New Jersey's 23rd legislative district is one of 40 in the New Jersey Legislature. The district includes the Hunterdon County municipalities of Alexandria Township, Bethlehem Township, Bloomsbury, Califon, Franklin Township, Glen Gardner, Hampton, Holland Township, Lebanon Township, Milford, Tewksbury Township and Union Township, the Somerset County municipalities of Bedminster Township, Bound Brook, Bridgewater Township, Manville, Raritan and Somerville, as well as the Warren County municipalities of Alpha, Belvidere, Blairstown Township, Franklin Township, Frelinghuysen Township, Greenwich Township, Hardwick Township, Hope Township, Knowlton Township, Liberty Township, Hackettstown, Harmony Township, Lopatcong Township, Mansfield Township, Oxford Township, Phillipsburg, Pohatcong Township, Washington Borough, Washington Township, and White Township.Districts by Number, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed February 10, 2014.Municipalities (sorted by 2011 legislative district) , New Jersey Department of State. Accessed February 10, 2014.

Demographic characteristics As of the 2020 United States census, the district had a population of 222,231, of whom 177,008 (79.7%) were of voting age. The racial makeup of the district was 160,381 (72.2%) White, 10,593 (4.8%) African American, 630 (0.3%) Native American, 19,106 (8.6%) Asian, 56 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 12,743 (5.7%) from some other race, and 18,722 (8.4%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 29,551 (13.3%) of the population.

The 23rd district had 174,110 registered voters as of December 1, 2021, of whom 61,978 (35.6%) were registered as unaffiliated, 61,046 (35.1%) were registered as Republicans, 49,004 (28.1%) were registered as Democrats, and 2,082 (1.2%) were registered to other parties.Statewide Voter Registration Summary, New Jersey Department of State, December 1, 2021. Accessed December 28, 2021.

As of 2000, the district had the largest population of any in the state and the second-highest land area, making it one of the least densely populated districts in the state. The district had a small minority population, with comparatively few African American, Asian and Hispanic residents. The district had the highest municipal tax rate in the state, but lower than average school and county taxes leave the overall rate near the statewide median. Registered Republicans outnumber Democrats by a 2-1 margin.District 23 Profile , Rutgers University. Accessed July 26, 2010.

Political representation

The legislative district overlaps with 7th and 12th congressional districts.

Apportionment history Upon the creation of the 40-district legislative map in 1973, the 23rd district consisted of central Morris County including Madison, Morristown, Dover, and Town and Township of Boonton. Following the 1981 redistricting, the 23rd shifted to the rural areas of western New Jersey including the Borough and Township of Hopewell and Pennington in Mercer County, all of Hunterdon County except East Amwell Township, in Warren County Franklin Township, Greenwich Township, and the Borough and Township of Washington, western Morris County, and Stanhope in Sussex County. For the 1991 redistricting following the 1990 census, the district shifted to most of Hunterdon County except for some municipalities in the northern part of the county, all of Warren County, and the Mercer County portion remaining unchanged.

In the 2001 redistricting, the Mercer County municipalities were eliminated from the 23rd with the district only consisting of Hunterdon County save for Tewksbury Township and Califon and all of Warren County. The district experienced a major change following the 2011 redistricting; the 23rd currently consists of southern Warren County including Phillipsburg, Washington, and Hackettstown, most of northern Hunterdon County, and a spur into Somerset County with Bedminster, Peapack-Gladstone, Bridgewater, Raritan Borough, Bound Brook, and South Bound Brook.

