American legislative district
New Jersey's 5th legislative district is one of 40 in the New Jersey Legislature. As of the 2011 apportionment, the district covers the Camden County municipalities of Audubon, Barrington, Bellmawr, Brooklawn, Camden, Collingswood, Gloucester City, Haddon Heights, Mount Ephraim, Merchantville, Pennsauken, Runnemede and Woodlynne; and the Gloucester County municipalities of Deptford Township, Woodbury Heights, and Woodbury.
Demographic characteristics
As of the 2020 United States census, the district had a population of 221,612, of whom 168,945 (76.2%) were of voting age. The racial makeup of the district was 119,934 (54.1%) White, 45,434 (20.5%) African American, 1,208 (0.5%) Native American, 6,686 (3.0%) Asian, 87 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 29,335 (13.2%) from some other race, and 18,928 (8.5%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 51,605 (23.0%) of the population.
The district had 163,507 registered voters as of December 1, 2021, of whom 59,177 (36.2%) were registered as unaffiliated, 75,237 (46.0%) were registered as Democrats, 26,512 (16.2%) were registered as Republicans, and 2,581 (1.6%) were registered to other parties.
Political representation
For the 2024-2025 session, the 5th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Nilsa Cruz-Perez (D, Barrington) and in the General Assembly by Bill Moen (D, Camden) and William Spearman (D, Camden).
The legislative district overlaps with New Jersey's 1st congressional district.
1965–1973
The 1964 Supreme Court decision in Reynolds v. Sims required legislative districts' populations be equal as possible. As an interim measure, the 5th district in the 1965 State Senate election encompassed all of Ocean and Monmouth counties which elected two members of the Senate at-large. Republicans Richard R. Stout and William T. Hiering won this election for a two-year term. For the 1967 and 1971 elections, the 5th consisted of only Monmouth County and elected two and three Senators respectively. Republicans Stout and Alfred N. Beadleston won the 1967 election for a four-year term while Stout, Beadleston, and Republican Assemblyman Joseph Azzolina won in the 1971 election for a two-year term.
Between 1967 and 1973, the 5th Senate district was split into two Assembly districts, each electing two members. As Monmouth County gained population following the 1970 census, an additional Assembly member was elected at-large for the 1971 election. The members elected to the Assembly from each district are as follows:
- Resigned on August 6, 1973, to join staff of the Turnpike Authority
District composition since 1973
Since the creation of the 40-district legislative map in 1973, the 5th district has always been based around the city of Camden and nearby suburbs. In the 1973 iteration of the map, the district began in Camden city and traveled southeast to Hi-Nella. In 1981, some Camden County boroughs and Haddon Township were removed but added to the district were Gloucester City, Bellmawr, and Runnemede in Camden County and Deptford Township and Woodbury Heights. No major changes were made to the district in the 1991 or 2001 reapportionments. The 2011 apportionment added Audubon Park (from the 6th district) and Harrison Township, Mantua Township and Wenonah (all from the 3rd district). Municipalities that had been in the 4th district as part of the 2001 apportionment that were shifted out of the district as of 2011 are Woodbury Heights (to the 3rd district), and Hi-Nella, Somerdale and Stratford (all to the 6th district).
The territory currently in the 5th has been in Democratic hands without interruption since 1973. Indeed, the 5th is one of the few districts in the state to have ever elected only one party to all Senate and Assembly seats in every election since 1973.
Assemblyman Arthur Barclay resigned his seat on June 19, 2018, citing health reasons. His resignation came less than two weeks following him being arrested for simple assault at his home. Democratic committee members in Camden and Gloucester Counties selected former Camden City Councilman William Spearman as his replacement in the Assembly on June 27; he was sworn in on June 30.
