US Senate 2012 Election in New Jersey
This article presents facts, analysis, and predictions for New Jersey's 2012 U.S. Senate election race.
See 2012 Senate Elections - Who's Winning, Who's Losing for an overview of all 33 US Senate races, on a state-by-state basis.
The Incumbent US Senator
Sen. Bob Menendez, a Democrat and a U.S. native born to Cuban parents, was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006, after serving six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Menendez was a member of the New Jersey legislature for five years.
In the 112th Congress, Sen. Menendez is a member of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations, Finance, and Banking committees. For the 2010 election cycle, Sen. Menendez headed the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
In 2012, Sen. Bob Menendez is running for reelection as U.S. senator from New Jersey.
New Jersey's 2012 Senate Race
In November, incumbent Sen. Menendez will be challenged by Republican Joseph M. Kyrillos Jr., New Jersey state senator since 1992, and a close personal friend of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
The campaign between Menendez and Kyrillos is expected "to be negative and costly," per local media.
Snarked Republican Kyrillos after his June 5, 2012 primary victory, "“When evaluating whether Bob Menendez deserves another term, ask yourself a simple question: What has Bob Menendez done to EARN your vote?” Kyrillos continued. “Can you think of a single initiative, a single idea, a single meaningful piece of legislation that Bob Menendez has offered to bring America back?
Has he made your life better?"
Who Will Win?
RealClearPolitics.com rates New Jersey's 2012 U.S. Senate election as "Likely Democratic Seat."
Recent Election Results
New Jersey's two U.S. senators serving in the 112th Congress (2011 to 2012) are:
- Democrat Frank Lautenberg, serving his fifth term
- Democrat Robert Menendez, completing his first term
Among New Jersey's 13-member delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives, seven are Democrats and six are Republicans.
In the last four presidential elections, New Jersey voted as follows:
- 2008 - 57% for Democrat Obama, 42% for Republican McCain
- 2004 - 53% for Democrat Kerry, 46% for Republican Bush
- 2000 - 56% for Democrat Gore, 40% for Republican Bush
- 1996 - 54% for Democrat Clinton, 36% for Republican Dole, 10% for Other
Labor Union Membership - New Jersey is home to 731,000 labor union members, representing 19.0% of all workers in the state and the 7th highest state population of labor union members.
Hispanic Population - 17.7% of New Jersey residents are of Hispanic heritage, which ranks 7th among all states, behind only five western states and Florida.
African-American Population - 14% of New Jersey residents are African-Americans, which ranks 14th among all states.
Unemployment Rate as of June 2011 - New Jersey's unemployment rate was generally higher than the national average throughout 2011. In June 2011, the state's unemployment rate was 9.5%, which ranked 13th among all states.
Foreclosure Rates as of June 2011 - New Jersey's home foreclosure rate remained significantly below the national average in 2011. In June 2011, the state foreclosure rate was 1 in 2971 homes, which ranked 44th among all states.
State Residents Living Below Poverty-Level Income - 8.7% of New Jersey residents live below the poverty level, a comparatively low rate that ranks 47th among all states.
Senior Citizen Population - Residents 65 years old and over comprise 13.5% of New Jersey's population, which ranks 24th among all states.
Women as a Percentage of State Population - Women are 51.3% of New Jersey's population, which ranks 9th among all states.
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