NEW YORK, NY May 29, 2008 —REPORTER: So who do we have running for the Seventh District Republican designation?

WOOLEY: Who do we have not running? So the Republicans are all going for the brass ring. You have A.B. Amar, P. Kelly Hatfield, Leonard Lance, Martin Marks, Tom Roughineen, Kate Whitman, Darren Young, all vying for that Republican slot.

REPORTER: That was WNYC’s Bob Hennelly speaking with FDU Political Science Professor Peter Wooley. Next week New Jersey voters will have to pick from 45 Congressional hopefuls vying for just 13 House seats. Nowhere is the field more crowded than in New Jersey’s Seventh Congressional district, where the Republican incumbent, Mike Ferguson, is retiring.

Two years ago, Ferguson had a near-defeat experience when Democrat Linda Stender came within a single percentage of beating him. Now Democrats are coalescing behind Stender, but no fewer than seven Republicans are vying to be their party’s standard-bearer. WNYC’s Bob Hennelly has this profile of the central Jersey district

It’s early morning at the Bernardsville train station in Somerset County. For as long as anybody can remember a Republican has represented the Seventh District. The Astors and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis lived here. But these days, according to the census Somerset County and the whole Seventh District is a more racially and ethnically diverse place. Latino day laborers wait for contractors while commuters sip coffee. Mike Maziray, a lumber trader says he wants the GOP tradition to continue.

MAZIRAY: I just like the way they go about running the government. Try and keep spending down, taxes down so it seems to be working.

REPORTER: And while he concedes he is feeling the current economic slowdown he wants the country to stay the course including in Iraq.

MAZIRAY: At this point I don’t think we should be pulling out right now. We are there. We might as well finish the job. I think the worst is behind us.

REPORTER: Commuter Raika Parsad, an in independent voter couldn’t disagree more. Her sense of the state of the nation:

PARSAD: Terrible, terrible, very fragmented, mismanaged politics, mismanaged economy not thinking in global terms yeah something has to change.

REPORTER: Prasad says the one thing she won’t factor into her choice to replace Ferguson is the candidate’s party affiliation.

PARSAD: I don’t like the partisanship. I don’t like all the Republicans voting for Republicans just because they are Republicans.

REPORTER: So what is she looking for in a House candidate?

PARSAD: Who is more flexible? Who will gel with others and who will listen to others view points and who will think globally because the global situation affects? The financial market IS the way it is because it is so global because information is so instantaneous.

REPORTER: Down the road from the train station about 30 Verizon linemen gather outside the phone company vehicle yard for a union update.

Union member Mike Coyle says they are getting ready for what they expect to be a difficult contract negotiations.

COYLE: Well, the big sticking point is health insurance. It seems we can’t get past that. We don’t see much coming on the table. And with the price of gas and everything like that we don’t see any significant raises.

REPORTER: Coyle says this election members are really engaged in the political process.

Who does he want for President?

COYLE: I have to see what happens with this nomination. I am thinking of Obama, but I like McCain too. I am an ex-military guy.

REPORTER: His pick for Congress?

COYLE: I am still up in the air as for the Congress. I know Mike Ferguson kind of personally. I don’t know what to do. I have not been paying attention to that as much as what has been going on nationally.

REPORTER: Voters in New Jersey Seventh District are not the only folks with a help wanted sign out for Congress. Consider that two other long time incumbents are leaving the House. Democratic Congressman Bob Andrews is angling to get promoted to the Senate and long time Republican Congressman Jim Saxton is leaving for health reasons. So in those three districts no matter who wins next month, change is coming from New Jersey to the beltway. That’s a lot of new blood but a big loss in seniority.

For WNYC, I am Bob Hennelly

New Jersey's primary is June 3. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. until 8 p.m.