U.S. Senate
Democratic incumbent Cory Booker, 45, has been serving in the United States Senate since October 2013, when he won a special election to fill the seat vacated by the death of Senator Frank Lautenberg. Booker has both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from Stanford University, attended Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar and earned a J.D. from Yale Law School.
Prior to being elected as senator, Booker had served as the Mayor of Newark since 2006 and served as a member of Newark City Council from 1998 to 2002.
Booker’s Republican challenger is Jeff Bell, 70, of Leonia. Bell is a graduate of Columbia University and served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam. He previously ran as the Republican nominee for U.S. Senator from New Jersey, defeating four-term incumbent Clifford Case in the primary, but losing in the general election. In 2009, he helped found the American Principles Project, a public policy organization, and served as its policy director until February 2014.
House of Representatives – NJ 4th District
Christopher H. Smith, 61, the Republican incumbent, is seeking his 18th term in Congress. He first won his seat in 1980 at age 27. Smith is a resident of Robbinsville and a graduate of The College of New Jersey. He is a senior member of the House’s Foreign Affairs Committee, and is the chairman of its Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health and Human Rights. He has also been a long-time co-chair of several bipartisan caucuses including the Pro-Life, Autism, Alzheimer’s, Lyme Disease, Spina Bifida, Human Trafficking, Refugees and Combating Anti-Semitism caucuses.
Smith’s Democratic opponent is Ruben M. Scolavino, 39, of Freehold. Scolavino is a graduate of William Paterson University and the Seton Hall School of Law. He has a law practice in Freehold, is an adjunct professor in Constitutional law and sociology at William Paterson University and a municipal public defender.
House of Representatives – NJ 12th District
Democrat Bonnie Watson Coleman and Republican Dr. Alieta Eck are competing for the seat being left vacant by the retirement of Representative Rush Holt.
Coleman, 69, is a resident of Ewing and has a B.A. from Thomas Edison State College. She has served in the New Jersey General Assembly since 1998 and served as the assembly’s majority leader from 2006 to 2009, being the first African American woman to do so. She was also the first African American woman to serve as chair of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee.
Eck, 62, of Franklin Township, graduated from the Rutgers College of Pharmacy and earned a medical degree from the St. Louis University School of Medicine. She has been in private practice with her husband, Dr. John Eck, since 1988 and in 2003 the two of them founded the Zarephath Health Center, a free clinic for the poor and uninsured.
Sheriff
Democrat John A. “Jack” Kemler has served as Mercer County Sheriff since November 2010. Kemler began his career in law enforcement in 1983 when he joined the Trenton Police Department. In 2002, he was appointed to the county Sheriff’s office as Chief Sheriff Officer. Prior to becoming sheriff, he also served as Chief Warrant Officer and Undersheriff.
Kemler’s Republican challenger is Major David C. Jones, who retired from a 27-year career with the New Jersey State Police in 2013. At the time of his retirement, Jones held the position of commanding officer in the Office of Professional Standards.
Jones resides in Robbinsville and has a B.S. in criminal law from The College of New Jersey and a master’s of administrative science from Farleigh Dickinson University.
Board of Freeholders
Five candidates are seeking two seats on the county Board of Freeholders
Democrat Lucylle R.S. Walter lives in Ewing and has been serving as a Mercer County Freeholder since 1998. She has a B.S. in education from East Stroudsburg University and an M.S. in special education from The College of New Jersey. Previously, Walter sat on the Ewing Township Board of Education from 1989 to 1 994.
Democrat John A. Cimino is a resident of Hamilton and has served as a Mercer County Freeholder since 2009. He has a B.S. in health policy and management from Providence College. He sat on the Mercer County Planning Board from 2005 to 2008 as well as the Hamilton Township Redevelopment Agency (2005 to 2009), Economic Development Commission (2001 to 2008) and Zoning Board of Adjustment (2004 to 2005).
Republican Bhanu “Sunny” Kirpalani resides in Hamilton. She has worked for many years as a senior financial analyst.
The other Republican on the ballot is Andrew Curcio. He has not held prior public office, and is currently employed by the State of New Jersey.
Also running is Libertarian Steven J. Uccio of East Windsor. Uccio is a graduate of Allentown High School and as an associate’s degree in criminal justice from Brookdale Community College. He works delivering Boar’s Head meat in Manhattan.
Booker,
Scolavino,
Kemler,
Cimino,
