Redistricting

As required, the New Jersey legislature redistricted its state legislative districts in advance of the 2001 election. Most Senators remained in their existing districts, though Senator Kevin J. O'Toole was redistricted to the 40th district and chose not to challenge.

The new map was based on a revised Democratic map chosen by Professor Larry Bartels of Princeton University, the non-partisan member of the reapportionment commission.^[2]

Republicans challenged the district map under the Voting Rights Act of 1965, arguing that by shifting some African-American and Hispanic voters out of three predominantly minority districts in and around Newark and spreading them to other, mostly white districts, the plan diluted minority voting strength. The case was rejected by the U.S. Court for the District of New Jersey.^[2] The Republican suit was dismissed partly under the influence of the near-unanimous support of New Jersey's incumbent minority legislators for the Democratic claim that their map would result in more minority representation, rather than less.^[2]

Democratic

• John A. Lynch Jr. (District 17)

Republican

• Jack Sinagra (District 18) (resigned October 23)
• Kevin O'Toole (District 21) (redistricted into District 40; ran for Assembly)
• Donald DiFrancesco (District 22) (ran for Governor)
• William E. Schluter (District 23) (redistricted into District 15; ran for Governor as an Independent)

Close races

Seats where the margin of victory was under 10%:

1. Legislative District 1, 0.8%
2. Legislative District 3, 3.0% gain
3. Legislative District 7, 8.2%
4. Legislative District 14, 4.2%
5. Legislative District 36, 3.0%
6. Legislative District 38, 6.2%