Patrick Diegnan Jr.
2017 - Present
2028
7
Patrick Diegnan Jr. (Democratic Party) is a member of the New Jersey State Senate, representing District 18. He assumed office in 2017. His current term ends on January 11, 2028.
Diegnan (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the New Jersey State Senate to represent District 18. He won in the general election on November 7, 2023.
Diegnan won election to the chamber in a special election on November 8, 2016. He was re-elected to a new term in 2017.
Diegnan served in the New Jersey General Assembly, representing District 18 from 2001 to 2016. While in office, he served as parliamentarian and as deputy speaker of the Assembly.
Biography
Diegnan earned his B.A. in political science and government from Seton Hall in 1970 and his J.D. from Seton Hall Law School in 1973. His professional experience includes working as an attorney and as an instructor at Middlesex County College from 1974 to 1983.[1]
Committee assignments
2023-2024
Diegnan was assigned to the following committees:
2020-2021
Diegnan was assigned to the following committees:
2019-2020
Diegnan was assigned to the following committees:
2016 legislative session
At the time of his swearing-in, Diegnan was assigned to the following committees:
State Senate
| New Jersey committee assignments, 2016 |
|---|
| • Budget and Appropriations |
| • Law and Public Safety |
| • State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation |
General Assembly
| New Jersey committee assignments, 2016 |
|---|
| • Education, Chair |
| • Consumer Affairs, Vice-Chair |
| • Regulated Professions |
2015 legislative session
In the 2015 legislative session, Diegnan served on the following committees:
| New Jersey committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Education, Chair |
| • Consumer Affairs, Vice-Chair |
| • Regulated Professions |
2014 legislative session
In the 2014 legislative session, Diegnan served on the following committees:
| New Jersey committee assignments, 2014 |
|---|
| • Education, Chair |
| • Consumer Affairs, Vice-Chair |
| • Regulated Professions |
2010-2012
In the 2010-2012 legislative session, Diegnan served on the following committees:
| New Jersey committee assignments, 2010 |
|---|
| • Education, Chair |
| • Consumer Affairs |
| • Regulated Professions |
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2023
See also: New Jersey State Senate elections, 2023
General election
General election for New Jersey State Senate District 18
Incumbent Patrick Diegnan Jr. defeated Neal Shah in the general election for New Jersey State Senate District 18 on November 7, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Patrick Diegnan Jr. (D) | 64.0 | 24,294 |
 | Neal Shah (R) | 36.0 | 13,661 | |
| Total votes: 37,955 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for New Jersey State Senate District 18
Incumbent Patrick Diegnan Jr. defeated Christopher Binetti in the Democratic primary for New Jersey State Senate District 18 on June 6, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Patrick Diegnan Jr. | 89.0 | 13,186 |
| Christopher Binetti | 11.0 | 1,630 | |
| Total votes: 14,816 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for New Jersey State Senate District 18
Neal Shah advanced from the Republican primary for New Jersey State Senate District 18 on June 6, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Neal Shah | 100.0 | 3,076 |
| Total votes: 3,076 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Diegnan in this election.
2021
See also: New Jersey State Senate elections, 2021
General election
General election for New Jersey State Senate District 18
Incumbent Patrick Diegnan Jr. defeated Vihal Patel in the general election for New Jersey State Senate District 18 on November 2, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Patrick Diegnan Jr. (D) | 60.6 | 35,637 |
| Vihal Patel (R) | 39.4 | 23,144 | |
| Total votes: 58,781 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for New Jersey State Senate District 18
Incumbent Patrick Diegnan Jr. defeated Mohin Patel in the Democratic primary for New Jersey State Senate District 18 on June 8, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Patrick Diegnan Jr. | 75.4 | 12,509 |
| Mohin Patel | 24.6 | 4,071 | |
| Total votes: 16,580 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for New Jersey State Senate District 18
Vihal Patel advanced from the Republican primary for New Jersey State Senate District 18 on June 8, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Vihal Patel | 100.0 | 4,442 |
| Total votes: 4,442 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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2017
- See also: New Jersey State Senate elections, 2017
General election
Elections for the New Jersey State Senate took place in 2017. All 40 seats were up for election. The general election took place on November 7, 2017. A primary election took place on June 6, 2017. The filing deadline for the primary election was April 3, 2017.[2][3] Incumbent Patrick Diegnan, Jr. (D) defeated Lewis Glogower (R) in the New Jersey State Senate District 18 general election.[4][5]
| New Jersey State Senate, District 18 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Patrick Diegnan, Jr. Incumbent |
65.62% | 32,175 | |
| Republican | Lewis Glogower | 34.38% | 16,860 | |
| Total Votes | 49,035 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||||
Races we watched
Ballotpedia identified five races to watch in the New Jersey State Senate 2017 elections: four Democratic seats and one Republican seat. Based on analysis of these districts' electoral histories, these races had the potential to be more competitive than other races and could possibly have led to shifts in a chamber's partisan balance.
This district was a Race to Watch because the incumbent won less than 55 percent of the vote in the most recent general election prior to 2017. District 18 incumbent Patrick Diegnan Jr. (D) was appointed to the New Jersey State Senate on May 9, 2016, to fill a vacancy and won election to the seat in a special election on November 8, 2016. Diegnan won that election over Roger Daley with 61 percent of the vote. Diegnan's predecessor, however—Peter Barnes, III (D)—won election to the District 18 seat in 2013 with a margin of victory of 3.9 points. He received 51.9 percent to Republican David Stahl's 48.1 percent. District 18 was one of 28 New Jersey state legislative districts that Democrat Hillary Clinton won in the 2016 presidential election. Clinton carried District 18 by 20.6 points. Democrat Barack Obama won the seat in the 2012 presidential election by 22.6 points. As of 2017, District 18 covered Middlesex County.
