NJ 3rd Congressional District Primary: Richter Gets GOP Nod

David Richter has defeated Kate Gibbs for the Republican nomination for the seat representing the New Jersey's Third Congressional District in the House of Representatives, and will face the incumbent, Democrat Andy Kim, in November.

Gibbs conceded the primary election to Richter on Wednesday afternoon, as unofficial vote tallies showed Richter received 23,229 votes combined in Ocean and Burlington counties, to 13,224 for Gibbs. Those totals, posted Wednesday afternoon, do not include any additional mail-in ballots that might arrive by July 15, the cutoff for ballots that were postmarked by 8 p.m. on Tuesday.

The unofficial tally for Kim, who was unopposed in the Democratic primary, was 51,605 votes.

"Last night’s election didn't have the outcome I had hoped for," Gibbs wrote on her campaign Facebook page, "but I am extremely proud of the race we ran. While I move on to the next chapter of my life, I will continue to fight for what is right and stand up for conservative principles. I will always be grateful for the support of all those who stood by and with me."

"It's the hundred-year anniversary of women's suffrage and, sadly, Alice Paul's home has never been represented by a woman in Congress," Gibbs wrote. "While the loss hurts, I hope my campaign helps to inspire and encourage other women to challenge the good ol' boys club, run for office, and make sure their voices are heard. I want little girls to grow up believing they can come from humble beginnings and can serve in the hallowed halls of Congress."

The tally on the Gibbs-Richter race was re anticipated to take a bit longer because it was being conducted by vote-by-mail balloting in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. But Richter had a 10,000-vote lead in the initial count in Ocean County as of 10 p.m. on Tuesday, and that proved to be the difference.

Vote-by-mail ballots postmarked by 8 p.m. Tuesday must be accepted by the Board of Elections until July 14, and voters have the opportunity to fix any issues with their signatures until July 23, the New Jersey Secretary of State's office said.

Kim is finishing his first term representing the Third District, after he defeated Republican Tom MacArthur in 2018 by less than 4,000 votes.

Gibbs and Richter had a bitter primary battle for the Republican nomination for the Nov. 3 general election for the two-year seat. Gibbs is a former Burlington County freeholder. Richter, who now lives in Ocean County, is a former CEO of Hill International.

Unofficial tallies had Richter with 16,637 votes in Ocean County, to 4,345 for Gibbs, and he received 6,592 in Burlington County, where Gibbs received 8,879 votes.

Kim received 18,201 votes in Ocean County and 33,404 in Burlington County.

Patch will update the results as they become available.

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