New Jersey's 6th legislative district is one of 40 in the New Jersey Legislature, covering the Burlington County municipality of Maple Shade Township and the Camden County municipalities of Audubon Park Borough, Berlin Borough, Berlin Township, Clementon, Cherry Hill Township, Gibbsboro Borough, Haddon Township, Haddonfield Borough, Hi-Nella Borough, Laurel Springs, Lawnside, Lindenwold, Magnolia, Oaklyn Borough, Pine Hill Borough, Somerdale Borough, Stratford Borough, Tavistock Borough and Voorhees Township.Districts by Number, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 26, 2014.
Demographic characteristics As of the 2020 United States census, the district had a population of 234,108, of whom 184,707 (78.9%) were of voting age. The racial makeup of the district was 150,824 (64.4%) White, 25,121 (10.7%) African American, 896 (0.4%) Native American, 24,176 (10.3%) Asian, 103 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 14,822 (6.3%) from some other race, and 18,166 (7.8%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 31,071 (13.3%) of the population.
The district had 186,310 registered voters as of December 1, 2021, of whom 63,956 (34.3%) were registered as unaffiliated, 87,315 (46.9%) were registered as Democrats, 32,986 (17.7%) were registered as Republicans, and 2,053 (1.1%) were registered to other parties.Statewide Voter Registration Summary, New Jersey Department of State, December 1, 2021. Accessed January 3, 2022.
Political representation
The legislative district is entirely located within New Jersey's 1st congressional district.
1965–1973 The 1964 Supreme Court decision in Reynolds v. Sims required legislative districts' populations be as equal as possible. As an interim measure, the 6th district in the 1965 State Senate election encompassed all of Mercer County and elected one person to the Senate. In this case, incumbent Democratic Mercer County Senator Sido L. Ridolfi was elected for a two-year term beginning in 1966.
For the three terms between 1967 and 1973, the sixth Senate district was split into two Assembly districts. For the 1967 election, since the Sixth only encompassed one county, two senators were elected at-large; in this case, Democrats Ridolfi and Richard J. Coffee were elected for this four-year term. In the 1971 election, with the addition of Hunterdon County into the Sixth, Senate candidates were nominated by Assembly district (see below) and one senator was elected from each district. Republican William E. Schluter was elected from District 6A and Democrat Joseph P. Merlino was elected from District 6B in the 1971 election.
Two Assembly members were elected from each district in 1967, 1969, and 1971. Assembly District 6B was made up of Trenton and Ewing Township while District 6A was composed of the remainder of Mercer County for the 1967 and 1969 elections. In the 1971 election, District 6B was composed of Trenton, Hamilton Township, and Washington Township with District 6A encompassing the remainder of Mercer and the entirety of Hunterdon County.
The members elected to the Assembly from each district are as follows: Session District 6A District 6B 1968–1969 William E. Schluter (R) Joseph P. Merlino (D) John A. Selecky (R) S. Howard Woodson (D) 1970–1971 William E. Schluter (R) Joseph P. Merlino (D) Karl Weidel (R) S. Howard Woodson (D) 1972–1973 Walter E. Foran (R) Francis J. McManimon (D) Karl Weidel (R) S. Howard Woodson (D)
District composition since 1973 Upon the creation of 40 equal-population districts in 1973, the 6th district became based around the eastern suburbs of Camden inclusive of Cherry Hill in all iterations. The 1970s district stretched from Berlin borough north to Pennsauken and included Burlington County's Evesham Township and Palmyra. The 1981 redistricting made the 6th solely Camden County-based by heading from Pine Hill east then north to Merchantville, and the cluster of boroughs around Collingswood, Haddonfield, and Haddon Heights. The 1991 redistricting kept the 6th relatively unchanged. The 2001 redistricting removed some of the small boroughs in the Haddon Heights and Barrington vicinity but brought the district to the southern edge of Camden County to include Winslow Township, Chesilhurst, and Waterford Township. Following the 2011 redistricting, the southern Camden County municipalities were eliminated from the 6th and restored some of the immediate Camden suburbs including Collingswood and Pennsauken and expanded the district into Burlington County for the first time since 1982 by including Maple Shade.
Election history Session Senate General Assembly 1974–1975 Alene S. Ammond (D)John J. Gallagher (D)Mary Keating Croce (D) 1976–1977 John J. Gallagher (D)Mary Keating Croce (D) 1978–1979 Lee B. Laskin (R)Barbara Berman (D)Mary Keating Croce (D) 1980–1981 John A. Rocco (R)Thomas J. Shusted (R) 1982–1983 Lee B. Laskin (R)John A. Rocco (R)Thomas J. Shusted (R) 1984–1985 Lee B. Laskin (R)John A. Rocco (R)Thomas J. Shusted (R) 1986–1987 John A. Rocco (R)Thomas J. Shusted (R) 1988–1989 Lee B. Laskin (R)John A. Rocco (R)Thomas J. Shusted (R)1990–1991 John A. Rocco (R)Thomas J. Shusted (R)Resigned on January 31, 1991 to become Camden County counselLee Solomon (R)Appointed February 21, 1991 1992–1993 John Adler (D)John A. Rocco (R)Lee Solomon (R) 1994–1995 John Adler (D)John A. Rocco (R)Lee Solomon (R) 1996–1997 John A. Rocco (R)Louis Greenwald (D) 1998–1999 John Adler (D)Mary Previte (D)Louis Greenwald (D) 2000–2001 Mary Previte (D)Louis Greenwald (D) 2002–2003 John Adler (D)Mary Previte (D)Louis Greenwald (D) 2004–2005 John Adler (D)Mary Previte (D)Louis Greenwald (D) 2006–2007 Pamela Rosen Lampitt (D)Louis Greenwald (D)2008–2009 John Adler (D)Resigned by January 3, 2009 upon election to the U.S. House of RepresentativesPamela Rosen Lampitt (D) Louis Greenwald (D) James Beach (D)Appointed on January 3, 2009, won November 2009 special election to complete unexpired term 2010–2011 Pamela Rosen Lampitt (D)Louis Greenwald (D) 2012–2013 James Beach (D)Pamela Rosen Lampitt (D)Louis Greenwald (D) 2014–2015 James Beach (D)Pamela Rosen Lampitt (D)Louis Greenwald (D) 2016–2017 Pamela Rosen Lampitt (D)Louis Greenwald (D) 2018–2019 James Beach (D)Pamela Rosen Lampitt (D)Louis Greenwald (D) 2020–2021 Pamela Rosen Lampitt (D)Louis Greenwald (D) 2022–2023 James Beach (D)Pamela Rosen Lampitt (D)Louis Greenwald (D) 2024–2025 James Beach (D)Pamela Rosen Lampitt (D)Resigned December 31, 2024 to become Camden County ClerkLouis Greenwald (D)Melinda Kane (D)Appointed January 23, 2025 2026-2027 Melinda Kane (D)Louis Greenwald (D)
Election results, 1973–present Senate
General Assembly
Election results, 1965–1973 Senate District 6 at-large
District 6A
District 6B
General Assembly District 6A
District 6B
References