Primary Primer: Breaking Down the Races, County to National

New Jersey’s primary election is just days away, and while there aren’t a lot of contested races this year and there's no local race, here’s what to look for Tuesday, from the county level on up to the top office in the country. 

Camden County Sheriff

Incumbent Charles Billingham is running unopposed on the Democratic side of the ticket. For the Republicans, the candidate is Christine Leone-Zwillinger.

Camden County Freeholder

Democrat Committee nominees Jeffrey L. Nash, Ian K. Leonard and Michelle Gentek, a Gloucester Township councilwoman, are opposed by "Reform for Camden County" candidate Michael Leonetti on the Democratic side of the ballot.

Nash and Leonard are incumbents. Gentek is taking retiring freeholder Rodney Greco's place on Democrat Committee's slate.

Republican challengers Diana Escobar-Wachter, Ian Gill and Eugene Lawrence, a former Gloucester Township councilman, are unopposed on the Republican primary ballot.

New Jersey General Assembly

Democrat Gabriela Mosquera and Republican Shelley Lovett, both of Gloucester Township, are unopposed in the primary, setting up a grudge match of the contested 2011 4th Legislative District race.

Mosquera was seated in early March following a lengthy legal battle waged by Lovett over Mosquera's length of residency in the 4th Legislative District.

House of Representatives

Republican Gregory Horton is unopposed on his side of the ballot, while incumbent Rob Andrews faces a challenge from Francis X. Tenaglio in the Democratic race.

United States Senate

Democratic incumbent Robert Menendez, who launched his campaign in South Jersey just recently, is unopposed for the nomination, while the Republican side of the ballot features a crowd of four. Joe Kyrillos, currently a state senator, is the endorsed Regular Organization Republican candidate, and faces three others—Bader Qarmout, David Douglas Brown and Joe “Rudy” Rullo.

President

Incumbent President Barack Obama and his slate of delegates are unopposed on the Democratic side of the ballot, and the Republican side still features four candidates—though only one is still active. 

Mitt Romney, the de facto Republican nominee for president, faces Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul and Rick Santorum—but Republicans will also vote separately for slates of delegates to represent the party at the Republican convention. They’ll have five to choose from: Four slates attached to the candidates, and one delegate—Ariel Miles—running for an at-large seat.

Other races

Republicans will also have a chance to elect their county party committee representatives.

Voters will have the opportunity to elect seven male and seven female members to the GOP's county committee.

On the male side, the Camden County Regular Republican Party is running Ray Polidoro, Michael Martin, Dennis Palmer, Charles Fote III, James Bonnette Sr. and Eugene Lawrence, while the Gloucester Township Republican Party is running Eric Lawrence, Robbie Traylor, Fernando Powers, Lewis "Joe" Reed and William H. Holmes Jr.

On the female side, the Camden County Regular Republican Party is running Linda Musser, Margaret Centritto, Escobar-Wachter, Stacy Santiago, Erica Weissman, Shelley Lovett and Joanne Carr against Gloucester Township Republican Party candidate Alice Grace Reed.

Not registered as a member of any party? The state’s primary allows you to declare at the polls and vote.