NJ Voters Guide: 17th Legislative District
New Jersey’s 17th Legislative District’s encompasses New Brunswick, North Brunswick and Piscataway in Middlesex County and South Bound Brook and Franklin in Somerset.
The district has been a Democratic stronghold for decades. Democrats make up 47% of all registered voters, while 13% are Republicans and most of the rest are unaffiliated.
Incumbent Democratic Assemblymen Joseph Danielsen, executive director of the Franklin Township Sewerage Authority, and Kevin Egan, a union official, are seeking reelection. They are facing Republicans Susan Hucko of North Brunswick, who lost two years ago, and Patricia Badovinac of Piscataway, who ran in 2019.
Editor’s note: All candidates were contacted multiple times for the NJ Decides 2025 voting guide Q&As. Click on a candidate to see any answers provided.
The candidates
Age: 60 Hometown: Franklin Township Occupation: Executive Director, Franklin Township Sewerage Authority Personal or professional background: I am a lifelong resident of Franklin Township in Somerset County, I served our country in the Army, then our community on our local planning board and as Chairman of the Democratic Party. Which has given me a keen sense of the issues within my community, and my legislative district which I feel has allowed me to best represent the residents I serve. What is your top issue this year? Affordability remains to me the top issue in this election, a fact supported by my many conversations with residents across the district. We are in a prolonged cost of living crisis, aggravated by reckless actions at the federal level which has made groceries, medicines, utilities so much more expensive, which has placed an unfair burden on families across the State just trying to make ends meet. What are your specific proposals for making New Jersey more affordable? First and foremost I intend to continue to support the important property tax relief programs in place, namely ANCHOR, STAYNJ & Senior Freeze. Additionally, I have introduced legislation aimed at keeping utility costs down, addressing an issue which has added another level of strain on our families. I will also continue to support cost of living based increases to our minimum wage, to ensure that everyone receives a living wage for the work they do. Do you support the state law designed to increase the amount of affordable housing and if not, how would you make housing less costly for residents? I voted for that piece of legislation last year, and I support its implementation across New Jersey. And I will gladly continue to work towards and support any other pieces of legislation that will offer more affordable housing. How would you manage potential federal funding cuts to social services, health care, education, and other areas, particularly in light of the state’s budget challenges? The ruthless cuts in federal funding from the Trump administration have been unacceptable and placed an undue burden on families across the State and indeed the Country. As you say, the State Budget challenge adds another dimension to this problem, but I believe we can solve both issues at once. Personally, I intend to support budget resolutions which will offer direct support to individuals, programs and groups who are suffering the most from these Trump cuts.
The candidate did not respond to the questionnaire.
The candidate did not respond to the questionnaire.
The candidate did not respond to the questionnaire.