Despite the historic Republican nature of Morris County, Democrats swept the three legislative seats up for election in 1973: Stephen B. Wiley, who was also elected in a special election to complete an unexpired Senate term under the old at-large Morris County district, was elected to a four-year Senate term from this district, Gordon MacInnes and Rosemarie Totaro won both Assembly seats as well. MacInnes and Totaro would both be defeated for re-election in 1975 but Totaro would again serve one term in the Assembly after winning in 1977 and MacInnes would later serve four years in the Senate from the geographically similar 25th district in 1993. Governor of New Jersey Brendan Byrne nominated State Senator Wiley to the New Jersey Supreme Court in 1977, his nomination was approved by the Senate, but was rejected by the Supreme Court, which ruled that as Wiley had voted to raise the salary of justices of the Supreme Court in 1974, he could not be appointed to serve on the court until after his term of office expired.Waldron, Martin. "SUPREME COURT BARS WILEY APPOINTMENT; Cites His Membership in Legislature When It Raised Justices' Salaries Byrne to Nominate an Aide", The New York Times, February 12, 1977. Accessed July 29, 2010. Wiley served the remainder of his term in the Senate but was defeated for re-election in 1977 by Republican John H. Dorsey.

After the 1981 redistricting, Senator Walter E. Foran and Assemblyman Karl Weidel, who had been elected from the 14th district in the previous election, became representatives from the 23rd. Following the death of Foran in 1986, Dick Zimmer filled the vacant seat in the Senate and William E. Schluter won Zimmer's Assembly seat, and then continued on to the State Senate after Zimmer succeeded Jim Courter in the United States House of Representatives in 1991."The Harvey Smith Club", PolitickerNJ.com, June 6, 2007. Accessed July 29, 2010. Schluter's Assembly seat was filled by Leonard Lance.

On January 24, 2009, a special election was held by a convention of Republican committee members from Hunterdon and Warren counties to fill the Senate vacancy created when Leonard Lance was elected to Congress. Marcia A. Karrow defeated Michael J. Doherty in the special election by a margin of 195 votes to 143. Doherty announced he would run against Karrow a second time in the June 2009 primary, when she would be running as the incumbent. The Hunterdon and Warren County Republican committee members held another special convention on February 21, 2009 to fill Karrow's vacant Assembly seat. In the contest, Warren County Freeholder John DiMaio defeated Hunterdon County Freeholders Matt Holt and Erik Peterson.

On June 2, 2009, Doherty defeated Karrow in the Republican Senate primary by a margin of 52%-48%, making her the only incumbent to lose a primary battle that year. Doherty went on to win the November special election, defeating Democratic candidate Harvey Baron to fill the remaining two years of the term. Karrow's Senate term ended on November 23, 2009 when Doherty was sworn into office.

Doug Steinhardt took office on December 19, 2022, succeeding Michael J. Doherty, who resigned to take the position as Warren County Surrigate."Steinhardt Sworn-in as State Senator for New Jersey’s 23rd Legislative District", Insider NJ, December 19, 2022. Accessed December 19, 2022. "Douglas J. Steinhardt has taken the oath of office to become the new state senator for New Jersey’s 23rd Legislative District.... Steinhardt, a resident and former five-time mayor of Lopatcong Township, was sworn-in during a session of the New Jersey Senate on December 19, 2022. Senator Steinhardt was selected to fill the remainder of former Senator Mike Doherty’s term."

