Senator Anthony Bucco (R) Voting-age population 157,481 | Population 215,844 | |
 | ||
Assembly members Michael Patrick Carroll (R)
Tony Bucco (R) Registration 34.2% Republican
26.1% Democratic
39.5% unaffiliated Demographics 82.4% White
4.1% Black/African American
0.2% Native American
6.0% Asian
0.0% Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
4.8% Other race
2.4% Two or more races
17.4% Hispanic | ||
New Jersey's 25th Legislative District is one of 40 in the New Jersey Legislature. As of the 2011 apportionment, the district includes the Morris County municipalities of Boonton Town, Boonton Township, Chester Borough, Chester Township, Denville Township, Dover Town, Mendham Borough, Mendham Township, Mine Hill Township, Morris Township, Morristown Town, Mount Arlington Borough, Mountain Lakes Borough, Netcong Borough, Randolph Township, Rockaway Borough, Roxbury Township, Victory Gardens Borough, Washington Township and Wharton Borough; and the Somerset County municipality of Bernardsville Borough.
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Demographic characteristics
As of the 2010 United States Census, the district had a population of 215,844, of whom 164,606 (76.3%) were of voting age. The racial makeup of the district was 177,870 (82.4%) White, 8,957 (4.1%) African American, 462 (0.2%) Native American, 12,900 (6.0%) Asian, 64 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 10,457 (4.8%) from some other race, and 5,134 (2.4%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 37,454 (17.4%) of the population. The 25th District had 153,349 registered voters as of December 31, 2016, of whom 60,509 (39.5%) were registered as unaffiliated, 52,414 (34.2%) were registered as Republicans, 39,962 (26.1%) were registered as Democrats, and 464 (0.3%) were registered to other parties.
The district had high levels of income on average, but the communities of Dover, Mine Hill, Victory Gardens are well below the state average. The district had a high percentage of Hispanic residents, with Dover having some 60% of its residents as being of Hispanic origin. Registered Republicans outnumber Democrats by a nearly 2–1 margin.
Apportionment history
The first iteration of District 25 came in 1973 upon the creation of the statewide 40-district legislative map. The 25th at that time traveled from Maplewood along the western border of Essex County to Fairfield Township (also including North Caldwell, Passaic County's Wayne Township, and Lincoln Park and Pequannock Township in Morris County. In the next redistricting in 1981, the district became based through the center of Morris County running from Harding Township through Morristown, Dover, Boonton, and Jefferson Township. The shape of the district remained mostly the same in the 1991 redistricting picking up Mendham Township, Mount Arlington, and Roxbury Township, but losing Madison and Mountain Lakes.
Changes to the district made as part of the New Jersey Legislative apportionment in 2001, based on the results of the 2000 United States Census added Mountain Lakes Borough (from the 26th Legislative District) and removed Hanover Township (to the 26th Legislative District) and Harding Township (to the 21st Legislative District).
As a consequence of the New Jersey Legislative apportionment in 2011, Jefferson Township and Rockaway Township were moved to District 26. The 25th District was shifted south and west, adding Morris County GOP strongholds Mendham Borough (from District 16), Chester Borough, Chester Township and Washington Township (from District 24); and Bernardsville in Somerset County (from District 16).
Political representation
The district is represented for the 2016–2017 Legislative Session (Senate, General Assembly) in the State Senate by Anthony Bucco (R, Boonton) and in the General Assembly by Michael Patrick Carroll (R, Morris Township) and Tony Bucco (R, Boonton Township).
Election history
William E. Bishop was elected in a special election held on April 20, 1982, to fill the vacancy left by James J. Barry, Jr., who had been named as Director of the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs by Governor of New Jersey Thomas Kean. Bishop was defeated by Morris County Freeholder Rodney Frelinghuysen and incumbent Arthur R. Albohn in the 1983 Republican primary for the full term.
In the 1993 general election, former Assemblymember Gordon MacInnes defeated Republican incumbent John H. Dorsey by nearly 300 votes, making him the first Democrat in 18 years to win a legislative seat in Morris County.
After Frelinghuysen took office in the United States House of Representatives in January 1995, Anthony Bucco was chosen by Morris County Republican county committee members to fill Frelinghuysen's vacant seat in the Assembly. Bucco and Michael Patrick Carroll won the six-way June 1995 Republican primary to fill the district's two Assembly ballot spots, which became open when Albohn decided against running for re-election for a ninth term of office. In this primary, the two winners defeated then Morris County Freeholder Chris Christie and future Assemblyman Rick Merkt.
In 1997, Anthony Bucco left the Assembly to successfully contest the Democratic-held Senate seat, with Merkt taking the Assembly seat vacated by Bucco.
With Merkt running for the Republican nomination for governor in 2009, the 25th District saw a contested Republican primary with incumbent Michael Patrick Carroll facing Tony Bucco and the younger Bucco's brother-in-law Douglas Cabana, a member of the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders. Bucco and Carroll won the two ballot spots and were elected in the general election.
In 2011, Michael Patrick Carroll and Tony Bucco retained their seats in the Assembly, defeating Democratic challengers Gale Heiss-Colucci and George Stafford, while Anthony Bucco retained his Senate seat over challenger Rick Thoeni.