Primary races rage in Third, Fourth Districts

An intraparty Republican tussle in Gloucester County is fueling two state Assembly primary races in South Jersey.

Four Republicans are seeking two general election slots in the Third District, which covers parts of Gloucester and Cumberland Counties and all of Salem County.

The Fourth District, which includes parts of Gloucester and Camden Counties, has primaries in both parties. Three Republicans and three Democrats are running. Each party will send two nominees into the November general election.

The Assembly seats in both districts are now held by Democrats.

The contests are among the few Assembly primary battles Tuesday in South Jersey or statewide. Among the eight districts that cover Burlington, Camden and Gloucester Counties, four have primary contests. Statewide, only about half of the 40 legislative districts have primaries in either party.

The Assembly primaries, which determine who will run for 80 seats in November, are generally low-turnout affairs with little drama. Most districts are heavily weighted toward one party.

In the Third District, former Cumberland County Surrogate Arthur Marchand is running with Greenwich Mayor George Shivery as part of a slate backed by Gloucester Republicans seeking new party leadership in the county.

They are facing Lee Lucas, a mechanic who ran for freeholder in 2007, and Robert Villare, a surgeon. Lucas and Villare filed to run individually.

The Fourth District Republican race includes Eugene Lawrence, a former Democratic councilman in Gloucester Township, running with Domenick DiCicco. Both are backed by the faction challenging the current GOP leadership. Andrew Savicky, a frequent candidate who has run for freeholder and sheriff, is also running.

On the Fourth District's Democratic side, Assemblyman Paul Moriarty is seeking reelection. Party leaders are also backing William Collins, a former Gloucester Township school board president. They face John Caramanna, a Blackwood resident who ran for Congress last year. Assemblywoman Sandra Love, a Democrat, is not running.

Democrats also have to replace a sitting lawmaker in the Fifth District, where Assemblywoman Nilsa Cruz-Perez is leaving office. Three Democrats are running in the district, which includes parts of Camden and Gloucester Counties. Assembly Speaker Joseph J. Roberts is seeking reelection. He is paired with Camden City Council President Angel Fuentes. Albert DiSalvio of Bellmawr is also seeking the Assembly nod.

In the 30th District, which covers parts of Burlington, Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean Counties, Rutgers political science student Avi Solomon of Lakewood is challenging the two Republican incumbents, Assemblymen Joseph Malone and Ronald Dancer.

In other South Jersey legislative districts - the Sixth, Seventh, Eighth and Ninth - Democratic and Republican candidates have no primary opponents.

There are two special elections for the state Senate to fill unexpired terms. In South Jersey's Sixth District, the Democratic and Republican candidates are running unopposed. Sen. James Beach is seeking to finish the term of former Sen. John Adler, who moved on to Congress. Beach was appointed to replace Adler this year. Joseph Adolf of Berlin is running for the Republicans.

The other Senate race, in Northwest New Jersey, has a Republican primary. Sen. Marcia Karrow and Assemblyman Michael Doherty are competing for the Republican nod in the campaign to replace Leonard Lance, who was elected to Congress.