Senator Teresa Ruiz (D) Voting-age population 157,173 | Population 206,523 | |
 | ||
Assembly members Eliana Pintor Marin (D)
Blonnie R. Watson (D) Registration 48.1% Democratic
5.0% Republican
46.6% unaffiliated Demographics 34.1% White
42.1% Black/African American
0.6% Native American
1.6% Asian
0.0% Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
16.9% Other race
4.3% Two or more races
38.3% Hispanic | ||
New Jersey's 29th Legislative District is one of 40 districts that make up the map for the New Jersey Legislature. It covers a portion of Essex County, specifically most of the east side of the city of Newark and all of the township of Belleville.
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Demographic information
As of the 2010 United States Census, the district had a population of 206,523, of whom 157,173 (76.1%) were of voting age. The racial makeup of the district was 70,501 (34.1%) White, 87,532 (42.1%) African American, 1,231 (0.6%) Native American, 3,402 (1.6%) Asian, 81 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 34,871 (16.9%) from some other race, and 8,905 (4.3%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 79,183 (38.3%) of the population.
The district had 129,501 registered voters as of December 31, 2016, of whom 60,378(46.6%) were registered as unaffiliated, 62,335 (48.1%) were registered as Democrats, 6,458 (5.0%) were registered as Republicans and 330 (0.3%) were registered to other parties.
Political representation
The district is represented for the 2016–2017 Legislative Session (Senate, General Assembly) in the State Senate by Teresa Ruiz (D, Newark) and in the General Assembly by Eliana Pintor Marin (D, Newark) and Blonnie R. Watson (D, Newark). Watson, a former Essex County Freeholder, was selected by local Democratic committee members to be appointed to replace previous seatholder L. Grace Spencer (D, Newark), who resigned to accept a Superior Court judgeship.
District and election history
Since the creation of the 40-district legislative map in 1973, the 29th District has always been based in and around Newark. In the 1973 map, the 29th district consisted of most of the South and East Wards (excluding Ironbound) and a portion of the Central Ward. For the 1981 redistricting, the 29th became all of the South and East Wards and a larger part of the Central Ward. In the 1991 redistricting, the 29th continued encompassing the South and East Wards and part of the Central Ward; the district now crept into a part of the North Ward and entered a new municipality, Hillside in Union County. In the 2001 redistricting, Hillside remained in the district but now most of the area of Newark was contained in the 29th District. After the 2011 redistricting, Hillside was removed and Belleville was moved into the district; again, most of the area of the city remained in the 29th.
Because of its heavily urban nature, the district tends to favor Democrats strongly. The 29th District is one of the few districts in the state to have ever elected only one party to all Senate and Assembly seats in every election since 1973.