By Gene Robbins, The Packet Group
Republican Assemblywoman Denise Coyle won’t leave the Assembly without a fight.
Ms. Coyle, who used to live in Bernards Township, was shifted out of her 16th District in the redistricting announced last week. Instead of churning a primary election battle there, the Republican who has served four years in the Assembly has moved her legal residence to Princeton Township, which is new to the redrawn 16th.
She’ll run as a team with her familiar colleagues, Assemblyman Peter Biondi of Hillsborough and state Sen. Christopher “Kip” Bateman of Somerville, both of whom filed their candidacy petitions. All three won’t have any opposition for renomination in June.
The Democrats filed a slate that also won’t have primary challenge. Paired in running for Assembly are Marie Corfield of Raritan Township in Hunterdon County and South Brunswick Township Councilman Joe Camarota of Kendall Park.
The Democratic candidate for state Senate is Hillsborough resident Maureen Vella, an family law attorney with offices in Metuchen.
All of the candidates have the endorsement of the party committees in the four counties — Mercer, Somerset, Hunterdon and Middlesex — that have municipalities in the district.
Ms. Vella, a mother of three, lives on Montgomery Road. She ran last year for Hillsborough Township Committee, gathering 37 percent of the vote in losing to Frank DelCore.
She said she thinks “the 16th is the most competitive district in New Jersey.” Its boundaries make the race wide open, she said. More than half of the towns, and the largest ones, “have never heard” of Mr. Bateman, she said, although he was a Freeholder for six years and and Assemblyman for 14 before being elected to the Senate in 2008.
Mr. Bateman is a lawyer in a firm headed by former Acting Gov. Donald DiFrancesco.
In her job, Ms. Vella says she listens to families about their financial woes, lack of health care and the loss of jobs and homes — and tries to help with solutions.
Before the new district lines were announced, Ms. Corfield, an art teacher, had intended to run for Assembly in her predominantly Republican 23rd District. The shift gives her more of a chance to win — “the redistricting gods have shown down on me,” she said to Mercer Democrats on Saturday.
Mr. Camarota, also from a municipality new to the 16th, described himself as “a lifelong Democrat who believes in the ideals of the party.” He said “…what makes us stand out is our passion for civic service and responsibility…That separates us from our opponents.”
Mr. Biondi is a fulltime legislator who has been in the Assembly since 1998. He’s a former Hillsborough Township Committeeman and Somerset freeholder.
Ms. Coyle, who also lists her occupation as legislator, is a former four-term freeholder and former Branchburg Township Committeewoman.

