N.J. primary election: Voters head to the polls; what we’re watching in South Jersey

By 7 a.m. Tuesday, the polling place in the township hall in Woolwich, Gloucester County, was bereft of voters. 

Though polls were already open for an hour, democracy had few takers in the coolness of Tuesday morning. Joggers passed by, school buses clogged the streets, and the Shop Rite opened for business, but few levers were being pulled.

Shawn Jones, a 53-year-old who works at a law firm in Philadelphia, said gas prices are eating his disposable income, reason enough to vote against the Republican administration and incumbent Jeff Van Drew.

New Jersey voters will head to the polls Tuesday to vote in the state’s primary elections, though it’ll be a mostly sleepy affair in South Jersey.

With no state legislative seats on the ballot, voters will be casting votes on party nominees for November’s U.S. House races, as well as county and municipal offices. There’s also a Republican primary for U.S. Senate, with the winner landing the tall task of unseating incumbent Sen. Cory Booker (D., N.J.) in the fall.

New Jersey’s primary is a closed election, which means only Democrats can vote for Democrats and Republicans can vote for Republicans. Anyone not registered in New Jersey with either party (roughly 2.5 million of the state’s nearly 6.7 million registered voters) won’t be able to weigh in on any of the federal races. Though voters are allowed to switch their party affiliation at the polls Tuesday.

South Jersey Democrats in the sprawling 2nd Congressional District will decide on Tuesday who should face U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew in this year’s midterms.

Van Drew was elected as Democrat in 2018 before switching parties and vowing his loyalty to President Donald Trump just one year later and has comfortably held onto his seat.

The South Jersey district stretches from parts of the Philadelphia suburbs across farmland, shore towns, and Atlantic City casinos. The Republican has won by double digits the last two elections and the closest a Democrat has gotten to beating him was in 2020 when Amy Kennedy fell nearly 6 points behind him.

Four Republicans are vying to face U.S. Sen Cory Booker, despite his popularity in New Jersey and his campaign’s massive bank account.

New Jersey has not elected a Republican to serve in the U.S. Senate since 1972 — two were appointed in 1982 and 2013 — and Democrats outnumber Republicans by about 859,000. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump’s approval rating has plummeted, and voters who remain concerned about the high prices of gas and groceries blame Republicans for their woes.

But the GOP candidates say they largely stand by Trump. If Republicans can win enough independent voters, they argue they have a shot against Booker, who they see as more focused on a potential presidential run than serving New Jersey.