3rd Legislative District (New Jersey)


New Jersey's 3rd Legislative District is one of 40 in the state. As of the 2011 apportionment the district covers the Cumberland County municipalities of Bridgeton, Deerfield Township and Upper Deerfield Township; the Gloucester County municipalities of Clayton, East Greenwich Township, Elk Township, Franklin Township, Glassboro, Greenwich Township, Logan Township, National Park, Newfield, Paulsboro, South Harrison Township, Swedesboro, West Deptford Township, Woodbury Heights and Woolwich Township; and all Salem County municipalities, including Alloway Township, Carneys Point Township, Elmer, Elsinboro Township, Lower Alloways Creek Township, Mannington Township, Oldmans Township, Penns Grove, Pennsville Township, Pilesgrove Township, Pittsgrove Township, Quinton Township, Salem, Upper Pittsgrove Township and Woodstown.

Demographic characteristics

As of the 2010 United States Census, the district had a population of 235,440, of whom 176,403 were of voting age. The racial makeup of the district was 179,956 White, 33,687 African American, 1,480 Native American, 3,547 Asian, 45 Pacific Islander, 10,833 from some other race, and 5,892 from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 23,152 of the population. The district had 152,153 registered voters as of February 1, 2020, of whom 61,301 were registered as unaffiliated, 54,020 were registered as Democrats, 34,715 were registered as Republicans, and 2,117 were registered to other parties.

Political representation

The district is represented for the 2020–2021 Legislative Session in the State Senate by Stephen M. Sweeney and in the General Assembly by John J. Burzichelli and Adam Taliaferro.

1965–1973

The 1964 Supreme Court decision in Reynolds v. Sims required legislative districts' populations be equal as possible. As an interim measure, the 3rd District in the 1965 State Senate election encompassed all of Camden County and elected two members to the Senate. In this case, Republican Frederick Scholz and Democrat A. Donald Bigley were sent to Trenton for a two-year term beginning in 1966.
For the next three elections, the 3rd District became made up of all of Camden, Gloucester, and Salem counties and was further divided into four Assembly districts. In the 1967 and 1971 Senate elections, a total of four Senators were elected from the district but candidates were nominated by Assembly district and were elected by only the residents of the respective district. Each Assembly district elected two members in each election.
The members elected to the Senate from each district are as follows:
SessionDistrict 3ADistrict 3BDistrict 3CDistrict 3D
1968–1969John L. White Hugh A. Kelly John L. Miller Frank C. Italiano
1970–1971John L. White Hugh A. Kelly John L. Miller Frank C. Italiano
1972–1973James M. Turner Joseph A. Maressa John L. Miller Frank C. Italiano

The members elected to the Assembly from each district are as follows:
SessionDistrict 3ADistrict 3BDistrict 3CDistrict 3D
1968–1969Joseph H. Enos Walter E. Pedersen William K. Dickey John J. Horn
1968–1969Kenneth A. Black Jr. Leonard H. Kaser Eugene Raymond III Lee B. Laskin
1970–1971Joseph H. Enos James M. Turner William K. Dickey John J. Horn
1970–1971Kenneth A. Black Jr. Thomas J. Shusted Eugene Raymond III James Florio
1972–1973Kenneth A. Black Jr. Francis J. Gorman William K. Dickey John J. Horn
1972–1973H. Donald Stewart Kenneth A. Gewertz Eugene Raymond III James Florio

District composition since 1973

Starting in 1973 with the creation of 40 equal-population districts statewide, the 3rd District was made up of all of Salem County and most of Gloucester County. Some southeastern Gloucester County municipalities were removed from the District in the 1981 redistricting but several sparsely-populated Cumberland County townships along the Delaware Bay were added. The Cumberland County city of Bridgeton and some adjacent townships were added in the 1991 redistricting but the boroughs of Pitman and Glassboro were moved out. The only changes made during the 2001 redistricting were the removal of Woodbury and the addition of Elk Township and Clayton borough.
The 2011 apportionment added Franklin Township, Glassboro, Newfield and Woodbury Heights. Municipalities that had been in the 3rd District as part of the 2001 apportionment that were shifted out of the district are Commercial Township, Downe Township, Fairfield Township, Greenwich Township, Hopewell Township, Lawrence Township, Shiloh and Stow Creek Township ; and Harrison Township, Mantua Township and Wenonah.

Election history

Election results, 1973–present

Senate

Assembly

Election results, 1965–1973

Senate

District 3 At-large

District 3A

District 3B

District 3C

District 3D

Assembly

District 3A

District 3B

District 3C

District 3D