison for a second debate, which was televised on News 12 New Jersey.

Both major-party candidates 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.

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report^[6]	Tossup	November 6, 2008
Rothenberg^[7]	Tossup	November 2, 2008
Sabato's Crystal Ball^[8]	Lean D (flip)	November 6, 2008
Real Clear Politics^[9]	Tossup	November 7, 2008
CQ Politics^[10]	Tossup	November 6, 2008

2008 U.S. House election^[11]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Leonard Lance	148,461	50.22%	0.79
	Democratic	Linda Stender	124,818	42.22%	5.73
	Independent Republican	Michael P. Hsing	16,419	5.55%	N/A
	Independent	Dean Greco	3,259	1.10%	N/A
	Independent	Thomas D. Abrams	2,671	0.90%	0.70
Total votes			295,628	100.00%

By county

County^[12]	Leonard Lance Republican		Linda Stender Democratic		Various candidates Other parties		Margin		Total votes cast
County^[12]	#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%	Total votes cast
Hunterdon (part)	32,972	63.5%	14,500	27.9%	4,469	8.6%	18,472	35.6%	51,941
Middlesex (part)	20,704	38.2%	29,731	54.9%	3,739	6.9%	-9,027	-16.7%	54,174
Somerset (part)	43,214	51.1%	32,549	38.5%	8,812	10.4%	10,665	12.6%	84,575
Union (part)	51,571	49.1%	48,038	45.8%	5,329	5.1%	3,533	3.3%	104,938
Totals	148,461	50.2%	124,818	42.2%	22,349	7.6%	23,643	8.0%	295,628

District 8

This district lies in the north-east part of the state, including portions of Essex and Passaic counties.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Bill Pascrell, incumbent Representative from Paterson since 1997

Results

2008 Democratic U.S. House primary^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Bill Pascrell (incumbent)	19,948	100.00%
Total votes			19,948	100.00%

Republican primary

Candidates

Roland Straten, engineer and U.S. Navy veteran^{[citation needed]}

Results

2008 Republican U.S. House primary^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Roland Straten	5,859	100.00%
Total votes			5,859	100.00%

General election

Candidates

Derek DeMarco (Libertarian)
Bill Pascrell, incumbent Representative from Paterson since 1997 (Democratic)
Roland Straten, engineer and U.S. Navy veteran^{[citation needed]} (Republican)

Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report^[6]	Safe D	November 6, 2008
Rothenberg^[7]	Safe D	November 2, 2008
Sabato's Crystal Ball^[8]	Safe D	November 6, 2008
Real Clear Politics^[9]	Safe D	November 7, 2008
CQ Politics^[10]	Safe D	November 6, 2008

Results

2008 U.S. House election^[11]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Bill Pascrell (incumbent)	159,279	71.11%	0.22
	Republican	Roland Straten	63,107	28.17%	0.20
	Libertarian	Derek DeMarco	1,600	0.71%	0.03
Total votes			223,986	100.00%

By county

County^[12]	Bill Pascrell Democratic		Roland Straten Republican		Derek DeMarco Independent		Margin		Total votes cast
County^[12]	#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%	Total votes cast
Essex (part)	63,579	68.1%	28,955	31.0%	762	0.8%	34,624	37.1%	93,296
Passaic (part)	95,700	73.2%	34,152	26.1%	838	0.6%	61,548	47.1%	130,690
Totals	159,279	71.1%	63,107	28.2%	1,600	0.7%	96,172	42.9%	223,986

District 9

This district lies in the north-east part of the state, including all or portions of Bergen and Hudson and Passaic counties.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Steve Rothman, incumbent Representative from Fair Lawn since 1997

Results

2008 Democratic U.S. House primary^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Steve Rothman (incumbent)	25,418	100.00%
Total votes			25,418	100.00%

Republican primary

Candidates

Vincent Micco, nominee for this seat in 2006

Results

2008 Republican U.S. House primary^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Vincent Micco	5,797	100.00%
Total votes			5,797	100.00%

