13 legislative districts, 9 counties, and 75 towns: A list of every contested primary in N.J. this year

Click HERE for a list of every New Jersey primary in 2023.

New Jersey is not exactly a state known for its competitive primary elections. Because of the strength of county party organizations and the unique impact of the party line, many of the state’s important contests are decided in back rooms and convention halls long before voters get the chance to weigh in.

Even so, there are still more than 100 primary contests that will appear on voters’ ballots this June, ranging from high-stakes State Senate battles to obscure contests in some of the state’s smallest towns.

At the top of the ticket are 13 legislative primaries, many of which are incredibly competitive and feature showdowns between multiple incumbents or party organizations. The 3rd, 4th, 24th, and 26th district Republican primaries, and the 27th district Democratic primary, are particularly worth watching.

Nine counties will also hold contested primaries. Progressive Democrats are trying to make a dent in the party machine in Camden, Gloucester, Hudson, and Middlesex Counties, while several other county-level candidates are running in tandem with off-the-line legislative and local candidates.

And a total of 75 towns have primaries for local office, including at least one in each of New Jersey’s 21 counties. Some are in major towns like Camden, Toms River, and Edison, while others are in tiny boroughs most New Jerseyans have likely never heard of.

The New Jersey Globe can’t realistically hope to cover each and every one of these races in depth; that’s a task that would and should fall to local media outlets, though such outlets hardly exist anymore in certain parts of the state. This list is meant to at least partially fill that news gap, but it’s clearly not the same.

If you have any insight into one of New Jersey’s many primaries – or if there is anything wrong with or missing from the Globe’s list – reach out to [email protected].

Click HERE for a Google Sheets version of the 2023 primary list. A PDF version is also available below.