Election profile: 39th Legislative District

New Jersey’s 39^th Legislative District lies in the northeast corner of the state. Its boundaries changed slightly after reapportionment. It covers part of Bergen County: Allendale, Alpine, Closter, Cresskill, Demarest, Dumont, Emerson, Harrington Park, Haworth, Hillsdale, Ho-Ho-Kus, Mahwah, Midland Park, Montvale, Northvale, Norwood, Oakland, Old Tappan, Park Ridge, Ramsey, River Vale, Rockleigh, Saddle River, Upper Saddle River, Waldwick, Washington, Westwood and Woodcliff Lake.

This is a red district, although registered Democrats outnumber Republicans: 30% versus 29%. About 40% of the district’s registrants are unaffiliated and appear to lean Republican.

Sen. Holly Schepisi, an attorney and former Assembly member from River Vale, is facing Democratic candidate Jodi Murphy, a Westwood woman who works for Children in Conflict Inc.

The Assembly incumbents are Robert Auth, an insurance broker and assemblyman who lives in Old Tappan, and John Azzariti of Saddle River. They face Democratic Assembly candidates Damon Englese, an educator and principal from Dumont, and John Vitale, a restaurant owner from Park Ridge.

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 here.

The candidates