General election

Candidates

Michael Perrone Jr. (Independent/Progressive)
Vincent Micco, nominee for this seat in 2006 (Republican)
Steve Rothman, incumbent Representative from Fair Lawn since 1997 (Democratic)

Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report^[6]	Safe D	November 6, 2008
Rothenberg^[7]	Safe D	November 2, 2008
Sabato's Crystal Ball^[8]	Safe D	November 6, 2008
Real Clear Politics^[9]	Safe D	November 7, 2008
CQ Politics^[10]	Safe D	November 6, 2008

Results

2008 U.S. House election^[11]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Steve Rothman (incumbent)	151,182	67.53%	3.95
	Republican	Vincent Micco	69,503	31.04%	3.44
	Independent	Michael Perrone Jr.	3,200	1.43%	N/A
Total votes			223,885	100.00%

By county

County^[12]	Steve Rothman Democratic		Vincent Micco Republican		Michael Perrone Independent		Margin		Total votes cast
County^[12]	#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%	Total votes cast
Bergen (part)	121,846	67.3%	56,876	31.4%	2,237	1.2%	64,970	35.9%	180,959
Hudson (part)	25,149	71.9%	9,061	25.9%	749	2.1%	16,088	46.0%	34,959
Passaic (part)	4,187	52.6%	3,566	44.8%	214	2.7%	621	7.8%	7,967
Totals	151,182	67.5%	69,503	31.0%	3,200	1.4%	81,679	36.5%	223,885

District 10

This district lies in the northeast part of the state, including all or portions of Essex, Hudson and Union counties. Republicans again failed to nominate a candidate to oppose Payne, but the Socialist Workers Party nominated Michael Taber, an editor.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Donald M. Payne, incumbent Representative from Newark since 1989

Results

2008 Democratic U.S. House primary^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Donald M. Payne (incumbent)	30,764	100.00%
Total votes			30,764	100.00%

General election

Candidates

Donald M. Payne, incumbent Representative from Newark since 1989 (Democratic)
Michael Taber, editor^{[citation needed]} (Socialist Workers)

Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report^[6]	Safe D	November 6, 2008
Rothenberg^[7]	Safe D	November 2, 2008
Sabato's Crystal Ball^[8]	Safe D	November 6, 2008
Real Clear Politics^[9]	Safe D	November 7, 2008
CQ Politics^[10]	Safe D	November 6, 2008

Results

2008 U.S. House election^[11]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Donald M. Payne (incumbent)	169,945	98.92%	1.08
	Socialist Workers	Michael Taber	1,848	1.08%	N/A
Total votes			171,893	100.00%

By county

County^[12]	Donald Payne Jr. Democratic		Michael Taber Socialist Workers		Margin		Total votes cast
County^[12]	#	%	#	%	#	%	Total votes cast
Essex (part)	107,168	99.1%	948	0.9%	106,220	98.2%	108,116
Hudson (part)	16,259	98.3%	288	1.7%	15,971	96.6%	16,547
Union (part)	46,518	98.7%	612	1.3%	45,906	97.4%	47,130
Totals	169,945	98.9%	1,848	1.1%	168,097	97.8%	171,793

District 11

This district lies in the north-central part of the state, including all of Morris County and portions of Essex, Passaic, Somerset and Sussex counties.

