Before district elimination based on the last redistricting in 2013, of the district's 647,258 residents, 308,247 identified themselves as beingHispanic, accounting for 47.6% of the district's population.[1]
This district was considered solidlyDemocratic, with the winner of the Democratic Party primary the near-certain winner in November's general election, both in the special and regular elections.
Sires won the seat in aspecial election on November 7, 2006, afterBob Menendez resigned from this seat on January 16, 2006 in advance of his assumption of theSenate seat vacated byJon Corzine, who in turn left his Senate seat to becomeGovernor of New Jersey. Sires also won the general election, and will represent the district through at least 2008. In the special primary to fill the remaining two months of the current term, Sires won approximately 90% of the vote, defeatingJames Geron, assuring Sires of the seat as no Republican opposed him in the special election. Sires was sworn into Congress on November 13, 2006.
The two most prominent names running for the seat in the regular election were the former Speaker of theNew Jersey General Assembly,Albio Sires ofWest New York, and AssemblymanJoseph Vas, who is also Mayor ofPerth Amboy, both of whom ran in the Democratic primary. While the two faced off to fill the full two-year term, Vas decided not to run in the special election to fill the two months remaining in Menendez's term.[2] In the primary for the full two-year term, held on June 6, 2006, Albio Sires beat Joseph Vas, capturing almost 75% of the vote. In the general election, Sires beatRepublicanJohn Guarini, who had run unopposed for the GOP nod.
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