Incumbent Chris Smith had more than 5 times the votes that were cast for David Schmidt in the Republican primary, unofficial results show.
Karen Wall, Patch Staff
Posted Tue, Jun 4, 2024
OCEAN and MONMOUTH COUNTIES, NJ — Incumbent Chris Smith holds a commanding lead in the race for the Republican nomination for New Jersey’s 4th District House of Representatives, according to unofficial primary results Tuesday night.
Smith, who is seeking his 23rd term in the House of Representatives, was being challenged for the Republican nomination by David Schmidt.
With all 180 Monmouth County districts counted in the race and 324 of 335 Ocean County districts, Smith had received 35,493 votes and Schmidt had 6,305 votes, according to the unofficial results from the two counties.
Matthew Jenkins was the lone Democratic candidate for the seat. He had 24,081 votes according to the unofficial tallies.
The winners will face off in the Nov. 5 general election.
Smith, who has a home in Manchester, was first elected to the House in 1980 and was being challenged for the second-straight election.
Schmidt, who lives in Toms River, has run a quiet campaign since first announcing his candidacy in September 2022, primarily urging voters to consider new leadership as Smith will be completing his 44th year in the House in December.
Smith Wins NJ 4th District GOP Primary: Unofficial Results | Manchester, NJ Patch
