NJ Spotlight is sharing election coverage with NJTV News, our sister organization, which invited all candidates to complete a brief survey and record a video message; we have included those for all the candidates who responded.
The 16th District includes 14 communities in Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, and Somerset counties: Branchburg, Delaware, Flemington, Hillsborough, Manville, Millstone, Montgomery, Princeton, Raritan, Readington, Rocky Hill, Somerville, South Brunswick, and Stockton.
Voter registration leans Democratic — 34% blue and 25% red. While unaffiliated voters used to swing the results to the GOP, this is now a split district.
The 16th has a Republican senator and two Democratic assemblymen. Both Assembly incumbents are seeking re-election. They are Andrew Zwicker of South Brunswick and Roy Freiman of Hillsborough.
There was a contested race on the Republican side, with winners Mark Caliguire of Skillman, who lost an attempted Assembly bid in 2017, and Christine Madrid, also of Skillman, on the general election ballot.
ASSEMBLY CANDIDATES
ANDREW ZWICKER: DEMOCRAT (incumbent)
Hometown: South Brunswick
Occupation: Head of communications and public outreach at Princeton University’s Plasma Physics Lab
Top three issues: Job creation/innovation economy; environmental protection; voter rights/election security
Follow this link for more information.
ROY FREIMAN: DEMOCRAT (incumbent)
Hometown: Hillsborough
Occupation: Retired vice president of data and analytics at Prudential
Top three issues: Ensuring seniors can stay in New Jersey; protecting a woman’s right to choose; making New Jersey more affordable
Follow this link for more information.
MARK CALIGUIRE: REPUBLICAN
Hometown: Montgomery
Occupation: Lawyer
Top three issues: Changing the state pension and health benefits plans; cutting spending; reimposing the arbitration cap (according to a NJ Spotlight pre-primary questionnaire)
Follow this link for more information.
CHRISTINE MADRID: REPUBLICAN
Hometown: Montgomery
Occupation/Service: Montgomery Township Committee, 2012-2018
Follow this link for more information.