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New Jersey, State Senate, District 31

New Jersey State Senate District 31
Current incumbentSandra Cunningham Democratic Party
Population214,973
Race39.7% White, 27.8% Black, 0.41% American Indian or Alaskan Native, 17.02% Asian, 0.05% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 10.96% Some other race alone, 4.12% Two or More Races
Ethnicity75.8% Not Hispanic or Latino (of any race), 24.2% Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Voting age77.7% age 18 and over

New Jersey's thirty-first state senate district is represented by Democratic Senator Sandra Cunningham.

As of the 2010 census, a total of 214,973 civilians reside within New Jersey's thirty-first state senate district. New Jersey state senators represent an average of 219,797 residents, as of the 2010 Census. After the 2000 Census, each member represented 210,359 residents.

About the office

Members of the New Jersey State Senate serve four-year terms and are not subject to term limits. Known as the "2-4-4" cycle, Senators serve four-year terms, except in the first term of a new decade, which only lasts for two years. New Jersey legislators assume office at noon of the second Tuesday in January following the election.

Qualifications

Senators must be 30 years of age or older, have lived in the state for a minimum of four years, and have lived in the district they represent.

Salaries

State legislators
SalaryPer diem
$49,000/yearNo per diem is paid.

Vacancies

There are two ways to fill an vacancy in the senate. If the vacancy happens in legislative session, a special election must be called within 51 days of the vacancy. All other vacancies must be filled by the county leadership of the political party that holds the seat.

Elections

2017

General election

Elections for the New Jersey State Senate took place in 2017. All 40 seats were up for election. The general election took place on November 7, 2017. A primary election took place on June 6, 2017. The filing deadline for the primary election was April 3, 2017. Incumbent Sandra Cunningham (D) defeated Herminio Mendoza (R) in the New Jersey State Senate District 31 general election.

New Jersey State Senate, District 31 General Election, 2017

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Sandra Cunningham Incumbent 83.92% 25,437
Republican Herminio Mendoza 16.08% 4,874
Total Votes 30,311
Source: New Jersey Department of State

Democratic primary election

Incumbent Sandra Cunningham ran unopposed in the New Jersey State Senate District 31 Democratic primary election.

Republican primary election

Herminio Mendoza ran unopposed in the New Jersey State Senate District 31 Republican primary election.

2013

Elections for the office of New Jersey State Senate consisted of a primary election on June 4, 2013, and a general election on November 5, 2013. The signature-filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was April 1, 2013. Incumbent Sandra Cunningham (D) defeated Maria Karczewski (R) in the general election. Both candidates were unopposed in the June 4 primary elections.

New Jersey State Senate, District 31 General Election, 2013

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngSandra Cunningham Incumbent 73.1% 18,822
Republican Maria Karczewski 26.9% 6,932
Total Votes 25,754

2011

Elections for the office of New Jersey State Senate consisted of a primary election on June 7, 2011, and a general election on November 8, 2011. The signature-filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was April 11, 2011. Incumbent Sandra Cunningham (D) defeated Donnamarie James (R) and Louis Vernotico (I) in the general election. Cunningham defeated Bruce Alston in the Democratic primary to advance to the general election. Both James and Vernotico were unopposed in the June 7 primary elections.

New Jersey State Senate District 31 General Election, 2011

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngSandra Cunningham Incumbent 80.8% 13,275
Republican Donnamarie James 17.3% 2,836
Independent Louis Vernotico 1.9% 320
Total Votes 16,431

New Jersey State Senate District 31 Democratic Primary, 2011

Campaign contributions

From 2001 to 2011, candidates for New Jersey State Senate District 31 raised a total of $2,060,148. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $128,759 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.

Campaign contributions, New Jersey State Senate District 31

Year Amount Candidates Average
2011 $222,129 4 $55,532
2007 $705,461 3 $235,154
2003 $1,024,767 5 $204,953
2001 $107,791 4 $26,948
Total $2,060,148 16 $128,759