New Jersey's 4th legislative district is one of 40 in the state. As of the 2021 apportionment, the district covers the Camden County municipalities of Chesilhurst,

Gloucester Township Gloucester Township is a township in Camden County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township was the state's 22nd-most-populous municipality,Waterford Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...

, and Winslow Township; the Gloucester County municipalities of Franklin Township, Monroe Township, Newfield Borough, and Washington Township; and the

Atlantic County Atlantic County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 census, the county was the state's 15th-most-populous county,Buena and Buena Vista.

Demographic characteristics

As of the 2020 United States census, the district had a population of 231,008, of whom 181,075 (78.4%) were of voting age. The racial makeup of the district was 147,084 (63.7%)

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 46,758 (20.2%)

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 751 (0.3%) Native American, 8,282 (3.6%) Asian, 61 (0.0%)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 11,505 (5.0%) from some other race, and 16,567 (7.2%) from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 24,822 (10.7%) of the population. The district's percentage of people of Asian origin, the elderly and Hispanics are all below the state average, while the percentage of foreign-born residents was the second lowest in the state based on 2000 census data. The district had 176,864 registered voters as of December 1, 2021, of whom 60,163 (34.0%) were registered as unaffiliated, 77,105 (43.6%) were registered as Democrats, 37,247 (21.1%) were registered as

Republicans Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, and 2,349 (1.3%) were registered to other parties.

Political representation

The legislative district is almost entirely located within

New Jersey's 1st congressional district New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

1965-1973

During the period of time after the 1964

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

decision in ''

Reynolds v. Sims ''Reynolds v. Sims'', 377 U.S. 533 (1964), was a landmark United States Supreme Court case in which the Court ruled that the single-seat electoral districts of state legislative chambers must be roughly equal in population. Along with '' Bak ...

'' and before the establishment of a 40-district legislature in 1973, the 4th district consisted of all of Burlington County for the 1965 Senate election and a combination of Burlington and

Ocean The ocean is the body of salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of Earth. The ocean is conventionally divided into large bodies of water, which are also referred to as ''oceans'' (the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Indian, Southern Ocean ...

counties for the 1967, 1969, and 1971 Senate and Assembly elections. In the 1965 election in which the senator was elected from voters from the entire district, incumbent Republican Senator from Burlington County Edwin B. Forsythe won re-election. For the 1967 Senate election for a four-year term which allowed for the election of two senators from the district, Senate candidates were nominated from each Assembly district. Republican William T. Hiering won from Assembly District 4A (consisting of all of Ocean County and rural eastern Burlington County) while Republican Forsythe won from District 4B, which consisted of the suburban remainder of Burlington. Forsythe was elected to

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

in 1970 and resigned on November 16, 1970 to take his seat there.

Walter L. Smith Jr. Walter L. Smith Jr. (December 17, 1917 – July 10, 1994) was an American Republican politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1964 to 1971 and in the New Jersey Senate The New Jersey Senate is the upper house of the New ...

, a Republican Assemblyman, was elected to complete the remainder of Forsythe's term in a March 2, 1971 special election and was sworn in on March 15, 1971. In the 1971 general election for a two-year Senate term, again candidates were nominated by Assembly district (three districts in this instance). Republican John F. Brown won District 4A (most of Ocean County), Republican

Barry T. Parker Barry T. Parker (born December 12, 1932) is an American Republican Party politician who served in both the General Assembly and the New Jersey Senate. Biography Parker was born in Mount Holly, New Jersey in 1932 and graduated from the Bordent ...

won from District 4B (

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Berkeley Berkeley most often refers to: *Berkeley, California, a city in the United States **University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California *George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher Berkeley may also refer to ...

townships and other small boroughs in Ocean County plus most of Burlington County), and Democrat Edward J. Hughes Jr. won from District 4C (suburban Burlington County). For the Assembly elections held during this time, each district elected two members to the General Assembly. For the 1967 and 1969 elections, the Senate district was split into two districts and for the 1971 election, it was split into three. The members elected to the Assembly from each district are as follows:

Election history since 1973

Upon the creation of a 40-district legislative map in 1973, the new 4th district consisted of portions of Gloucester County ( Elk Township, Glassboro, Washington Township, and Deptford Township), Camden County stretching from Gloucester City southeast to Winslow Township, northeast to Chesilhurst and Waterford Township, and into Burlington County's Shamong Township and Tabernacle Township. In 1979,

James Florio James Joseph Florio (August 29, 1937 – September 25, 2022) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 49th governor of New Jersey from 1990 to 1994. He was previously the U.S. representative for New Jersey's 1st congressional dist ...

