District Description

This wealthy, suburban district stretches across northern Bergen County. In the redistricting following the 2000 Census, the district lost the Democratic-leaning towns of Tenafly and Englewood Cliffs, which were replaced by strong Republican municipalities of Washington Township, Waldwick and Oradell, virtually cementing Republican control of a district once characterized by relatively competitive elections. The district has 58 percent of voters registered as unaffiliated; 25 percent as Republicans, and the rest as Democrats. The district has the lowest percentage of African Americans of its population of all districts at 1.2 percent as of the 2000 US Census, and had only 4.5 percent with Hispanic heritage (9th lowest), but had 9.7 percent Asians, the ninth highest level in the state. See New Jersey Legislative District Data Book, Center for Government Services, Rutgers University.

Dumont is the largest municipality with 17,503 residents as of the 2000 US Census, followed by New Milford (16,400) and Ramsey (14,351). The leading municipalities in median household income as reported by the Census for 1999 are Saddle River ($134,289); Alpine ($130,740); Ho-Ho-Kus ($129,900); Upper Saddle River ($127,635 ); Woodcliff Lake ($123,022); Allendale ($105,704); Ridgewood ($104,286); and Demarest ($103,286). Average home prices in these wealthy communities also rank among the highest in New Jersey.

The district's legislative delegation has been comprised solely of Republicans for several years, but Democrats have made recent gains at the county and municipal level. Senator Gerald Cardinale, the Republican incumbent serving in the Senate since 1980, unsuccessfully sought election to Congress in 2002; he finished in third place in the 5th District GOP primary to replace retiring Congresswoman Marge Roukema, well behind E. Scott Garrett, who won the nomination with 45 percent of the vote and subsequently the general election.

In the Assembly, the Republican incumbents are John E. Rooney and Charlotte Vandervalk. Assemblyman Rooney has held his seat since 1983 and also was the mayor of Northvale Borough until losing his re-election bid in 2006; prior to his 2006 defeat, he had served as mayor since 1979 with a 5-year break from 1986 to 1991. Assemblywoman Vandervalk, a full-time legislator, has been a member of the Assembly since 1991 and was a Bergen County Freeholder from 1986 through 1991 and a member of the Montvale City Council from 1980 through 1985.