By Matt Chiappardi, Staff Writer
Along with council seats in East Windsor and Hightstown, control of the state Legislature and county executive and freeholder seats hung in the balance during Tuesday’s election.
While 12th District Democratic incumbent Sen. Ellen Karcher won a majority of votes in the parts of Mercer County she represents, it was not enough to stop Republican challenger Assemblywoman Jennifer Beck from ousting her. Ms. Beck garnered the majority of the votes in western Monmouth County, which allowed her to sail to victory, according to unofficial results from the state attorney general’s office.
Statewide, while the Democratic Party will retain control of the Senate, Republicans narrowed the margin from 50-30 to 40-36. Nine independent candidates won Senate seats.
Republicans captured the two 12th District Assembly seats. Challengers Caroline Casagrande and Declan O’Scanlon were the winners in the four-person race. Incumbent Democrat Mike Panter could not hang onto his seat despite capturing the majority of the votes in eastern Mercer County.
Democrats retained control of the Assembly, but by only a slim eight-seat majority. There were 30 independent candidates elected into the 182-member chamber.
At the county level it was a different story, with Democrats sweeping the elections for executive and freeholders.
Incumbent County Executive Brian Hughes soundly defeated Republican challenger Janice Mitchell Mintz. He captured 63 percent of the vote, according to unofficial results from the county Board of Elections.
The two incumbent freeholders held onto their seats, with Anthony Carabelli and Keith Hamilton defeating Republican challengers Robert Calabro and Shirley Guerieri. Mr. Carabelli will be entering his 27th year as a freeholder when the session opens next year.
As for the four statewide ballot questions, two passed and two were defeated.
Voters approved up to $200 million in bond sales to purchase vacant open space and wetlands areas. They also gave the nod to change language in the state constitution concerning denial of certain people’s right to vote.
The phrase, “idiot or insane person” will be changed to “a person who has been adjudicated by a court of competent jurisdiction to lack the capacity to understand the act of voting shall not enjoy the right of suffrage.”
Voters defeated an amendment to the state constitution to dedicate a monetary amount equal to the annual revenue from 1 percent of the state sales tax for property tax relief.
They also voted down $450 million in bond sales to fund stem cell research throughout the state.
Despite being approved in Mercer County with 53 percent of the vote, the measure failed statewide by a 6 percent margin.