Republican primary

Candidates

Kate Erber
Rodney Frelinghuysen, incumbent Representative from Harding since 1995

Results

2008 Republican U.S. House primary^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Rodney Frelinghuyen (incumbent)	24,304	86.69%
	Republican	Kate Erber	3,731	13.31%
Total votes			28,035	100.00%

Democratic primary

Candidates

Ellen Greenberg
Garry Hager
Tom Wyka, information technology manager^{[citation needed]} and nominee for this seat in 2006

Results

2008 Democratic U.S. House primary^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Tom Wyka	10,885	69.72%
	Democratic	Ellen Greenberg	2,456	15.73%
	Democratic	Gary Hager	2,271	14.55%
Total votes			15,612	100.00%

General election

Candidates

Rodney Frelinghuysen, incumbent Representative from Harding since 1995 (Republican)
Chandler Tedholm (For the People)
Tom Wyka, information technology manager^{[citation needed]} and nominee for this seat in 2006 (Democratic)

Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report^[6]	Safe R	November 6, 2008
Rothenberg^[7]	Safe R	November 2, 2008
Sabato's Crystal Ball^[8]	Safe R	November 6, 2008
Real Clear Politics^[9]	Safe R	November 7, 2008
CQ Politics^[10]	Safe R	November 6, 2008

Results

2008 U.S. House election^[11]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Rodney Frelinghuysen (incumbent)	189,696	61.84%	0.25
	Democratic	Tom Wyka	113,510	37.01%	0.37
	Independent	Chandler Tedholm	3,526	1.15%	N/A
Total votes			306,732	100.00%

By county

County^[12]	Rodney Frelinghuysen Republican		Tom Wyka Democratic		Chandler Tedholm Independent		Margin		Total votes cast
County^[12]	#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%	Total votes cast
Essex (part)	19,183	61.3%	11,834	37.8%	282	0.9%	7,349	23.5%	31,299
Morris	137,518	62.0%	82,270	37.1%	2,050	0.9%	55,248	24.9%	221,838
Passaic (part)	988	57.2%	697	40.3%	43	2.5%	291	16.9%	1,728
Somerset (part)	18,478	60.7%	11,513	37.8%	440	1.4%	6,965	22.9%	30,431
Sussex (part)	13,259	63.1%	7,196	33.6%	711	3.3%	6,333	29.5%	21,436
Totals	189,696	61.8%	113,510	37.0%	3,526	1.1%	76,186	24.8%	306,732

District 12

This district lies in the central part of the state, including portions of Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth and Somerset counties.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Rush Holt Jr., incumbent Representative from Pennington since 1999

Results

2008 Democratic U.S. House primary^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Rush Holt Jr. (incumbent)	23,653	100.00%
Total votes			23,653	100.00%

Republican primary

Candidates

Alan Bateman, deputy mayor of Holmdel^{[citation needed]}

Results

2008 Republican U.S. House primary^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Alan R. Bateman	9,718	100.00%
Total votes			9,718	100.00%

General election

Candidates

Alan Bateman, deputy mayor of Holmdel^{[citation needed]} (Republican)
David Corsi Jr. (Common Sense Ideas)
Rush Holt Jr., incumbent Representative from Pennington since 1999 (Democratic)

Campaign Contributions from OpenSecrets.org

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report^[6]	Safe D	November 6, 2008
Rothenberg^[7]	Safe D	November 2, 2008
Sabato's Crystal Ball^[8]	Safe D	November 6, 2008
Real Clear Politics^[9]	Safe D	November 7, 2008
CQ Politics^[10]	Safe D	November 6, 2008

Results

2008 U.S. House election^[11]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Rush Holt Jr. (incumbent)	193,732	63.12%	2.58
	Republican	Alan Bateman	108,400	35.32%	1.02
	Common Sense Ideas	David Corsi	4,802	1.56%	N/A
Total votes			306,934	100.00%

By county

County^[12]	Rush Holt Democratic		Alan Bateman Republican		David Corsi Independent		Margin		Total votes cast
County^[12]	#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%	Total votes cast
Hunterdon (part)	7,441	54.7%	5,731	42.1%	425	3.1%	1,710	12.6%	13,597
Mercer (part)	60,645	76.6%	17,766	22.4%	738	0.9%	42,879	54.2%	79,149
Middlesex (part)	70,926	63.5%	39,110	35.0%	1,605	1.4%	31,816	28.5%	111,641
Monmouth (part)	42,296	50.5%	39,775	47.5%	1,744	2.1%	2,521	3.0%	83,815
Somerset (part)	12,424	66.3%	6,018	32.1%	290	1.5%	6,406	34.2%	18,732
Totals	193,732	63.1%	108,400	35.3%	4,802	1.6%	85,332	1.6%	306,934