Election history Senators and Assembly members elected from the district are as follows: Session Senate General Assembly 1974–1975 Stephen B. Wiley (D) Gordon MacInnes (D) Rosemarie Totaro (D) 1976–1977 James J. Barry Jr. (R) John H. Dorsey (R) 1978–1979 John H. Dorsey (R)James J. Barry Jr. (R) Rosemarie Totaro (D) 1980–1981 James J. Barry Jr. (R) Arthur R. Albohn (R) 1982–1983 Walter E. Foran (R) Karl Weidel (R) Dick Zimmer (R) 1984–1985 Walter E. Foran (R)Died December 8, 1986  Karl Weidel (R) Dick Zimmer (R) 1986–1987 Karl Weidel (R)Resigned June 13, 1986 to join staff of Department of Insurance Dick Zimmer (R)Elected to the Senate in March 1987 special election, sworn in on April 23, 1987  C. Richard Kamin (R)Elected to the Assembly in August 1986 special election, sworn in on September 8, 1986  Dick Zimmer (R) William E. Schluter (R)Elected to the Assembly in July 1987 special election, sworn in on September 10, 1987 1988–1989 Dick Zimmer (R)Resigned January 3, 1991 upon election to Congress C. Richard Kamin (R) William E. Schluter (R) 1990–1991Staff. "Vote Totals for the Elections Held on Tuesday in New York and New Jersey", The New York Times, November 9, 1989. Accessed June 23, 2010. C. Richard Kamin (R) William E. Schluter (R)Appointed to the Senate on January 29, 1991 William E. Schluter (R) Leonard Lance (R)Appointed to the Assembly on February 21, 1991 1992–1993 William E. Schluter (R) Chuck Haytaian (R) Leonard Lance (R) 1994–1995Sullivan, Joseph F. "THE 1993 ELECTIONS: New Jersey Legislature; Cut Taxes 30 Percent? Whitman's Top Statehouse Allies Say Not So Fast", The New York Times, November 4, 1993. Accessed June 23, 2010. William E. Schluter (R) Chuck Haytaian (R) Leonard Lance (R) 1996–1997 Connie Myers (R) Leonard Lance (R) 1998–1999Staff. "THE 1997 ELECTIONS: RESULTS; The Races for the New Jersey Assembly", The New York Times, November 5, 1997. Accessed July 12, 2010. William E. Schluter (R) Connie Myers (R) Leonard Lance (R) 2000–2001Kocieniewski, David. "THE 1999 ELECTIONS: NEW JERSEY ASSEMBLY; Democrats Win Seats in Three Districts, Narrowing Republicans' Majority", The New York Times, November 3, 1999. Accessed July 12, 2010. Connie Myers (R) Leonard Lance (R) 2002–2003Staff. "THE 2001 ELECTIONS; RESULTS -- The Races for New Jersey", The New York Times, November 8, 2001. Accessed July 12, 2010. Leonard Lance (R) Connie Myers (R) Michael J. Doherty (R) 2004–2005Kocieniewski, David. "THE 2003 ELECTION: THE STATEHOUSE; Democrats Seize Senate And Widen Assembly Gap", The New York Times, November 5, 2003. Accessed June 23, 2010. Leonard Lance (R) Connie Myers (R) Michael J. Doherty (R) 2006–2007 Marcia A. Karrow (R) Michael J. Doherty (R) 2008–2009 Leonard Lance (R)Resigned January 3, 2009 upon election to Congress Marcia A. Karrow (R) Michael J. Doherty (R) Marcia A. Karrow (R)Appointed to the Senate on February 9, 2009, lost June 2009 special primary election, served until November 23, 2009 John DiMaio (R)Appointed to the Assembly on March 16, 2009 Michael J. Doherty (R)Won Senate seat in November 2009 special election, sworn in on November 23, 2009 Erik Peterson (R)Appointed to the Assembly on December 7, 2009 2010–2011Staff. "2009 Election Results" , The New York Times, November 9, 2009. Accessed July 12, 2010. John DiMaio (R) Erik Peterson (R) 2012–2013 Michael J. Doherty (R) John DiMaio (R) Erik Peterson (R) 2014–2015 Michael J. Doherty (R) John DiMaio (R) Erik Peterson (R) 2016–2017 John DiMaio (R) Erik Peterson (R) 2018–2019 Michael J. Doherty (R) John DiMaio (R) Erik Peterson (R) 2020–2021 John DiMaio (R) Erik Peterson (R) 2022–2023 Michael J. Doherty (R)Resigned November 30, 2022 to become Warren County Surrogate John DiMaio (R) Erik Peterson (R) Doug Steinhardt (R)Appointed to the Senate on December 19, 2022 2024–2025 Doug Steinhardt (R) John DiMaio (R) Erik Peterson (R) 2026–2027 John DiMaio (R) Erik Peterson (R)

Election results Senate

General Assembly

References