2022 House Of Representatives Election
November 17, 2022
November 8th, 2022. This date holds many mixed emotions of fear and desire. The Tuesday after the first Monday of November is what Americans love to call, “Election Day.” When most hear the occasion’s name, they think of the Presidential Election, which occurs every four years. If you think of this, you’re not wrong. But, you should also be aware that Election Day applies to congressional elections, like the House of Representatives and Senate.
As I mentioned earlier, the Presidential Election occurs every four years, and Senate’s runs every six. So, 2022 focused on the House of Representatives’ Election, which happens biennially. Unfortunately, a lot of citizens don’t find the importance or the time to go out and vote in congressional elections. In the state of New Jersey, 43.1% of eligible, registered voters participated in this year’s election for the House of Representatives. That’s less than half, with just over 288,000 partaking out of the 668,000+.
Congress is vital to America’s democratic system. The House of Representatives in particular curates and passes federal laws. New Jersey has 12 seats to be seized every two years. Registered NJ voters can vote for all 12 offices. It is their chance to recognize their values and who they want to impute them when the time comes to accept or reject policies of presidential administrations, or to decide which laws should be implemented into society. Let’s get into this year’s candidates, elects, and re-elects.
Second Congressional District:
New Jersey’s 2nd Congressional District lies in the southern section of the state, primarily representing Atlantic County. This year’s candidates consisted of Jeff Van Drew, Tim Alexander, Anthony Parisi Sanchez, and Michael Gallo.
Jeff Van Drew (R):
Jefferson Van Drew was re-elected this year with over 135,000 votes. Van Drew is currently a member of the Republican Party, but when he was first elected to the House in 2019, he identified as a Democrat, switching parties in 2020. Van Drew wants to make America’s healthcare system accessible, and wants to focus on reforms to the Affordable Care Act, making the high prices of healthcare and prescription drugs lower. In terms of the economy, he sees that Atlantic County has faced one of the highest foreclosure rates, and wants to bring manufacturing jobs back to South Jersey. Education is also a strong pursuit of his, and he finds that higher education is not affordable to many families in his district. He is a believer in stronger border security, and intends to be strict with employers that evade the law.
Tim Alexander (D):
Tim Alexander acquired 90,500+ votes, and although he did not win, he still had quite a following with nearly 40% of voters behind him. Alexander is a member of the Democratic Party and wanted to create well-paying jobs throughout South Jersey. He believes that women should have the right to make their own healthcare decisions, and wants to make sure they are paid equally compared to men. He is a survivor of gun violence, and wants to make sure that guns are out of the hands of dangerous individuals. He is motivated by his previous career in law enforcement, and is currently a civil rights attorney, advocating for social justice, and LGBTQ+ issues.
Michael Gallo is a member of the Libertarian Party. He received over 1,700 votes and planned to return NJ to a place to work affordably, along with promoting entrepreneurship. Anthony Parisi Sanchez is regarded as an Independent and in the “Cannot Be Bought” Party. He received over 870 votes.
Fifth Congressional District:
New Jersey’s 5th Congressional District lies in and represents the majority of Bergen County, along with parts of Sussex and Passaic. The candidates were Josh Gottheimer, Frank Pallotta, Jeremy Marcus, Trevor Ferrigno, and Louis Vellucci.
Josh Gottheimer (D):
Joshua S. Gottheimer was re-elected on November 8th. He is a member of the Democratic Party, and secured over 141,000 votes. He’s been in Congress since 2017, and wants to lower taxes, improve infrastructure, and cut health insurance premiums. Gottheimer is avid in helping the environment, and wants to stop the dumping of toxic materials. He serves on the House Financial Services Committee and the House Homeland Security Committee. He will continue to advocate for these issues and serve on these committees as he enters his third term.
Frank Pallotta (R):
Frank T. Pallotta is a member of the Republican Party and received over 115,000 votes for the fifth district’s chair. His aims were to restore the SALT deduction, further tax reform, and fight to make Washington invest in infrastructure. Pallotta thinks high-quality healthcare should be at an affordable price. He has gained the support of the NRA and Gun Owners of America, and strongly backs the Second Amendment. He also backs the 20-20 pain-sensitive legislation as a pro-life individual.
Jeremy Marcus is a Libertarian who was third in the race for District 5’s congressional seat. He gathered over 1,100 votes. Trevor Ferrigno had nearly 700 votes and is known to believe in medical independence, the Second Amendment, parental choice, and advocates for the environment along with restoring the economy with his background as an accountant. Lastly, Louis Vellucci had just over 600 votes with his agenda to combat environmental issues, invest in national defense, and make sure the economy is consumer-driven.
It is incredibly important to not make the mistake of making presidential or congressional elections some sort of bombastic event. American revolutionaries fought for their independence from Britain in order to freely elect officials in a democracy. It took an immense amount of time for America to grant the right to vote to the majority of its population. African-American citizens had to overcome the abundance of unjust literacy tests and grandfather clauses. Women took part in the battle for suffrage, receiving their right in the 1920s. To this day, immigrants struggle in the scuffle to become naturalized, waiting for their chance to cast their ballot, even if they have been law-abiding residents for years. All these groups advocated or are currently advocating for the ability to opine in a democratic society, a privilege that many countries do not offer. If you are a citizen at the age of 18 or older, please do not hesitate to vote. Register to vote, research candidates, and take the measures to leave your mark on the nation. You have the prerogative, so don’t waste it.
https://www.livevoterturnout.com/ENR/bergennjenr/12/en/Index_12.html
https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/NJ/Atlantic/115634/web.307039/#/summary
https://www.timalexanderforcongress.com/
https://ballotpedia.org/Michael_Gallo
https://gottheimer.house.gov/biography/
https://pallottaforcongress.com/issues/