Election history
- Resigned September 22, 1976, to join the Department of Labor and Industry
- Resigned on January 3, 1975, following his election to Congress
- Elected in November 1975 special election to complete the term of James Florio, sworn in on November 14, 1975
- Elected to the Senate in November 1976 special election, sworn in on November 8, 1976
- Terminated from the Senate on August 14, 1981, upon his conviction in the Abscam scandal
- Resigned on March 16, 1987
- Elected in July 28, 1987 special election, sworn into the Assembly on September 10, 1987
- Died on January 6, 1995
- ^ Appointed to the Senate on February 9, 1995, elected to fill the remainder of the term in a November 1995 special election
- Appointed to the Assembly on February 27, 1995
- Resigned on January 5, 2010, to become Mayor of Camden
- ^ Resigned from the Assembly on January 19, 2010 to be sworn into the Senate, elected to remainder of term in November 2010 special election
- Appointed to the Assembly on January 25, 2010, elected to remainder of term in November 2010 special election
- Resigned on November 12, 2014 upon his election to Congress
- Resigned June 30, 2015 to become a deputy county clerk
- Resigned December 2, 2015 to become Camden County Sheriff
- Appointed to the Senate and sworn in on December 15, 2014, elected to remainder of unexpired term in November 2015 special election
- Appointed to the Assembly and sworn in on November 16, 2015
- Resigned on June 19, 2018
- Appointed to the Assembly on June 30, 2018, elected to remainder of unexpired term in November 6, 2018 special election
Election results, 1973–present
Senate
Special election, November 4, 2015
| Party
|
Candidate
|
Votes
|
%
|
±%
|
|
|
Democratic
|
Nilsa Cruz-Perez
|
19,150
|
100.0
|
 42.1
|
| Total votes
|
19,150
|
100.0
|
|
General Assembly
Special election, November 4, 1975
| Party
|
Candidate
|
Votes
|
%
|
|
|
Democratic
|
Ronald J. Casella
|
21,551
|
63.4
|
|
|
Republican
|
Harold A. Miller
|
12,461
|
36.6
|
| Total votes
|
34,012
|
100.0
|
New Jersey general election, 1973
| Party
|
Candidate
|
Votes
|
%
|
|
|
Democratic
|
James J. Florio
|
27,449
|
35.2
|
|
|
Democratic
|
Ernest F. Schuck
|
25,585
|
32.8
|
|
|
Republican
|
C. Philip Murray, Jr.
|
12,281
|
15.8
|
|
|
Republican
|
Philip Wolf
|
11,713
|
15.0
|
|
|
Taxation With Representation
|
Raymond V. S. Miller
|
407
|
0.5
|
|
|
Dedicated, Honest, Unbossed
|
Frank J. Paradise
|
329
|
0.4
|
|
|
Dedicated, Honest, Unbossed
|
Donald R. MacLuckie
|
158
|
0.2
|
| Total votes
|
77,922
|
100.0
|
Election results, 1965–1973
Senate
General Assembly
District 5A
New Jersey general election, 1969
| Party
|
Candidate
|
Votes
|
%
|
|
|
Republican
|
John I. Dawes
|
41,016
|
29.6
|
|
|
Republican
|
Joseph E. Robertson
|
39,695
|
28.6
|
|
|
Democratic
|
Richard T. O’Connor
|
29,807
|
21.5
|
|
|
Democratic
|
Benedict R. Nicosia
|
27,513
|
19.8
|
|
|
Independent Party
|
Robert B. Hampton
|
348
|
0.3
|
|
|
Independent Party
|
John James Crist
|
306
|
0.2
|
| Total votes
|
138,685
|
100.0
|
District 5B
District 5 At-large
New Jersey general election, 1971
| Party
|
Candidate
|
Votes
|
%
|
|
|
Republican
|
Joseph E. Robertson
|
57,494
|
49.1
|
|
|
Democratic
|
John C. Manna
|
55,230
|
47.2
|
|
|
National Conservative
|
Warren Disbrow
|
4,271
|
3.7
|
| Total votes
|
116,995
|
100.0
|
References
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