Legislative District 14

This article was written by Josh McMahon of NJSpotlight.com.

Without a doubt, the legislature's vote to reduce pension and healthcare benefits for state workers is going to be a marquee campaign issue in districts around New Jersey.

Nowhere is it likely to be more of a factor in the outcome than in the 14th District, where Linda Greenstein, the incumbent Democratic senator, is facing a stiff challenge from Richard Kanka, who is a member of the Hamilton Board of Education but better known as the father of the girl for whom Megan's Law is named.

The battle at the top of the ticket will likely dictate how the Assembly races go.

Until last year, the district had split representation with Republican Bill Baroni serving in the Senate. When he moved on to the Port Authority as deputy executive director, then-Assemblywoman Greenstein won a hard-fought battle in a special election for his seat. She won with support from labor, who saw the race as an opportunity to demonstrate the impact they can have on a campaign and send the message that defeat awaits those who oppose their agenda and support Christie's policies.

Tom Goodwin, who had been appointed to the seat after Baroni resigned, felt that impact.

A year later, the unions are still smarting from their battles with Christie and they'll do all they can -- in terms of money and manpower -- to help Greenstein return to Trenton.

Greenstein is teamed with incumbents Wayne DeAngelo and Dan Benson. This is DeAngelo's second term. Benson replaced Greenstein in the Assembly.

Kanka is paired with two other Republicans who have not sought legislative seats before, but in this case, his name recognition may be enough to attract attention to the ticket. He's the father of Megan Kanka, the seven-year-old who was abducted and killed by a convicted sex offender who lived in the neighborhood. He and his wife campaigned to get the legislature to pass Megan's Law, the first law in the nation to require officials to make public information about where convicted sex offenders live.

On the ticket with him are Wayne Wittman, a former mayor of Cranbury, and Sheree McGowan, a member of the Robbinsville Council. She replaced Robbinsville Mayor Dave Fried, who dropped out of the race in August citing health reasons.

More than any other race, this one will test labor union strength. A glance at the district tells why.

Continue reading this story on NJ Spotlight.

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