Election profile: 20th Legislative District
New Jersey’s 20th Legislative District remained largely unchanged after reapportionment, covering Elizabeth, Kenilworth, Roselle, and Union in Union County.
The district has been represented by Democrats in the state legislature for decades and this is one of the few districts in the state where Democrats make up the majority of registered voters — 52%. Just 11% of registrants are Republicans and most of the rest are unaffiliated.
All three Democratic incumbents are seeking reelection.
Sen. Joseph Cryan, a Democrat former state Assembly majority leader who left the Legislature briefly to serve as Union County Sheriff, is running for reelection to the Senate seat he first won in 2017. His Republican opponent is Carmen Bucco, a business owner who lives in Kenilworth.
The Democratic Assembly incumbents are Reginald Atkins, a pastor at Zion Family Worship Center Church in Roselle and businessman, and Annette Qiujano, a municipal prosecutor for the City of Elizabeth and deputy majority leader of the Assembly. Only one Republican is on the Assembly ballot, Ramon Hernandez of Union Township.
Editor’s note: All candidates for state legislative seats were contacted multiple times for the NJ Decides 2023 voting guide Q&As. Click on a candidate to see who responded and any answers provided. More information about the project, including the full text of the questions, is available.
The candidates
SENATE
Age: 62 Hometown: Union Occupation: Executive director for the Middlesex County Utilities Authority Personal background: Born in East Orange, New Jersey, to proud Irish parents and raised in the Vailsburg section of Newark, Sen. Joe Cryan represents New Jersey in all aspects of his life. He also serves as the executive director for the Middlesex County Utilities Authority, a position he’s held for five years. He and his wife, Kathy, live in Union Township with their dog, Scout. Political background: He was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly and represented Legislative District 20 (Elizabeth, Union, Roselle and Hillside) from 2002 until 2014. During this time, he served as an undersheriff for Union County. In the Assembly, he served as the majority leader and chaired or served on over a dozen committees, as well as holding the role of chair for the New Jersey Democratic State Committee from 2006 to 2010. He left the Assembly to pursue the office of Union County sheriff, to which he was elected in 2014. He was elected to the New Jersey State Senate in 2017, again representing the 20th District. Why are you running for office? I’m running for office to fight for working families of the 20th District and to build upon the progress we’ve made since I have been in office. Key election issue: Protecting worker’s rights and standing with organized labor. I will continue to support striking workers by joining them in their picket line, like I did at Rutgers a few months ago. Example of a successful project: I worked diligently to pass the Temp Workers Bill of Rights into law. It took a long fight and many powerful advocates to get this accomplished, but New Jersey will be forever changed for the better with this legislation. Example of a challenge faced: N/A On NJ’s gun laws: Ghost guns are a frightening trend in the United States, and as technology advances, it’s only going to get worse. I was happy to sponsor legislation that banned ghost guns in New Jersey, and I’m grateful to President Joe Biden for taking a step to implement this on a federal level. On the Murphy administration’s climate change proposals: Climate change is a serious threat and New Jersey’s elected officials must do everything in our power to make our communities more resilient against them. On housing affordability and property taxes: I’ve worked with community partners, like Elizabeth’s Coalition to House the Homeless, to make sure our state’s budget helps people find a place to live. Housing justice has been a priority for me throughout my career and will continue to be.
Age: 52 Hometown: Kenilworth Occupation: Entrepreneur Personal background: Spent a lot of my life in the foster care system. Sometimes ending up on the streets with a drug problem. After a very bad experience, I had to decide whether to become a statistic or a part of society. I chose a part of society. Found a job that helped start to turn my life around. Worked for many years in small shops and big box stores, realizing they only cared about their bottom line. So, I decided to venture off on my own and start my own business. Over 25 years later I run a successful small business as well as a foundation for foster children and orphans, transitioning them into adulthood. Now it is my time to give back and truly help make a difference. Here is a video showing where I began and where I am. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e48_MIoBjCc Political background: I was a Board of Education member for the Township of Belleville and have been helping run campaigns for 20 years or more. I ran for City Council in my town and have run for commissioner in my county. Why are you running for office? It does not matter to me if a person is Democrat or Republican. We all have almost the same goals in our hearts. For too long the government has taken advantage of us and is out of touch with some common-sense realities. Some are in it for power, some are in it for gain. We need to open our hearts and focus on what is in the best interest of the people. To me that will be the start to healing our country, state and local communities. I am tired of seeing politicians in it for their own gain and I want to make sure that the people have their voices truly heard. Here is a video of why I am running. https://carmenbucco.com/issues/why-i-am-running/ Key election issue: There are so many: taxes, education, safety and small businesses. Without these things working in harmony, you have no community. Reevaluate where we are spending money, focus on getting back to basics in our education system and giving back rights to our parents. Focusing on what it will take to make our first responders better at their careers, giving small businesses the opportunity to thrive once again. Example of a successful project: I started my business in a one-bedroom apartment with just 300 clients. I now have two stores and a road consultant. Example of a challenge faced: My childhood. I nearly died because of drugs and didn’t care about life because I had only me. Now I am a successful business owner. On NJ’s gun laws: We need to really stop going back and forth with this issue. I feel both sides need to come together and use common-sense law. I don’t have an issue with the new law, but if you look at it, all someone has to do is carry extra magazines. We have so much technology. We need to use it to help stop the madness of mass shootings. Responsible gun owners should not have their rights infringed on. On the Murphy administration’s climate change proposals: I do not support the initiatives. Not only is it costly, but it is also sea life as well. We again need to come together as leaders and find real solutions. These are Band-Aids to the solution and when they don’t work we have wasted taxpayer dollars. And homeowners would not be able to afford the infrastructure to make this successful. Look at the state that lost power because of no wind. On housing affordability and property taxes: We can rezone areas as retail residential that are not zoned for this use. Fix up abandoned properties. I agree with affordable housing because it could have made a difference in my life instead of living in boarding houses. We could use shared services to take a burden off the taxpayer. We should never sacrifice service and politicians need to stop creating jobs just to get votes.
ASSEMBLY
The candidate did not respond to the questionnaire.
The candidate did not respond to the questionnaire.
The candidate did not respond to the questionnaire.