Republican Kean, Democrat Schnall re-elected in Lakewood-based LD30

Assemblymen Sean Kean (R-Wall) and Avi Schnall (D-Lakewood) secured re-election on Tuesday, the New Jersey Globe projects, meaning the deep-red, heavily Orthodox Jewish district will once again send a split delegation to the Assembly.

In 2023, Lakewood’s Orthodox Jewish leaders decided they wanted a member in the Assembly’s majority, and endorsed Schnall over incumbent Ned Thomson (R-Wall). Orthodox leadership has immense sway with local Orthodox Jewish voters, and sent Schnall, Kean, and State Sen. Robert Singer (R-Lakewood) to Trenton in a fascinating feat of bloc voting.

This year, Thomson sought a return to the Assembly over Schnall, but it was not to be. As of 11:53 p.m. and with nearly all votes counted, Kean was in first with 31.6% of the vote, Schnall in second with 30%, and Thomson in third with 26%; a second Democratic candidate, 75-year-old retired fifth-grade teacher Joanne DeBenedictis, got just 12% after Democrats put no effort into electing her.

In Trenton, Schnall is friendly with leadership, though he is perhaps the most socially conservative Democrat and has declined to explicitly endorse Mikie Sherrill for governor. He holds a seat on the Assembly Education Committee, a valuable spot for a Democrat whose district cares deeply about school vouchers and other education issues that other Democrats wouldn’t touch. Schnall, Kean, and Singer now all vote for the state budget, under direction from the Lakewood Vaad.

Thomson hasn’t apologized for his dog-whistle 2023 campaign that sought to raise alarm over people from Lakewood moving into Wall and Howell, where most of the non-Orthodox residents of the 30th district live.

Thomson relied on picking up some Ciattarelli voters in Lakewood and strong turnout from the district’s non-Orthodox Jewish voters. The Vaad endorsed Ciattarelli, sparking high turnout and long lines in the quickly growing town.