Spending was down 12 percent since 2007 – the last time all 120 seats in the state Senate and Assembly were up for grabs
Sen. Jim Whelan, left, participated in the third-most expensive race in state history in November. Whelan defeated Vince Polistina.TRENTON — Despite the Republican Party’s rejuvenated fund-raising efforts under Gov. Chris Christie, Democrats collected and spent almost three times as much in last month’s legislative elections, according to figures released this morning by the state’s election watchdog.
Democrats raised $33.6 million to Republican’s $13.3 million, and spent $27.8 million to Republicans’ $10.5 million, the state Election Law Enforcement Commission said.
All 120 seats in the state Senate and Assembly were up for grabs in November. And while the Democrats’ fund-raising advantage helped them maintain control of both chambers, their biggest boost came by winning a fight in April over the redrawing of the legislative map.
Still, Christie had a major effect on fundraising this year, harnessing his growing political stardom to raise money for the state Republican Committee by making appearances around the country.
Under Christie, state Republicans raised three times as much as their Democratic counterparts as of Sept. 30, although Democrats maintained a huge advantage among individual candidates.
Ultimately, the partisan makeup of the state Legislature barely changed in the November election, with Democrats picking up one Assembly seat to reach 48 — largely because the new map thrust a Republican assemblyman into an unfriendly district — and maintaining a 24-seat majority in the Senate.
The most expensive race took place in Atlantic County’s 2nd District, where state Sen. Jim Whelan, a Democrat, deflected a challenge by Assemblyman Vince Polistina. Taken together, the Senate and Assembly candidates spent $5.2 million, making it the third costliest legislative race in New Jersey history.
The 38th Legislative District, dominated by Bergen County — where state Sen. Robert Gordon, a Democrat, survived a challenge by Bergen County Freeholder Chairman Bob Driscoll — came in second this year with $4.6 million spent.
And the 7th Legislative District in Burlington County — which was dominated by the Assembly contest between two Democrats, Herb Conaway and Troy Singleton, running against the Republican ticket of Chris Halgas and Jim Keenan — saw $2.9 million spent, coming in a distant third.
Despite the few costly races, fund-raising was down significantly from previous years; spending was off 12 percent from 2007, the last time all 120 seats were up for grabs.
"While all legislative fundraising activity for 2011 has not yet been reported, it appears that this year’s totals will be lower than those of even 2003," said Jeffrey Brindle, the commission’s executive director. "You would have to go back to 2001 to find less spending in a year with all 120 legislative seats in contention."
Candidates were not the only ones who reached into their pockets, reflecting a growing national trend of spending by special interest groups, known as 501(c)(4)’s, which don’t have to disclose their donors’ identities.
For instance, Better Education for NJ Kids Inc. — a group started by two hedge fund managers that supports charter school expansion, merit pay for teachers and a pilot program of school vouchers called the Opportunity Scholarship Act — spent $412,000 in three legislative districts.
Related coverage:
• Spending down in most NJ legislative campaigns
• N.J. Democratic candidates have twice as much campaign cash as Republicans, analysis says