Unusual Elections in New Jersey

New York, NY —

This November, the entire New Jersey legislature is up for election. But, in just 2 weeks, voters will decide who gets to run. WNYC's Bob Hennelly has more.

REPORTER: For political junkies, this coming state election cycle is a kind of Haley's Comet. In the state Senate alone, 13 of the 40 incumbents are retiring. Ingrid Reed, Director of the New Jersey Project at the Eagleton Institute, says nobody can remember a modern-era precedent for the turnover.

REED: We will see quite a shift. You are seeing in the Senate where you have had people who have served for along time and are simply bowing out partly because of health reasons but also sort of being pressured by younger people coming up.

REPORTER: Reed says that in districts with one party rule and contested primaries, it will be the June voters who will be picking their next state Senator or Assembly member. As a result intense local battles are being fought over Senate nominations in Bergen, Hudson, Essex, Morris and Sussex Counties. Despite the heated battles, experts say they expect primary turnout to be between just 15% - 20% of eligible voters. For WNYC, I'm Bob Hennelly.