12th Legislative District (New Jersey)


New Jersey's 12th Legislative District is one of 40 in the state, covering the Burlington County municipalities of Chesterfield Township, New Hanover Township, North Hanover Township and Wrightstown Borough; the Middlesex County municipality of Old Bridge Township; the Monmouth County municipalities of Allentown Borough, Englishtown Borough, Manalapan Township, Matawan Borough, Millstone Township, Roosevelt Borough and Upper Freehold Township; and the Ocean County municipalities of Jackson Township and Plumsted Township as of the 2011 apportionment.

Demographic characteristics

As of the 2010 United States Census, the district had a population of 235,457, of whom 175,625 were of voting age. The racial makeup of the district was 189,424 White, 12,314 African American, 509 Native American, 20,085 Asian, 82 Pacific Islander, 8,778 from some other race, and 4,265 from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 26,033 of the population. The district had 154,811 registered voters as of February 1, 2020, of whom 67,890 were registered as unaffiliated, 43,217 were registered as Republicans, 41,766 were registered as Democrats, and 1,938 were registered to other parties.

Political representation

The district is represented for the 2020–2021 Legislative Session in the State Senate by Samuel D. Thompson and in the General Assembly by Ronald S. Dancer and Robert D. Clifton.

1965–1973

In the interim period between the 1964 Supreme Court decision Reynolds v. Sims which required the creation of state legislature districts to be made as equal in population as possible and the 1973 creation of the 40-district map, the 12th District consisted of all of Hudson County. Senators were elected at-large in the 12th District; three members of the Senate were elected in the 1965 and 1971 elections for a two-year term and four Senators were elected for the four-year term elected in the 1967 elections. From 1967 until 1971, the 12th Senate District was split into four Assembly districts with each district electing two members. For the final election held under the interim measures, the 12th Senate District was split into three Assembly districts each electing two members and an additional Assembly member elected at-large by the entire county.
The members elected to the Senate from this district are as follows:
SessionSenators
elected
1966–19673William Musto William F. Kelly Frank Joseph Guarini -
1968–19694William Musto Frank Joseph Guarini William F. Kelly Frederick H. Hauser
1970–19714William Musto Frank Joseph Guarini William F. Kelly Frederick H. Hauser
1972–19733William Musto James P. Dugan William F. Kelly -

The members elected to the Assembly from each district are as follows:
SessionDistrict 12ADistrict 12BDistrict 12CDistrict 12DDistrict 12 At-large
1968–1969John J. Fekety Alfred E. Suminski Michael P. Esposito Theodore DiGiammo -
1968–1969Addison McLeon David Friedland Christopher Jackman Norman A. Doyle -
1970–1971Joseph A. LeFante Alfred E. Suminski Frank R. Conwell Joseph M. Healey -
1970–1971James P. Dugan David Friedland Michael P. Esposito Christopher Jackman -
1972–1973Joseph A. LeFante Michael P. Esposito Christopher Jackman Seat eliminatedDavid Friedland
1972–1973David Wallace William G. Wilkerson Silvio Failla Seat eliminatedDavid Friedland
1972–1973David Wallace William G. Wilkerson Thomas Gallo Seat eliminatedDavid Friedland

District composition since 1973

When the 40-district legislative map was created in 1973, the 12th District first included the Middlesex County townships of Monroe Township and Madison and the northern Monmouth County municipalities of Matawan borough and township, Keyport, Union Beach, Keansburg, Middletown Township, and Red Bank. For the 1981 redistricting, almost the entire district was changed, only retaining Red Bank from the previous map. It consisted of all of western Monmouth County and some boroughs of northeastern Monmouth including Tinton Falls, Rumson, and West Long Branch. In the 1991 redistricting, the total area of the district was reduced as the four panhandle municipalities of western Monmouth and some of the boroughs on the east side of the district were shifted to other districts. The district became a long, narrow district in an east–west fashion in the 2001 redistricting stretching from Oceanport through the central Monmouth townships, and continuing into East Windsor and Hightstown in Mercer County. Following the 2011 redistricting, the district boundaries experienced yet another major change when it became composed of municipalities from four counties, Burlington, Ocean, Monmouth, and Middlesex.

Election history

Election results, 1973–present

Senate

Assembly

Election results, 1965–1973

Senate

Assembly

District 12A

District 12B

District 12C

District 12D

District 12 At-large