New Jersey's 3rd legislative district is one of 40 in the state. As of the 2021 apportionment the district covers the Cumberland County municipalities of Deerfield Township, Greenwich Township, Hopewell Township, Shiloh Borough, Stow Creek Township, and Upper Deerfield Township; the Gloucester County municipalities of Clayton, East Greenwich Township, Elk Township, Glassboro, Greenwich Township, Harrison Township, Logan Township, Mantua Township, National Park, Paulsboro, Pitman, South Harrison Township, Swedesboro, Wenonah Borough, West Deptford Township, Westville, and Woolwich Township, and all of Salem County.Districts by Number, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed July 6, 2023.
Demographic characteristics As of the 2020 United States census, the district had a population of 233,238, of whom 180,926 (77.6%) were of voting age. The racial makeup of the district was 155,956 (66.9%) White, 33,610 (14.4%) African American, 1,819 (0.8%) Native American, 4,611 (2.0%) Asian, 57 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 19,499 (8.4%) from some other race, and 17,686 (7.6%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 34,897 (15.0%) of the population.
The district had 159,457 registered voters as of December 1, 2021, of whom 58,474 (36.7%) were registered as unaffiliated, 57,390 (36.0%) were registered as Democrats, 41,186 (25.8%) were registered as Republicans, and 2,407 (1.5%) were registered to other parties.Statewide Voter Registration Summary, New Jersey Department of State, December 1, 2021. Accessed January 4, 2022.
Political representation
The legislative district overlaps with New Jersey's 1st and 2nd congressional districts.
1965–1973 The 1964 Supreme Court decision in Reynolds v. Sims required legislative districts' populations be equal as possible. As an interim measure, the 3rd District in the 1965 State Senate election encompassed all of Camden County and elected two members to the Senate. In this case, Republican Frederick Scholz and Democrat A. Donald Bigley were sent to Trenton for a two-year term beginning in 1966.
For the next three elections, the 3rd District became made up of all of Camden, Gloucester, and Salem counties and was further divided into four Assembly districts (Districts 3A, 3B, 3C, and 3D). In the 1967 and 1971 Senate elections, a total of four Senators were elected from the district but candidates were nominated by Assembly district and were elected by only the residents of the respective district. Each Assembly district elected two members in each election.
The members elected to the Senate from each district are as follows: Session District 3A District 3B District 3C District 3D 1968–1969 John L. White (R) Hugh A. Kelly Jr. (R) John L. Miller (R) Frank C. Italiano (R) 1970–1971 1972–1973 James M. Turner (R) Joseph A. Maressa (D) John L. Miller (R) Frank C. Italiano (R)Resigned November 29, 1973 to become a judge in the District Court in Camden County
The members elected to the Assembly from each district are as follows: Session District 3A District 3B District 3C District 3D 1968–1969 Joseph H. Enos (R) Walter E. Pedersen (R) William K. Dickey (R) John J. Horn (D) Kenneth A. Black Jr. (R) Leonard H. Kaser (R) Eugene Raymond III (R) Lee B. Laskin (R) 1970–1971 Joseph H. Enos (R) James M. Turner (R) William K. Dickey (R) John J. Horn (D) Kenneth A. Black Jr. (R) Thomas J. Shusted (R) Eugene Raymond III (R) James Florio (D) 1972–1973 Kenneth A. Black Jr. (R) Francis J. Gorman (D) William K. Dickey (R) John J. Horn (D) H. Donald Stewart (D) Kenneth A. Gewertz (D) Eugene Raymond III (R) James Florio (D)
District composition since 1973 Starting in 1973 with the creation of 40 equal-population districts statewide, the 3rd District was made up of all of Salem County and most of Gloucester County. Some southeastern Gloucester County municipalities were removed from the District in the 1981 redistricting but several sparsely populated Cumberland County townships along the Delaware Bay were added. The Cumberland County city of Bridgeton and some adjacent townships were added in the 1991 redistricting but the boroughs of Pitman and Glassboro were moved out. The only changes made during the 2001 redistricting were the removal of Woodbury and the addition of Elk Township and Clayton borough.
