WASHINGTON (October 10, 2023)—Today, the Humane Society Legislative Fund, the nation’s leading political advocacy organization for animal protection, announced its endorsements for candidates in the 2023 New Jersey state legislative elections.
“We encourage voters in New Jersey who care about animals to have their voices heard in this election, by supporting humane candidates for office,” said Brad Pyle, Political Director of Humane Society Legislative Fund. “The Garden State’s strong record on animal protection wouldn’t be possible without the continued efforts of New Jersey’s elected leaders.”
HSLF considers endorsement by examining candidates’ campaign commitments and incumbents’ legislative record. As a non-partisan organization, HSLF only considers a candidate’s stance on animal protection and their electability when evaluating them for endorsement.
HSLF reviews and endorses candidates on a rolling basis, but has released its current list of New Jersey endorsements:
State Senate:
- 4th District: Paul Moriarty (D)
- 5th District: Nilsa Cruz-Perez (D)
- 6th District: James Beach (D)
- 7th District: Troy Singleton (D)
- 9th District: Gabriel Franco (D)
- 10th District: Jim Holzapfel (R)
- 11th District: Vin Gopal (D)
- 12th District: Brandon Rose (D)
- 13th District: Declan O’Scanlon, Jr. (R)
- 14th District: Linda Greenstein (D)
- 15th District: Shirley Turner (D)
- 16th District: Andrew Zwicker (D)
- 17th District: Bob Smith (D)
- 18th District: Patrick Diegnan Jr. (D)
- 20th District: Joseph Cryan (D)
- 22nd District: Nicholas Scutari (D)
- 25th District: Anthony Bucco (R)
- 27th District: John McKeon (D)
- 32nd District: Raj Mukherji (D)
- 33rd District: Brian Stack (D)
- 34th District: Britnee Timberlake (D)
- 35th District: Nellie Pou (D)
- 37th District: Gordon Johnson (D)
- 38th District: Joseph Lagana (D)
- 40th District: Kristin Corrado (R)
State Assembly:
- 7th District: Carol Murphy (D)
- 10th District: Greg McGuckin (R)
- 10th District: Paul Kanitra (R)
- 12th District: Robert Clifton (R)
- 12th District: Alex Sauickie (R)
- 13th District: Vicky Flynn (R)
- 13th District: Gerry Scharfenberger (R)
- 15th District: Anthony Verrelli (D)
- 15th District: Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (D)
- 16th District: Roy Freiman (D)
- 17th District: Joe Danielsen (D)
- 18th District: Robert Karabinchak (D)
- 18th District: Sterley Stanley (D)
- 19th District: Craig Coughlin (D)
- 19th District: Yvonne Lopez (D)
- 20th District: Annette Quijano (D)
- 21st District: Michelle Matsikoudis (R)
- 25th District: Aura Dunn (R)
- 25th District: Christian Barranco (R)
- 26th District: Brian Bergen (R)
- 30th District: Ned Thomson (R)
- 30th District: Sean Kean (R)
- 35th District: Shavonda Sumter (D)
- 37th District: Shama Haider (D)
- 37th District: Ellen Park (D)
- 38th District: Lisa Swain (D)
- 38th District: Christopher Tully (D)
Each endorsed incumbent candidate helped lead on or supported a variety of animal protection initiatives in 2023, including two landmark New Jersey victories:
- S.1298/A.1970, the gestation and veal crate ban, which outlawed the crates used to cruelly confine mother pigs and calves raised for veal
- S.984/A.2354, the new law providing humane requirements for the seizure, care, and forfeiture of animals involved in animal cruelty violations
Election Day is November 7, and early voting spans October 28 through November 5. Find a list of New Jersey voting sites and early voting locations here.
Media Contact: Kate Sarna: 202-836-1265, ksarna@hslf.org
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HSLF is a nonpartisan organization that evaluates candidates based only on a single criterion: where they stand on animal welfare. HSLF does not judge candidates based on party affiliation or any other issue.
The Humane Society Legislative Fund is a social welfare organization incorporated under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code and formed in 2004 as a separate lobbying affiliate of The Humane Society of the United States. The HSLF works to pass animal protection laws at the state and federal level, to educate the public about animal protection issues, and to support humane candidates for office. Visit us on all our channels: on the web at hslf.org, on our blog at hslf.org/blog, on Facebook at facebook.com/humanelegislation and on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @HSLegFund.
Paid for by Humane Society Legislative Fund and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee. HSLF, 1255 23rd Street, NW, Suite 455, Washington, DC 20037.
