Who is running for New Jersey senate and assembly in the 29th legislative district
New Jersey’s 29th District includes Newark in Essex County and East Newark and Harrison in Hudson County. Here’s what we heard from its candidates for state senate and assembly in the 2023 election.
This story is being republished with permission of NJ Spotlight as part of a 2023 NJ News Commons election reporting collaboration that included The Jersey Bee and other local news publishers.
New Jersey’s 29th Legislative District is the only one represented exclusively by women. It covers part of Newark in Essex County and East Newark and Harrison in Hudson County.
The district has been represented by Democrats since the 1970s. About 53% of the district’s registered voters are Democrats and just 6% are Republicans, with most of the rest unaffiliated.
Sen. M. Teresa Ruiz, who was the first Puerto Rican elected to the Senate and is the first Latina majority leader, is seeking reelection. She faces Republican Maritza Mathews. Also in the race is third-party candidate Pablo Olivera, running as a member of the Labour Party. All three candidates live in Newark.
The Democratic Assembly incumbents, both of whom live in Newark, are Eliana Pintor Marin, who chairs the Assembly Budget Committee and is a first-generation college graduate, and Shanique Speight, who chairs the Assembly Homeland Security and State Preparedness Committee and is a former member of the Newark Public Schools Advisory Board. They face Republicans Orlando Mendez and Noble Milton, both of Newark.
Editor’s note: All candidates for state legislative seats were contacted multiple times for the NJ Decides 2023 voting guide Q&As. Click on a candidate to see who responded and any answers provided. More information about the project, including the full text of the questions, is available here.
Senate candidates
Teresa Ruiz – Democrat (Incumbent)
The candidate did not respond to the questionnaire.
Maritza Matthews – Republican
The candidate did not respond to the questionnaire.
Pablo Olivera – Labour
The candidate did not respond to the questionnaire.
Assembly candidates
Eliana Pintor Marin – Democrat
(Incumbent)
The candidate did not respond to the questionnaire.
Shanique Speight – Democrat
(Incumbent)
The candidate did not respond to the questionnaire.
Orlando Mendez – Republican
The candidate did not respond to the questionnaire.
Noble Milton – Republican
Age: 52
Hometown: Newark
Occupation: Builder
Personal background: I was born at St. Michael’s Hospital in Newark, where I’m a lifelong resident. I’m a father of six children, happily married. For the past 20 years I worked as a Realtor and for the last 16 years I’ve worked building new homes and high-rise buildings here in New Jersey. I’ve been an entrepreneur all my life. In the 2008 housing crash as a Realtor it was a real blow to our family. We lost our home and it was challenging for me to be an adequate provider for my family. I truly believe that this hard time opened my eyes to those financially struggling throughout our state. My wife and I began working with a homeless shelter for women in Newark. I didn’t want to see another soul go through what our family has gone through. We have so many residents in our state that are a paycheck away from losing everything, with the Democrats’ answer of spend, spend, spend with no plan on generating a sustainable revenue that all New Jerseyans can stand behind.
Political background: Democratic district leader in District 7.
Why are you running for office? With Democrats pushing to ban stoves in homes, ban our gas furnaces, ban our hot water heaters, ban gas-powered cars, ban diesel-powered farm vehicles, they are pushing wind-powered turbines in our oceans that are killing our sea life in epic proportions. (It’s now close to a whale every other day washing ashore.) I believe in common sense policies that help Americans not burden us.
Key election issue: The ban on fossil fuel.
Maintaining our current refineries and increasing trees in inner cities that help filter our carbon dioxide.
Example of a successful project: I’ve built several homes here in Jersey. I was the head project manager/supervisor on a 42-unit building in Rahway, I know how to get Americans back to work, I know what it takes to create a sustainable stream of revenue that doesn’t require taxing Americans more of their hard-earned income.
Example of a challenge faced: Being a parent and business owner is challenging for all of us, but my faith in Jesus Christ is how I overcome all that life throws at me.
On NJ’s gun laws: Today the only ones following the gun laws are law-abiding citizens. Criminals couldn’t care less about gun laws. It’s like making drugs illegal, does that stop drug dealers? In today’s times, unarmed law-abiding citizens are sitting ducks. We need to institute more gun safety classes and train more citizens on how to handle firearms.
On the Murphy administration’s climate change proposals: I would vote to cease all offshore wind turbines and preserve our current form of fossil fuel.
On housing affordability and property taxes: I would mandate that all new construction be required to hire local subcontractors as well as local laborers.
Candidate’s website: noblemilton.com
Author
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