(Updated) Republicans hold LD8 in closer-than-expected race, with Tiver winning his first Senate term

NOTE: After more ballots were counted, Democrat Andrea Katz leads Republican Assemblyman Brandon Umba by 27 votes as of the evening of November 9. The race call for that Assembly seat has been retracted.

Two years after narrowly winning one of the most expensive legislative elections in New Jersey history, Republicans in Burlington County’s 8th legislative district have prevailed once again by a narrow margin, the New Jersey Globe projects.

As of 12:17 a.m., former Burlington County Freeholder Latham Tiver (R-Southampton) leads former Pemberton Township Councilwoman Gaye Burton 52%-48% – a closer-than-expected result for Tiver, who was predicted to win relatively easily.

Tiver ran alongside two incumbent assemblymen, Michael Torrissi (R-Hammonton) and Brandon Umba (R-Medford). Their race is slightly closer; Torrissi has 25.9% of the vote and Umba has 25.5% to Chesterfield Democratic municipal chair Andrea Katz’s 24.4% and Hammonton Education Association president Anthony Angelozzi’s 24.2%.

The story of the modern 8th district legislative delegation began in 2019, when State Sen. Dawn Addiego defected from Republicans and became a Democrat. Addiego figured that she’d have more legislative influence as a member of the South Jersey Democratic caucus, and she also calculated that her suburban district was trending towards Democrats fast enough for a party switch to be a politically wise move.

But things didn’t work out quite that way. Addiego was defeated for re-election 51%-49% by Assemblywoman Jean Stanfield (R-Westampton), and Republicans held both of the district’s Assembly seats against Addiego’s new Democratic running mates.

After just two years in the Senate, Stanfield decided to retire this year. Tiver, who lost his county office in 2019 but remains a top player in the powerful International Union of Operating Engineers Local 825, was chosen to be her successor with little fuss.

Putting together the 8th district Democratic ticket was a less harmonious process. Originally, Democrats nominated Evesham Councilwoman Heather Cooper, but she withdrew from the race in August; South Jersey Democratic leaders wanted Mount Holly school board member Janet DiFolco to replace her on the ballot, but Burlington Democrats rebelled and chose Burton instead.

South Jersey Democrats decided they wanted nothing to do with Burton, and spent money exclusively to assist Angelozzi and Katz, who ran an indefatigable joint campaign for the Assembly that largely excluded Burton.

It wasn’t quite enough, though, to flip a district that was drawn to be more Republican in last year’s redistricting process. The victory by Tiver, Umba, and Torrissi continues a Republican winning streak in the 8th district that has lasted since 1975.