District 13

This district lies in the north-east part of the state, including portions of Essex, Hudson, Middlesex and Union counties.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Albio Sires, incumbent Representative from West New York since 2006

Results

2008 Democratic U.S. House primary^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Albio Sires (incumbent)	26,527	100.00%
Total votes			26,527	100.00%

Republican primary

Candidates

Joseph Turula, former Pompton Lakes councilman and lawyer^{[citation needed]}

Results

2008 Republican U.S. House primary^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Joseph Turula	1,739	100.00%
Total votes			1,739	100.00%

General election

Candidates

Julio A. Fernandez (No Slogan Provided)
Albio Sires, incumbent Representative from West New York since 2006 (Democratic)
Joseph Turula, former Pompton Lakes councilman and lawyer^{[citation needed]} (Republican)
Louis Vernotico (Eliminate the Primary)

Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report^[6]	Safe D	November 6, 2008
Rothenberg^[7]	Safe D	November 2, 2008
Sabato's Crystal Ball^[8]	Safe D	November 6, 2008
Real Clear Politics^[9]	Safe D	November 7, 2008
CQ Politics^[10]	Safe D	November 6, 2008

Results

2008 U.S. House election^[11]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Albio Sires (incumbent)	206,453	75.36%	2.16
	Republican	Joseph Turula	34,375	21.74%	2.38
	Independent	Julio A. Fernandez	3,661	2.29%	N/A
	Independent	Louis Vernotico	975	0.61%	N/A
Total votes			159,753	100.00%

By county

County^[12]	Albio Sires Democratic		Joseph Turula Republican		Various candidates Other parties		Margin		Total votes cast
County^[12]	#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%	Total votes cast
Essex (part)	16,254	81.9%	2,948	14.9%	647	3.2%	13,306	67.0%	19,849
Hudson (part)	82,305	74.1%	25,678	23.1%	3,105	2.8%	56,627	51.0%	111,088
Middlesex (part)	14,911	74.2%	4,512	22.4%	686	3.5%	10,399	51.8%	20,109
Union (part)	6,912	79.4%	1,597	18.3%	198	2.3%	5,315	71.1%	8,707
Totals	120,382	75.4%	34,735	21.7%	4,636	2.9%	85,647	53.7%	159,753

References

↑ "General Election Data - 1924 to 2022" (PDF). NJ.gov.
↑ 2008 Election Statistics
1 2 "Wife bows out, so Rep. Andrews can run", UPI, September 4, 2008.
↑ David W. Chen, Lautenberg to face Primary Challenge The New York Times, April 2, 2008
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 "Official List: Candidate Returns for House of Representatives for June 2008 Primary Election" (PDF). New Jersey Secretary of State. July 11, 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2025.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "2008 Competitive House Race Chart". House: Race Ratings. The Cook Political Report. November 6, 2006. Archived from the original on November 6, 2008. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "2008 House Ratings". House Ratings. The Rothenberg Political Report. November 2, 2006. Archived from the original on November 6, 2008. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "2008 House". Sabato's Crystal Ball. November 6, 2008. Archived from the original on November 6, 2008. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Battle for the House of Representatives". realclearpolitics.com. Real Clear Politics. November 7, 2008. Archived from the original on December 17, 2008. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Race Ratings Chart: House". cqpolitics.com. Congressional Quarterly Inc. Archived from the original on November 6, 2008. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Official List: Candidate Returns for House of Representatives for November 2008 General Election" (PDF). New Jersey Department of State. December 29, 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2025.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "NJ DOS - Division of Elections - Election Results Archive". nj.gov. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
1 2 Wildstein, David (December 20, 2023). "Justin Michael Murphy planning to enter GOP U.S. Senate race in N.J." New Jersey Globe. Retrieved May 28, 2025.
1 2 3 4 5 6 "Haines bows out in Ocean County". Observer. December 7, 2007. Retrieved June 24, 2025.
↑ philly.com
↑ "Poll: Myers, Adler in close race for 3rd District seat (phillyBurbs.com) | Burlington County Times". Archived from the original on September 18, 2008. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
↑ Campaign | The Hill
↑ Chebium, Raju. "Ferguson won't seek reelection to Congress" Deprecated link archived 2008-02-29 at archive.today, Home News Tribune, November 19, 2007. Accessed November 19, 2007. "Rep. Mike Ferguson, R-Warren Township, said today he won’t seek reelection next year to a fifth term... The next elections are in November 2008; Stender is again a Democratic candidate for the 7th district seat Ferguson currently occupies."

