New Jersey voters head to the polls on Tuesday to select both parties’ nominees for the November 2017 state elections, when the Garden State will pick its next governor, all 40 state senators, and all 80 state Assembly members. Ex-Goldman Sachs executive and Obama-era former Ambassador to Germany Phil Murphy has locked up establishment support in the Democratic gubernatorial primary and achieved a huge campaign spending advantage over the rest of the field combined. Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno has led in the polls on the Republican side, while Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli is hoping to pull off an upset.
Voters in California’s 34th Congressional District will select a replacement for ex-Rep. Xavier Becerra, who resigned from this dark-blue downtown Los Angeles seat to become state attorney general. State Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez and former Los Angeles Planning Commissioner Robert Lee Ahn—both Democrats—will face off after advancing in the early April top-two primary, where Gomez won a 28-19 plurality. Gomez has earned broad party establishment backing and is likely favored to prevail in this heavily Latino seat, particularly since nearly all other candidates were also Latino. However, possible high turnout from Asian-American voters adds some suspense to the outcome.
Polls close in New Jersey at 8 PM ET and in California at 11 PM ET.
Results: California (AP|State), New Jersey (AP|State)