Congressional Election On Tap For South Jersey Voters In 2020

Happy New Year! With the calendar turning from 2019 to 2020, it’s time to make your New Year’s Resolutions and coming up with your list of reasons you weren’t able to stick with those resolutions. And of course, it’s time to familiarize yourself with your voting locations.

Yes, 2020 is a big election year, as you may have heard. President Donald Trump is up for re-election, and there are no shortage of Democratic candidates looking to unseat him.

New Jersey falls a little later in the election cycle; our primary date is June 2. However, the last few times the primary elections have come around, it’s still been a contest, including both the Democratic and Republican primaries in 2016.

When it came to the general election that year, Democrat Hillary Clinton doubled the number of votes Trump had in Camden County, 117,308 to 59,716. However, in Gloucester County, Trump narrowly edged Clinton, 66,949 to 66,355.

Since then, politics have changed a little in the First Congressional District, and a pro-Trump Republican looks set to challenge for a Congressional seat. Rep. Donald Norcross (D-1) is up for re-election, and one of his challengers is Republican Claire Gustafson.

Norcross has been a vocal critic of the president. He was an early supporter of impeachment and maintained that status when he voted in favor of resolution defining the scope of the next phase of the impeachment inquiry. He ultimately voted in favor of impeachment.

In his re-election bid, he earned an endorsement from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He is currently the only Democrat who has declared his intention to run for the seat, but he may face a challenge from a group of progressive Democrats who have emerged over the last year. It even pushed the party to establish a progressive caucus. Read more here: Facing Primary Challenge, Democrats Establish Progressive Caucus

The Camden County Democratic Party fended off the challenges in many towns, including Gloucester Township and Cherry Hill, as well as the county level seats it challenged for. However, it won county committee seats in Collingswood.

Gustafson prides herself on her support for the president, saying voters don’t want someone who is “wishy-washy” or “middle-of-the-road.” She has also been critical of Norcross and his policies.

Josh Duvall is also pursuing the Republican nomination. According to his campaign site, he is a “middle class candidate that can represent middle class voters with practical common sense solutions.”

The deadline to file petitions to run in the primaries is March 30, while the deadline for third-party candidates to file petitions to run in the general election is June 2.

The deadline to register to vote is May 12. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is 3 p.m. on June 1, and the deadline to return an absentee ballot is 8 p.m. on June 2. Election Day is Nov. 3.

For more on how to register and how to find your polling location, visit the state’s website.