In Camden County, returns are in from 343 of 390 precincts, with more to follow.
By Matt Skoufalos | June 7, 2022
With about 88 percent of precincts reporting (343 of 390) Tuesday night, the unofficial early returns from the 2023 Camden County Primary Elections illustrate very little intra-party competition among Democratic candidates, and a failure by Republicans to even muster candidates in some races.
The Sixth Legislative District State Senate race was the most prominent to lack a balloted Republican challenger in Tuesday’s primaries; however, Republicans in several communities — Audubon Park, Merchantville, Oaklyn, and Pennsauken — likewise found no balloted candidates in their local municipal government races.
Camden County voters overwhelmingly participated in these primaries through mail-in ballots, with 27,254 Democrats and 5,509 Republicans casting their votes this way, versus 7,325 Democrats and 3,672 Republicans who voted in-person Tuesday.
All results are considered unofficial and incomplete until certified by the Camden County Clerk. These totals will change, and are only final after certification by Camden County Clerk Joseph Ripa.
New Jersey State Senate & General Assembly Races
Fifth Legislative District
Incumbent Democratic State Senator Nilsa Cruz-Perez (10,380 votes) will defend her 5th District State Senate seat against Republican challenger Clyde Cook (1,889 votes) in November.
Incumbent Democratic Assemblymen William F. Moen (9,949 votes) and William W. Spearman (10,025 votes) will face Republican challengers Joe Miller (1,888 votes) and Yalinda Pagan (1,834) of Camden City in the 5th District General Assembly race.
Sixth Legislative District
Incumbent Democrat James Beach (14,144 votes) won’t learn the identity of his opponent this fall until at least 235 Republican write-in votes are sorted out. No Republican appeared on the ballot for the 6th District State Senate race.
Incumbent Democratic Assembly Majority Leader Louis Greenwald (14,075 votes) and Assembly Deputy Speaker Pamela Lampitt (13,890 votes) will vie with Republicans Daniel M. Kenny (3,738 votes) and Danielle M. Barry (3,684 votes) for two seats in the 6th District General Assembly.
Camden County Commissioners Race
Incumbent Democratic Commissioner-Director Louis Cappelli, Jr. (22,500 votes) and Commissioner Jonathan Young (21,518 votes) have a commanding lead over Kate Delany (9,953 votes) and Samuel Sweet (7,633 votes) of the South Jersey Progressive Democrats.
Having faced no balloted opponents from within their own party, Jason Fanning (8,443 votes) and Norman C. Rebel (8,278 votes) will appear on the Republican ticket this fall.
Local Races
In Audubon Park, Democrats Karen Lewis (73 votes) and Judith DiPasquale (72 votes) don’t know who they’ll face in November just yet. No Republican filed a petition seeking office, and so far, only two write-in votes were cast.
In Cherry Hill, Democratic Council President David Fleischer (5,433 votes) will face Republican Nicole Nance (1,503 votes) in the race for township mayor. Incumbent township council Democrats Jennifer Apell (5,482 votes), Michele Golkow (5,375 votes), and Brian Bauerle (5,259 votes) will defend their seats against Republicans David Lodge (1,504 votes), Dianne Carr (1,499 votes), and Rossana Parsons (1,484 votes).
In Haddon Heights, incumbent Democratic mayor Zach Houck (673 votes) seeks re-election this fall; he’ll be challenged by Republican Jennifer Moore (209 votes). Incumbent councilwomen Regina Philipps (672 votes) and Trisha Egbert (670 votes) will face Republicans Kevin Ehret (206 votes) and Denise Bolognese (206 votes)in the general election.
In Merchantville, incumbent Democratic Councilmen Sean Fitzgerald (354 votes) and Andrew McLoone (353 votes) will face an opponent yet to be determined. Thus far, 11 write-in votes have been cast, but no Republican appeared on the primary ballot.
In Oaklyn, incumbent Democratic mayor Greg Brandley (272 votes) and his fellow Democratic council members, Charles Lehman (275 votes) and Dorothy Valianti (271 votes) do not yet know their opponents in the fall race. No Republican has filed a petition seeking any local office; one Republican write-in vote was cast in the mayoral race and two in the council race.
In Pennsauken, Democrat Marie McKenna (2,009 votes) will continue on to pursue an unexpired term on the township council this fall, as will her fellow Democrats Vince Martinez (2,075 vote) and Patrick Olivo (2,014 votes). No Republican has filed a petition seeking any local office; eight Republican write-in votes were cast in the unexpired council race and 12 others in the regular council race.