, then a Congressman, encouraged Daniel Dalton and

Dennis L. Riley Dennis L. Riley (September 13, 1945 – May 24, 2023) was an American attorney and Democratic Party politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly, where he represented the 4th Legislative District from 1980 to 1990. Personal life B ...

to run in the June primary under the label of the "Florio Democratic Team" against three-term incumbents Kenneth A. Gewertz and Francis J. Gorman, who had the support of

Angelo Errichetti Angelo Joseph Errichetti (September 29, 1928 – May 16, 2013) was an American Democratic Party politician who served as Mayor of Camden, New Jersey, and in the New Jersey Senate before being indicted during Abscam. Early life Angelo Joseph Err ...

and the Camden County Democratic Organization. Dalton (with 31.3% of the vote) and Riley (with 28.3%) won the two ballot spots in the primary balloting.Results of the Primary Election Held on June 5, 1979
,

Secretary of State of New Jersey The secretary of state of New Jersey oversees the Department of State, which is one of the original state offices. The Secretary is responsible for overseeing New Jersey State Council on the Arts, artistic, cultural, and New Jersey Historical Com ...

. Accessed September 16, 2016. Dalton and Riley were elected in the November 1979 general election In the 1981 redistricting, the 4th consisted of southern Camden County (including Waterford, Winslow, and Gloucester townships, plus Chesilhurst, Lindenwold, and Laurel Springs), most of southeastern Gloucester County, and the

Atlantic County Atlantic County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 census, the county was the state's 15th-most-populous county,Buena, Buena Vista Township, and

Folsom Folsom may refer to: People * Folsom (surname) Places in the United States * Folsom, Perry County, Alabama * Folsom, Randolph County, Alabama * Folsom, California * Folsom, Georgia * Folsom, Louisiana * Folsom, Missouri * Folsom, New Jers ...

. South Jersey Democratic Party leader

George Norcross George E. Norcross III (born March 16, 1956) is an American businessman, organizer, and political boss. A member of the Democratic Party, Norcross is considered a power broker in southern New Jersey. Norcross is executive chairman of Conner ...

informed Riley in February 1989 that he would not get official party support in the June 1989 party primary for a sixth term, with Riley's ballot spot—and Assembly seat—to be handed over to Ann A. Mullen, who had worked as a legislative aide to Riley and was serving as mayor of

Gloucester Township Gloucester Township is a township in Camden County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township was the state's 22nd-most-populous municipality,The Press of Atlantic City ''The Press of Atlantic City'' is the fourth-largest daily newspaper in New Jersey. Originally based in Pleasantville, New Jersey, Pleasantville, it is the primary newspaper for southeastern New Jersey and the Jersey Shore. The Designated marke ...

'' that his decade of service in the Assembly had left him "fatigued" and that he felt relief from the weight that was removed from him by being replaced by Mullen, whom he publicly endorsed as his successor. After years in which the district had been solidly Democratic, the Republican sweep in 1991 led to a period in which the district became what

PolitickerNJ The Politicker Network, or Politicker.com, was a national network of fifty state-based political websites operated by the ''New York Observer''. Origins The network had its origins in journalist Ben Smith's ''New York Observer'' blog, "''The Poli ...

called the "#1 swing seat" in the state for more than a decade. Edge, Wally
"No Love in 4th, the state's #1 swing seat for a dozen years"
, ''

Politicker Network The Politicker Network, or Politicker.com, was a national network of fifty state-based political websites operated by the ''New York Observer''. Origins The network had its origins in journalist Ben Smith's ''New York Observer'' blog, "''The Poli ...

'', February 26, 2009. Accessed June 18, 2010. The 1990s iteration of the district was composed of Gloucester Township, Lindenwold, and Laurel Springs in Camden County and a larger portion of southeastern Gloucester County. In the 1991 elections, attorney

John J. Matheussen John J. Matheussen (born January 30, 1953) is an American Republican Party politician. He served in the New Jersey Senate from 1992 to 2003, where he represented the 4th Legislative District. Early life and education Born in Jersey City, Mat ...

won the open seat of the departing incumbent Democrat Daniel J. Dalton who had left office to take the post of

, having been nominated for the position by

Governor of New Jersey The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The ...

