HERALD: Races begin in East Windsor and Hightstown

New Jersey holds its primary election

By Jen Samuel, Managing Editor
   Voters cast ballots on Tuesday during the New Jersey primary election.
   After the voting districts across the state closed 8 p.m. June 4, the Mercer County clerk’s office released the unofficial results.
   In East Windsor Township there are three four-year seats up in 2013.
   At Tuesday’s primary, Democratic Party members selected three incumbent candidates to represent them in November.
   Councilman Alan Rosenberg won 459 votes, or 35.36 percent. Deputy Mayor Perry Shapiro won 419 votes, or 32.28 percent. Councilman Hector Duke won 414 votes, of 31.9 percent.
   Six Democrats selected person choice candidates.
   In all, 1,298 Democrats voted Tuesday, based on the official election results.
   Republican voters selected three candidates to represent them Nov. 5 against the incumbent Democrats. One thousand sixty people voted in this primary.
   Anna Lustenberg won 363 votes, earning 34.25 percent; Thaddeus “TJ” Berdzik won 345 votes, or 32.55 percent; and Albert Grupper won 351 votes, or 33.11 percent.
   One Republican selected a personal choice.
   In Hightstown, there are two three-year seats up.
   Republicans Lynne Woods and Selena Bibens currently hold the seats — both serving their first full terms on the Borough Council.
   One hundred and seventy-three people voted in the Republican primary for Borough Council.
   Ms. Woods earned 81 votes, or 46.82 percent. Ms. Bibens earned 77 votes, or 44.51 percent. 15 people also selected personal choices.
   In all 194 registered Hightstown Democrats voted Tuesday in the primary for Borough Council members.
   Steven Misiura, president of the Hightstown Planning Board, received 98 votes, or 50.52 percent.
   Denise Hansen received 93 votes, or 47.94 percent.
   Three Democrats in Hightstown wrote in personal choices.
   In Mercer County, the 2013 primary election brought out 6.24 percent of all registered voters, with 13,519 people casting votes on Tuesday. There were also 172 mail-in ballots submitted, based on the unofficial results.
   There are 216,606 people registered to vote in the county.
   Of the 80,388 registered Democrats, there was a 10.38 percent turnout Tuesday in Mercer County, with 8,346 people at the polls.
   Democrats selected Barbara Buono with 7,021 votes or 91.83 percent. Troy Webster won 591 votes, earning 7.73 percent. Also 34 people selected a personal choice for governor.
   With 31,497 registered Republicans in Mercer County, there was a 16.42 percent turnout at the polls, with 5,173 people making primary election decisions.
   Nearly 95 percent of Republicans in the county — 4,884 people — selected Chris Christie to continue to represent the party for governor. Also 281 people voted for Seth Grossman.