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The 8th legislative district sprawls over 20 towns in Atlantic, Burlington and Camden counties and has grown increasingly politically competitive over the last several years. Now the races for Senate and Assembly seats here are among the few competitive legislative races statewide.

This year’s election features the incumbent Sen. Dawn Marie Addiego in her first campaign as a Democrat versus Republican Assemblywoman Jean Stanfield. With Stanfield running for the Senate seat and Assemblyman Ryan Peters retiring, there are no incumbents seeking reelection in the Assembly.

The candidates for Assembly are all relatively new. On the Democratic side, Mark Natale, an attorney from Marlton, and Allison Eckel, a marketing specialist, are competing against Republican nominees Mike Torrissi, a Hammonton councilman, and Brandon Umba, a Lumberton Township administrator.

“This race will be fought in the air, but won in the trenches,” said Ben Dworkin, director of the Rowan Institute for Public Policy and Citizenship.

Ten years ago, there were 4,200 more registered Democrats than Republicans in the district, Dworkin said. Now there are over 9,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans. That trend toward more Democrats indicates a possible shift in voter turnout, but that would depend on how the next couple of weeks play out, he said.

Let’s talk dollars

Money is playing a significant role in these races, one of the few competitive legislative districts in the state. All 80 seats in the Assembly are on the ballot as are the 40 Senate seats. Voters will also be asked to choose the state’s next governor as well as decide two statewide ballot questions and local races.

Close to $3 million has been spent by candidates and independent spending committees on the election in the 8th district so far. And, said Dworkin, “A lot of money is going to be spent in the next two weeks.”

People in the 8th district are highly motivated to vote, Stanfield said. “People are upset about affordability issues in New Jersey,” she said. The issue of property taxes is a main point of contention for Stanfield and her running mates.

Umba stated, “We are here to produce results for our residents, not continue to raise taxes.” One of the pillars of their campaign is ensuring that New Jerseyans remain in the state. “I don’t want to see any more people leave New Jersey,” Umba said. “It is time for constituents to get a return on their tax dollars.”

Torrissi expressed the same sentiment, saying, “We want to make sure we have businesses coming into New Jersey.” At the current rates, these candidates see property taxes as one of the primary problems facing their district.

Agreeing on property taxes

Democratic candidates have a similar opinion on property taxes. “Property taxes, as we all know, are crippling to families across New Jersey,” Natale said.

Addiego said she would like to continue her the work on affordability. “I have been able to advocate for freezing property tax relief for senior citizens and expand the homestead property tax rebate program that so many people rely upon to make our district more affordable,” she said.

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One factor that the candidates claim fuels their district’s high property taxes — the school funding formula. Eckel is a member of the Lenape Regional High School Board of Education and has seen firsthand how funding schools is integral to creating affordability in her community. “If we don’t get our fair share of state funding, our property taxpayers are all on the hook to make it up,” Eckel said.

“The current budget is not enough to fund schools,” Stanfield said. “We need to put more money back into the school system and avoid people having to fill in those gaps themselves.”

Umba went a step further to argue that, under Addiego, school districts have lost state aid and suffered as a result. “Students are being left behind in the current school funding formula,” Umba said. “At the end of the day, the 8th district has been losing.”

Addiego’s first race as a Democrat

This race is especially competitive because it is Addiego’s first election as a Democratic candidate. She has represented the 8th district since 2010 but switched from the Republican Party in 2019. Addiego said she is not concerned with how this could affect her success in this election. As the incumbent, Addiego said, “When voters cast their ballots, I believe they will be taking my leadership into account, not arbitrary labels.”

Dworkin noted that Addiego’s Democratic affiliation has not seemed to affect the public’s perception of her. “Otherwise, they would be criticizing her for it,” Dworkin said.

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Addiego is not the only candidate with a history of public service. Stanfield has served one term in the Assembly in addition to her career as the Burlington County sheriff. “I have spent my time talking to people and providing them with the services they need,” Stanfield said. She believes she is ready to take on the Senate.

With less than two weeks until the election, Dworkin stressed that it will come down to who can turn out voters. “They need to get their people to the polls,” he said. To do so, candidates may be pouring even more money than has already been spent into their campaigns.

Election Day is Nov. 2. Early voting will commence Oct. 23 and end Oct. 31. Mail-in ballots need to be postmarked or deposited into a drop box by 8 p.m. on Nov. 2.