Testa takes Senate seat, carries GOP running mates to Assembly wins in 1st District

Polls are now closed. Final, unofficialresults are now in in the N.J. Senate and General Assembly races in the 1st District

The Republican Party appears to have swept up the New Jersey Senate and General Assembly seats in the 1st Legislative District, rejecting Democratic incumbents handpicked by Democratic U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew to continue his legacy.

Based on unofficial results Tuesday night, Vineland resident and attorney Michael Testa Jr., making his first run for office, unseated Sen. Robert Andrzejczak. 

Republican Assembly candidates Erik Simonsen and Antwan McClellan finished first and second, respectively, ousting incumbent Assemblymen Bruce Land and Matt Milam.

"From start to finish Michael has worked extremely hard," Testa campaign manager Brittany O'Neill said. "He's picked himself up by the boot straps every day and worked his hardest."

O'Neill indicated voter turn-out in Testa's home ward in Vineland was huge. About 600 more people voted than in the last presidential election, the campaign manager claimed. 

"What hit (voters) at the end of the day is who he is," O'Neill said. 

The campaign manager noted Democrats are often victorious in Vineland and Cape May County. 

Testa's campaign called the race a win when results in those two regions were in his favor, O'Neill said. 

The Daily Journal and Courier Post have reached out to Andrzejczak for comment.

Election Day in New Jersey’s 1st Legislative District was unusual by 2019 state standards and the difference largely stemmed from the top of the ticket, where Andrzejczak was attempting to fill the shoes of his predecessor and mentor Van Drew.

Andrzejczak quit his Assembly seat to be appointed to a one-year term as a state senator and was sworn in on Jan. 15. He was his party’s choice to replace Jeff Van Drew, who resigned Jan. 1 from the Senate to join the United States House of Representatives.

More:Testa running for N.J. Senate in 1st District

More:United behind Andrzejczak, state Assembly seat dividing S.J. Democrats

On Tuesday, the choice for voters in Cumberland, Cape May and Atlantic counties was whether Andrzejczak should fill out the rest of Van Drew’s term, or whether the seat swings to Testa. 

Testa entered the race with a background in politics as a member and executive director of the Cumberland County Republican Party. A grandfather was the first mayor of Vineland, too.

Not on the ballot, but very much involved in the campaign, was Van Drew. Andrzejczak and his Assembly running mates ran proudly as the “Van Drew Team.”

Political control in the 1st District has rested for about a decade with Democrats, a swing that started with Van Drew’s success in Cape May County politics and its translation into success in Assembly and Senate races.

However, voters in the 1st Legislative District cannot be taken for granted. The district was solidly Republican for many years and the mix of Republicans, Democrats, and Independents makes public officials cautious.

One contentious moment in a sometimes nasty campaign was a recent poll putting the Democratic incumbents ahead, if within the margin of error. Republicans mocked the poll as erroneous and even dropped the "fake news" card, to apparent outrage from their opponents.

Van Drew as a state legislator and now a congressman has striven to be seen as a political moderate. His running mates also have been in that mold.

As part of the reorganization with Van Drew departing, Milam was appointed to take Andrzejczak's seat in Assembly seat starting this January.

Milam’s appointment was a return to the lower house, where he was a member from 2008 to 2013. Like Andrzejczak, his appointment required him to stand for election this November if he wanted to serve a full term.

Land is a retired N.J. Department of Corrections officer. Milam, who previously ran his family’s company, currently is a full-time legislator.

The Republican Assembly slate consists of Erik Simonsen, mayor of Lower Township, and Antwan McClellan, an Ocean City councilman.

The 1st District includes the communities of Avalon, Cape May, Cape May Point, Commercial, Corbin City, Dennis, Downe, Estell Manor, Fairfield (Cumberland), Greenwich (Cumberland), Hopewell (Cumberland), Lawrence (Cumberland), Lower, Maurice River, Middle, Millville, North Wildwood, Ocean City, Sea Isle City, Shiloh, Stone Harbor, Stow Creek, Upper, Vineland, West Cape May, West Wildwood, Weymouth, Wildwood, Wildwood Crest, and Woodbine.

Joe Smith is a Philly native transplanted to South Jersey more than 30 years ago. He is a former editor and current senior staff writer at The Daily Journal in Vineland. Have a news tip? Reach out at (856) 563-5252 or jsmith@thedailyjournal.com or follow me on Twitter, @jpsmith-dj. Help support local journalism with a subscription to The Daily Journal.