The 2011 reapportionment added Franklin Township (from 4th District), Glassboro (4th), Newfield (4th) and Woodbury Heights (5th). Municipalities that had been in the 3rd District as part of the 2001 apportionment that were shifted out of the district are Commercial Township, Downe Township, Fairfield Township, Greenwich Township, Hopewell Township, Lawrence Township, Shiloh and Stow Creek Township (all to the 1st District); and Harrison Township, Mantua Township and Wenonah (all to the 5th District).Districts by Number, New Jersey Legislature, backed up by the Internet Archive as of November 12, 2011. Accessed April 11, 2013. Under the 2021 apportionment, Bridgeton, Franklin Township, Newfield, and Woodbury Heights were removed while numerous Cumberland and Gloucester County townships and boroughs were added comprising 22% of the district.
Election history Session Senate General Assembly 1974–1975 Raymond Zane (D)H. Donald Stewart (D)Martin A. Herman (D) 1976–1977 H. Donald Stewart (D)Martin A. Herman (D) 1978–1979 Raymond Zane (D)H. Donald Stewart (D)Martin A. Herman (D) 1980–1981 H. Donald Stewart (D)Martin A. Herman (D) 1982–1983 Raymond Zane (D)Thomas A. Pankok (D)Martin A. Herman (D) 1984–1985 Raymond Zane (D)Thomas A. Pankok (D)Martin A. Herman (D) 1986–1987 Jack Collins (R)Gary Stuhltrager (R) 1988–1989 Raymond Zane (D)Jack Collins (R)Gary Stuhltrager (R) 1990–1991 Jack Collins (R)Gary Stuhltrager (R) 1992–1993 Raymond Zane (D)Jack Collins (R)Gary Stuhltrager (R) 1994–1995 Raymond Zane (D)Jack Collins (R)Gary Stuhltrager (R) 1996–1997 Jack Collins (R)Gary Stuhltrager (R) 1998–1999 Raymond Zane (D) Jack Collins (R)Gary Stuhltrager (R)2000–2001 Jack Collins (R)Gary Stuhltrager (R)Raymond Zane (R)Switched parties on February 22, 2001 2002–2003 Stephen Sweeney (D)Douglas H. Fisher (D)John J. Burzichelli (D) 2004–2005 Stephen Sweeney (D)Douglas H. Fisher (D)John J. Burzichelli (D) 2006–2007 Douglas H. Fisher (D)John J. Burzichelli (D)2008–2009 Stephen Sweeney (D)Douglas H. Fisher (D)Resigned March 9, 2009 to become Secretary of AgricultureJohn J. Burzichelli (D)Celeste Riley (D)Appointed March 19, 2009 2010–2011 Celeste Riley (D)John J. Burzichelli (D) 2012–2013 Stephen Sweeney (D)Celeste Riley (D)John J. Burzichelli (D)2014–2015 Stephen Sweeney (D)Celeste Riley (D)Resigned January 2, 2015 to become Cumberland County ClerkJohn J. Burzichelli (D)Adam Taliaferro (D)Appointed January 29, 2015 2016–2017 Adam Taliaferro (D)John J. Burzichelli (D) 2018–2019 Stephen Sweeney (D)Adam Taliaferro (D)John J. Burzichelli (D) 2020–2021 Adam Taliaferro (D)John J. Burzichelli (D) 2022–2023 Edward Durr (R)Beth Sawyer (R)Bethanne McCarthy-Patrick (R) 2024–2025 John J. Burzichelli (D)Heather Simmons (D)David Bailey (D) 2026-2027 Heather Simmons (D)David Bailey (D)
Election results, 1973–present
Senate
General Assembly
Election results, 1965–1973 Senate District 3 At-large
District 3A
District 3B
District 3C
District 3D
General Assembly District 3A
District 3B
District 3C
District 3D
References