The Democrats and Republicans split congressional control of the Edison- Metuchen area in the aftermath of the most recent election on Nov. 4.
State Sen. Leonard Lance, a Republican from Flemington, won the race for New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, which encompasses areas of Hunterdon, Middlesex, Union and Somerset counties, against his Democratic opponent, Assemblywoman Linda Stender. In Middlesex County, Lance will represent South Plainfield, northern Edison and part of Woodbridge.
Lance survived a blistering primary against six other Republicans, all vying to succeed four-term GOP Congressman Mike Ferguson, who decided against running again, before going on to face Stender, whom Ferguson very narrowly defeated in 2006. Stender had begun preparing for her 2008 run at the end of 2007 and gained the Democratic nomination unopposed.
According to figures from the state Division of Elections, Lance had managed to net 142,092 votes, of which 19,430 were in MiddlesexCounty, versus Stender’s 116,255 votes, of which 27,639 were in Middlesex County.
The third runner-up was independent candidate Michael Hsing, of Warren, who accumulated 15,826 votes, with 2,473 coming from Middlesex County.
Lance, in a phone interview, said he was happy about his victory and especially looked forward to working on the nation’s troubled economy, which he said President-elect Barack Obama should focus on as well.
“I believe that the focus for the new president and new Congress has to be the state of the American economy. I think president Obama will likely present an economic plan to the Congress, and I intend to review it and work in a bipartisan capacity,” said Lance.
Lance, as a Republican, will be entering a Congress that will be dominated by the Democratic Party, which made significant gains in both the House and the Senate on Nov. 4. He said, however, that he is not concerned about this. “I have been in theminority in theNewJersey Legislature, so that is not new to me, and I think the American people are demanding bipartisan cooperation to our challenges,” said Lance.
Stender declined to comment on the election.
In the state’s 6th District, Congressman Frank Pallone Jr. fended off a challenge by Keyport attorney and retired Holmdel Municipal Judge Robert E. McLeod. The 6th District includes parts of Middlesex, Monmouth, Somerset and Union counties. In Middlesex County, the district encompasses Dunellen, southern Edison, Highland Park, Metuchen, Middlesex, New Brunswick, part of Old Bridge, Piscataway, Sayreville and South Amboy.
According to the state, Pallone handily won the race, accumulating 157,379 votes against McLeod’s 75,342. In Middlesex County, Pallone received 64,264 votes versus McLeod’s 29,726.
Independent candidate Herb Tarbous, of Piscataway, had also been in the campaign, and he gained a total of 3,241 votes.
Pallone, who has been in the House for the past 20 years, will be starting his 11th term this January. In previous conversations with Greater Media reporters, he has said that health care reform and preventing ocean pollution were the most important issues for the district.
McLeod, meanwhile, ran a campaign focused on fiscal issues, saying that addressing the nation’s $54 trillion deficit was a very large concern for him. He also favored offshore drilling.
In a statement, Pallone said he is pleased to continue representing the district and, like Lance, pledges to make the economy a top priority.
“I am pleased and honored to once again receive the support of my constituents in the 6th Congressional District. Our nation faces many challenges both at home and abroad, but I look forward to working with President-elect Obama to address those challenges by moving our nation in a new direction. In the coming months, I will work to pass an economic recovery package that creates good-paying jobs here in New Jersey. As the chairman of the Health Subcommittee,” said Pallone
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