Earlier this November, New Jersey held elections for the Hunterdon County school board and legislative elections for the New Jersey Legislature. The outcomes for the Democrats differed from a township/county to the state level; however, on a national level, New Jersey elections, along with elections in Kentucky, Wisconsin, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, swayed in favor of the Democrats. Conversely, the Republican party retained the majority vote in Mississippi and Louisiana legislatures.
Starting small with Readington Township, the winning legislative representative candidate was Lisa Santangelo, who earned 2,529 votes to Pamela Cassidy’s 2,331 votes. Santangelo is affiliated with the Republican party, and her win unveils a pattern that has been consistent throughout Hunterdon County, a town typically leaning more Republican despite the state of New Jersey being repeatedly blue (democratic). A study aiming to show differing factors from county to state level in New Jersey used the number of Republican, Democratic, or Unaffiliated voters from the previous elections in 2022. It revealed that similarly to the recent board elections and despite NJ having about 1 million more voters affiliated with the Democratic party, Hunterdon County leads explicitly more to the right, with about 12,000 more voters registered under the Republican party than the Democratic party.
On a Statewide level, the election results favored the Democratic party. They gained six seats in the New Jersey General Assembly, expanding their majority in the lower house of the New Jersey legislature. This points to what New Jersey citizens as a whole value, including but not limited to reducing the threat of gun violence, providing affordable healthcare for all, and protecting the right to choose; a topic that has gained a lot of publicity due to the recent overturning of Roe vs. Wade in June of this past year.
Both the State-level elections and the elections across the country affect our local community, especially with the new and changing laws and policies that may be created. Our smaller school board elections will also affect our community, specifically our schools, teachers, and students. Students need to know who is elected into our school board, even if students themselves can’t yet vote. A quick Google search can tell you a candidate’s political affiliation, as well as what their goals are and what changes they would like to make within Hunterdon Central. For instance, the winning candidate in the Raritan area, Sandra Gong, wants to pursue issues such as the professional development of teachers, maintaining school safety, and acknowledging/working around the school’s budget cap. On the other hand, Readington Township’s winner, Lisa Santangelo, chose to focus on issues such as further involving parental units in the education system and, in addition, establishing HCRHS as a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence. The goals of those who run for office often differ and, in some cases, might even strongly oppose each other, showing us students need to stay informed about candidates and their ideals; these changes will affect their daily lives.
To conclude, while the political parties of local and state officeholders may differ, it is essential to consider the relationship the different levels and parties have, their goals, and how their agenda affects community members. Therefore, reflect on what you can do to make your ideologies heard.
Sources
- https://www.tapinto.net/towns/flemington-slash-raritan/sections/elections/articles/election-results-change-in-winner-to-represent-raritan-on-hunterdon-central-board-of-education
- https://www.nj.com/politics/2022/11/are-you-surrounded-by-democrats-or-republicans-how-nj-breaks-red-and-blue-in-all-21-counties.html
- https://www.santangeloforhunterdoncentralboe.com/meet_lisa
- https://www.njdems.org/
- https://www.co.hunterdon.nj.us/DocumentCenter/View/13128/2023-LOCAL–VOCAL-VK-PDF
- https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_United_States_elections
