NEW YORK, NY October 29, 2007 —Though next week's elections could mean a shift of power in New Jersey, turnout might not be higher than a third of all registered voters. WNYC's Bob Hennelly has more.

With no statewide office at stake, neither party has galvanized a campaign theme to get traction across the board and boost voter interest. As a result, the handful of hotly contested races have become intensely bitter and expensive. The best example is the race in Monmouth County between Democratic senator Ellen Karcher and her GOP challenger Assemblywoman Jennifer Beck.

The battle takes on added significance because the Democrats hold the Senate by just a few seats. The Karcher-Beck race is on track to break the previous record campaign price tag of 4 million.

Statewide, the top campaign PACs include the Laborers Union, Realtors, the Teachers Union and the Builders. For WNYC, I'm Bob Hennelly.