External links

Division of Elections from the New Jersey Secretary of State
U.S. Congress candidates for New Jersey at Project Vote Smart
New Jersey U.S. House Races from 2008 Race Tracker
Campaign contributions for New Jersey congressional races from OpenSecrets

Preceded by 2006 elections	United States House of Representatives elections in New Jersey 2008	Succeeded by 2010 elections

[1] "General Election Data - 1924 to 2022" (PDF). NJ.gov.

[2] 2008 Election Statistics

[:0-3] 1 2 "Wife bows out, so Rep. Andrews can run", UPI, September 4, 2008.

[4] David W. Chen, Lautenberg to face Primary Challenge The New York Times, April 2, 2008

[primary-5] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 "Official List: Candidate Returns for House of Representatives for June 2008 Primary Election" (PDF). New Jersey Secretary of State. July 11, 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2025.

[Cook-6] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "2008 Competitive House Race Chart". House: Race Ratings. The Cook Political Report. November 6, 2006. Archived from the original on November 6, 2008. Retrieved November 20, 2023.

[Rothenberg-7] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "2008 House Ratings". House Ratings. The Rothenberg Political Report. November 2, 2006. Archived from the original on November 6, 2008. Retrieved November 20, 2023.

[Sabato-8] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "2008 House". Sabato's Crystal Ball. November 6, 2008. Archived from the original on November 6, 2008. Retrieved November 20, 2023.

[RCP-9] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Battle for the House of Representatives". realclearpolitics.com. Real Clear Politics. November 7, 2008. Archived from the original on December 17, 2008. Retrieved December 9, 2023.

[CQ_Politics-10] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Race Ratings Chart: House". cqpolitics.com. Congressional Quarterly Inc. Archived from the original on November 6, 2008. Retrieved November 20, 2023.

[results-11] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Official List: Candidate Returns for House of Representatives for November 2008 General Election" (PDF). New Jersey Department of State. December 29, 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2025.

[nj.gov-12] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "NJ DOS - Division of Elections - Election Results Archive". nj.gov. Retrieved November 16, 2025.

[:1-13] 1 2 Wildstein, David (December 20, 2023). "Justin Michael Murphy planning to enter GOP U.S. Senate race in N.J." New Jersey Globe. Retrieved May 28, 2025.

[:2-14] 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Haines bows out in Ocean County". Observer. December 7, 2007. Retrieved June 24, 2025.

[15] y.com

[16] "Poll: Myers, Adler in close race for 3rd District seat (phillyBurbs.com) | Burlington County Times". Archived from the original on September 18, 2008. Retrieved September 16, 2008.

[17] Campaign | The Hill

[18] Chebium, Raju. "Ferguson won't seek reelection to Congress" Deprecated link archived 2008-02-29 at archive.today, Home News Tribune, November 19, 2007. Accessed November 19, 2007. "Rep. Mike Ferguson, R-Warren Township, said today he won’t seek reelection next year to a fifth term... The next elections are in November 2008; Stender is again a Democratic candidate for the 7th district seat Ferguson currently occupies."

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]