2001 New Jersey Senate election


The 2001 New Jersey Senate election was held on November 6. The election took place alongside Jim McGreevey's landslide election as Governor of New Jersey and were held in the immediate aftermath of the 11 attacks, which killed 750 New Jerseyans and impacted many others. Under a newly redrawn map, Democrats gained five seats to split control of the Senate evenly. Democrats flipped districts 3, 18, 22, 34, and 38.
A power-sharing agreement was reached with John O. Bennett and Richard Codey as co-presidents of the Senate. This is the last time Democrats did not win an outright majority of New Jersey State Senate seats, as well as the last time any Senate seats in North Jersey changed parties.
Contents
Incumbents not running • Summary of results
By District: 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 • 29 • 30 • 31 • 32 • 33 • 34 • 35 • 36 • 37 • 38 • 39 • 40

Background

Redistricting

As required, the New Jersey legislature redistricted its state legislative districts in advance of the 2001 election. Most Senators remained in their existing districts, though Senator Kevin J. O'Toole was redistricted to the 40th district and chose not to challenge.
The new map was based on a revised Democratic map chosen by Professor Larry Bartels of Princeton University, the non-partisan member of the reapportionment commission.
Republicans challenged the district map under the Voting Rights Act of 1965, arguing that by shifting some African-American and Hispanic voters out of three predominantly minority districts in and around Newark and spreading them to other, mostly white districts, the plan diluted minority voting strength. The case was rejected by the U.S. Court for the District of New Jersey. The Republican suit was dismissed partly under the influence of the near-unanimous support of New Jersey's incumbent minority legislators for the Democratic claim that their map would result in more minority representation, rather than less.

Incumbents not running for re-election

Democratic

Republican

Summary of results by State Senate district

Close races

Seats where the margin of victory was under 10%:
  1. '
  2. gain
  3. '
  4. '
  5. '
  6. ''' gain'''

District 1

General election

Candidates

  • James Cafiero, incumbent Senator since 1990
  • William J. Hughes Jr., federal antitrust prosecutor and son of former U.S. Representative William J. Hughes

District 2

General election

Candidates

District 3

General election

Candidates

District 4

General election

Candidates

District 5

General election

Candidates

District 6

General election

Candidates

  • John Adler, incumbent Senator since 1992
  • Jane A. Greenfogel

District 7

General election

Candidates

District 8

General election

Candidates

District 9

General election

Candidates

District 10

General election

Candidates

District 11

General election

Candidates

District 12

General election

Candidates

District 13

General election

Candidates

District 14

General election

Candidates

District 15

General election

Candidates

District 16

General election

Candidates

District 17

General election

Candidates

District 18

General election

Candidates

District 19

General election

Candidates

  • Naresh Gidwani
  • Joe Vitale, incumbent Senator since 1998

District 20

General election

Candidates

District 21

General election

Candidates

  • Richard Bagger, member of the General Assembly since 1992
  • Ellen Steinberg

District 22

General election

Candidates

District 23

General election

Candidates

District 24

General election

Candidates

District 25

General election

Candidates

District 26

General election

Candidates

District 27

General election

Candidates

  • Richard Codey, incumbent Senator since 1982
  • Donald Page
  • Jared Silverman

District 28

General election

Candidates

District 29

General election

Candidates

  • Sharpe James, incumbent Senator since 1999 and mayor of Newark

District 30

General election

Candidates

District 31

General election

Candidates

  • Joseph Charles, member of the General Assembly since 1982
  • Martin J. McFadden

District 32

General election

Candidates

District 33

General election

Candidates

District 34

General election

Candidates

District 35

General election

Candidates

District 36

General election

Candidates

District 37

General election

Candidates

District 38

General election

Candidates

District 39

General election

Candidates

District 40

General election

Candidates