Vote! Here Are the Races Impacting South Orange-Maplewood in the June 2 Primary

The final day of the June 2 primary election in New Jersey has arrived. South Orange and Maplewood voters can find their polling places here: voter.svrs.nj.gov/polling-place-search. Districts 1, 3 and 6 in Maplewood have a new polling location at the Maplewood Memorial Library, 50 Baker Street.

U.S. Senate

Senator Cory Booker is running unopposed in the Democratic primary. There are four candidates in the Republican primary: Robert Lebovics, Justin Murphy, Richard Tabor, and Alex Zdan.

Watch the Republican candidates debate here:

NJ-11 Congressional Primary

Newly elected NJ-11 Congresswoman Analilia Mejia won a special election on April 16 and was sworn into office on April 20. She is running again in the regular primary on June 2. This time, she is facing only three opponents (as opposed to 10): Donald Cresitello, a former mayor of Morristown running under the slogan “Democrat with Experience Municipal, Business, International”; Joseph Lewis, a technical product lead from Montville, who is running under the banner “Fighting to Fix a Broken Economy”; and Justin Strickland, a Chatham councilman who ran unsuccessfully in the special primary, and is calling for “Universal Healthcare and Term Limits.”

Republican Joe Hathaway, who lost to Mejia in the April 16 special election, is running unopposed in the June 2 primary.

Read more about the race in NJ Spotlight’s Primary Guide.

Maplewood Municipal Election: Two Township Committee Seats in 2026

Two of five Township Committee seats are up for election in Maplewood in 2026. There are three candidates vying for two seats. They are: Former Green Team member and Bike Bus founder Martin Ceperley, running with Essex Reform Democrats; current Mayor Vic De Luca, running for his 10th term on the Township Committee (the mayor is elected by the five members of the TC) and running with the Maplewood Democratic Committee; and Planning Board and Hilton Neighborhood Association member John T. Sullivan, running with the Maplewood Democratic Committee. All three candidates are running separately and not as part of a slate. The term of each seat is for three years. No Republicans candidates have filed to run in the primary election.

The candidates met in one candidates forum, hosted by the Hilton Neighborhood Association on May 21. Watch it here:

The candidates answered the following questions (read the transcript with answers here):

1. As redevelopment continues in Hilton, Maplewood’s, most densely populated and economically diverse neighborhood, some residents worry that longtime residents are being priced out of full participation in the local economy. How do you view the relationship between redevelopment and economic accessibility in Hilton? And what specific township policies or planning tools would you support to help longtime residents remain part of the neighborhood’s future?

2: Affordability remains a major concern in Maplewood. How would you address affordable housing obligations, including the fourth round mandates, while preserving income diversity, supporting missing middle housing, and ensuring that growth does not overburden existing infrastructure? 

3: What is your comprehensive plan to improve safety for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers on both municipal streets and county roads.

4: What are your top priorities for the Hilton neighborhood, specifically regarding redevelopment, economic accessibility, the Hilton branch library improvements and the addition or preservation of protected green space?

5: Over the past two months, approximately 30 township meetings have appeared on the public calendar. How many have you attended? And what, if anything, would you change about Maplewood’s current meeting, decision making and public engagement processes?

6: What is your position on installing turf at Ritzer Field? And how would you vote on this issue if serving on the board of school estimate? (Village Green did a deeper dive on this question and the answers here.)

7: How would you engage residents at both ends of the age spectrum? Young voters who represent Maplewood’s future and senior residents who need the town to remain accessible, welcoming, and affordable?

8: Given the tone of this campaign, how would you work collaboratively with all township committee members? Please share an example of a time when your position on an important issue changed after listening to residents, colleagues, or other elected officials.

County Commissioners and Executive

Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo is running unopposed in his bid for a seventh term in the Democratic primary. Maritza Mathews is running unopposed in the Republican primary.

There are nine County Commissioner seats, all up for election. Six candidates are running in the Democratic Primary for four Commissioner At Large seats: Former Maplewood Deputy Mayor Deb Engel, running with Essex Reform Democrats; Marques-Aquil Lewis, Moving Essex County Forward; and four candidates endorsed by the Essex County Democratic Committee Inc. — Christine McGrath, Abdur R. Yasin, Shawn Klein, and the sole incumbent Wayne Richardson.

Watch the At Large Democratic candidates debate here:

Four candidates are running in the Republican primary for the four At Large seats, all endorsed by the Essex County Republican Party: Demetrius Eley, Daniela Ferriera Almeida, Douglas Freeman, and Sahwa DeFrank.

Maplewood also votes for a Commissioner for District 2; South Orange votes in District 3. In District 2, A’Dorian Murray-Thomas is running in the Democratic primary; no Republican has filed to run. In District 3, Medinah Muhammad is running in the Democratic primary; no Republican has filed to run.

The Commissioner Board has several powers, including approval of the annual operating and capital budgets, passing ordinances and resolutions, overriding a veto of the County Executive and conducting investigations.

Read more about the Commissioners and County Executive races in Patch and the SOMA Action Voter Guide.