. In the 1991 Assembly race George F. Geist and Mary Virginia Weber took the seat of incumbent Ann A. Mullen and her Democratic running mate Timothy D. Scaffidi. Sean F. Dalton, won an Assembly seat in the 1993 election in a split verdict, with Republican George Geist coming in first, Dalton in second, incumbent Republican Mary Virginia Weber out of the money in third place and Dalton's running mate

Sandra Love Sandra Love (October 12, 1945 – February 13, 2018) was an American Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party politician, who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from January 8, 2008, to January 12, 2010, where she represented the ...

in fourth.Sullivan, Joseph F
"THE 1993 ELECTIONS: New Jersey Legislature; Cut Taxes 30 Percent? Whitman's Top Statehouse Allies Say Not So Fast"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', November 4, 1993. Accessed June 17, 2010. Geist and Dalton were re-elected in 1995, with Democrat Chris Manganello in third and Republican Gerald Luongo in fourth. The $1 million spent by the candidates in the 1993 Assembly race was the most of any district in the state, and ''

'' predicted that the parties would spend heavily in the 1995 race as each side tries to gain both seats. Dalton ran in 1997, and lost, in a bid for the

New Jersey Senate The New Jersey Senate is the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with an average population of 232,225 (2020 figure ...

seat held by

, with Matheussen taking 50.7% of the vote, Dalton receiving 46.1% and Jame E. Barber garnering 3.2% of the vote. With Dalton's seat open in the Assembly, Geist won re-election as did his running mate Gerald Luongo.Staff
"THE 1997 ELECTIONS: RESULTS; The Races for the New Jersey Assembly"
''

'', November 5, 1997. Accessed June 17, 2010. With Luongo receiving negative press over what ''

'' called a "questionable land deal", Democrat Robert J. Smith II knocked off Luongo in the 1999 general election, while Geist was re-elected.Kocieniewski, David
"THE 1999 ELECTIONS: NEW JERSEY ASSEMBLY; Democrats Win Seats in Three Districts, Narrowing Republicans' Majority"
''

'', November 3, 1999. Accessed June 17, 2010. In the 2001 reapportionment, Elk Township and Clayton from the Gloucester portion of the district but more boroughs in central Camden County were added. Matheussen was nominated by Governor

Jim McGreevey James Edward McGreevey (born August 6, 1957) is an American politician of the Democratic Party who served as the 52nd governor of New Jersey from 2002 until his resignation in 2004 amidst a sex scandal. McGreevey served in the New Jersey Genera ...

in February 2003 to head the

Delaware River Port Authority The Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA), officially the Delaware River Port Authority of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, is a bi-state agency instrumentality created by a congressionally approved interstate compact between the state governments ...

. After Matheussen resigned from the Senate in May 2003 to take the post at the DRPA, his Senate seat was filled by Assemblyman George Geist. In turn, the Republicans named Stephen Altamuro to fill Geist's vacancy in the Assembly. In the 2003 elections, the Democrats swept all three legislative seats, with Fred H. Madden defeating Geist in the Senate, and David R. Mayer and Robert J. Smith II winning in the Assembly race, knocking off incumbent Altamuro.Kocieniewski, David
"THE 2003 ELECTION: THE STATEHOUSE; Democrats Seize Senate And Widen Assembly Gap"
''

'', November 5, 2003. Accessed June 17, 2010. The 2011 apportionment added Chesilhurst and Winslow Township, both from the 6th district. Municipalities that had been in the 4th district as part of the 2001 apportionment that were shifted out of the district as of 2011 are Franklin Township (Gloucester), Glassboro, and Newfield (all to the 3rd district). In the 2011 Assembly race, Democrat Gabriela Mosquera took the seat that had been held by Republican

Domenick DiCicco Domenick DiCicco Jr. (January 24, 1963 – January 19, 2024) was an American Republican Party politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 2010 to 2012, where he represented the 4th Legislative District. Life and career DiCi ...

, who had been shifted out of the district in the 2011 reapportionment. Democratic incumbent Paul D. Moriarty and Mosquera won the election, though Mosquera's victory was challenged based on her not having been a resident of the district for a full year. Her win was declared void leaving a vacancy in the seat. The local Democratic party committee selected Mosquera to fill the vacancy in March 2012 and she subsequently won a November 2012 special election.

Election history

Election results, 1973–present

Senate

General Assembly

Election results, 1965–1973

Senate

District 4 At-large

District 4A

District 4B

District 4C

General Assembly

District 4A

District 4B

District 4C

References

{{NewJerseyLegislatureDistricts Camden County, New Jersey Gloucester County, New Jersey 04