Democratic primary election
Incumbent Patrick Diegnan, Jr. ran unopposed in the New Jersey State Senate District 18 Democratic primary election.[6]
| New Jersey State Senate, District 18 Democratic Primary, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | ||
| Patrick Diegnan, Jr. Incumbent | ||
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||
Republican primary election
Mark Csizmar ran unopposed in the New Jersey State Senate District 18 Republican primary election.[6]
| New Jersey State Senate, District 18 Republican Primary, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | ||
| Mark Csizmar | ||
| Source: New Jersey Department of State | ||
2016
A special election for the position of New Jersey State Senate District 18 was called for November 8.
The special election was held to fill a remaining term. Patrick Diegnan, Jr. (D) was first appointed to the chamber on May 9, 2016, to replace Peter Barnes (D).
Incumbent Patrick Diegnan, Jr. (D) defeated Roger Daley (R) in the special election.[7][8]
2015
Elections for the New Jersey General Assembly took place in 2015. A primary election was held on June 2, 2015. The general election took place on November 3, 2015. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 30, 2015.[9] Since the general assembly uses multi-member districts, the top two candidates from each party in the primaries advanced to the general election. Incumbent Nancy Pinkin and incumbent Patrick Diegnan, Jr. were unopposed in the Democratic primary. Synnove Bakke and Teresa Rose Hutchison were bracketed together and were unopposed in the Republican primary. Pinkin and Diegnan defeated Bakke and Hutchison in the general election.[10][11][12][13][14]
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 18 General Election, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Patrick Diegnan, Jr. Incumbent |
31.9% | 16,256 | |
| Democratic | Nancy Pinkin Incumbent |
31.6% | 16,113 | |
| Republican | Teresa Rose Hutchison | 18.5% | 9,432 | |
| Republican | Synnove Bakke | 17.9% | 9,123 | |
| Total Votes | 50,924 | |||
2013
Diegnan won re-election in the 2013 election for New Jersey General Assembly District 18. Diegnan was unopposed in the June 4 Democratic primary. He and Nancy Pinkin (D) defeated Robert A. Bengivenga (R), Lisa Goldhamer (R) and Sheila Angalet (UWS) in the general election, which took place on November 5, 2013.[15][16][17][18]
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 18 General Election, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Patrick Diegnan, Jr. Incumbent |
27.1% | 24,996 | |
| Democratic | Nancy Pinkin |
26.2% | 24,186 | |
| Republican | Robert A. Bengivenga | 23.3% | 21,517 | |
| Republican | Lisa Goldhamer | 22.3% | 20,559 | |
| United We Stand | Sheila Angalet | 1.2% | 1,068 | |
| Total Votes | 92,326 | |||
Endorsements
In 2013, Diegnan’s endorsements included the following:[19] [20]
- The New Jersey AFL-CIO
- Planned Parenthood Action Fund of New Jersey
2011
Diegnan won re-election in 2011. Diegnan and Peter Barnes, III ran unopposed in the Democratic Primary on June 7. They then defeated Joseph Sinagra and Marcia Silva in the November 8 general election.[21]
| New Jersey General Assembly District 18 General Election, 2011 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Patrick Diegnan Incumbent |
28.4% | 18,050 | |
| Democratic | Peter Barnes, III Incumbent |
28.6% | 18,166 | |
| Republican | Joseph Sinagra | 22% | 13,996 | |
| Republican | Marcia Silva | 21% | 13,333 | |
| Total Votes | 63,545 | |||
Endorsements
In 2011, Diegnan’s endorsements included the following:[22]
2009
Diegnan won re-election in the November 3, 2009, general election. He was bracketed with Peter Barnes, III (D) and defeated Republican challengers Joseph Sinagra and Bob Jones, along with Defending Forgotten Taxpayers challengers Katherine Shkolar and Andrew Tidd.[23][24]
| New Jersey Assembly General Election, Eighteenth Legislative District (2009) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Peter J. Barnes (D)
|
26,658 | |||
| Patrick J. Diegan, Jr. (D)
|
26,317 | |||
| Joseph Sinagra (R) | 24,091 | |||
| Robert Jones (R) | 22,727 | |||
Campaign themes
2023
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Patrick Diegnan Jr. did not complete Ballotpedia's 2023 Candidate Connection survey.
2021
Patrick Diegnan Jr. did not complete Ballotpedia's 2021 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of New Jersey scorecards, email suggestions to [email protected].
2023
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show]. |
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In 2023, the New Jersey State Legislature was in session from January 10 to January 8.
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2022
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show]. |
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In 2022, the New Jersey State Legislature was in session from January 11 to December 31. |
2021
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show]. |
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In 2021, the New Jersey State Legislature was in session from January 4 to January 11.
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2020
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show]. |
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In 2020, the New Jersey State Legislature was in session from January 14 to December 17.
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2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
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In 2019, the New Jersey State Legislature was in session from January 9, 2018, through January 14, 2020.
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2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
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In 2018, the New Jersey State Legislature was in session from January 9 through January 8, 2019.
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2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, the 217th New Jersey State Legislature, second annual session, was in session from January 10 through January 9, 2018.
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2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the 217th New Jersey State Legislature, first annual session, was in session from January 12 through January 10, 2017.
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2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, the 216th New Jersey State Legislature, second annual session, was in session from January 13 through December 31.
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2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
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In 2014, the 216th New Jersey State Legislature, first annual session, was in session from January 14 through January 12, 2015.
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2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
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In 2013, the 215th New Jersey State Legislature, second annual session, was in session from January 10 to January 13, 2014.
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2012
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show]. |
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In 2012, the 215th New Jersey State Legislature, first annual session, was in session from January 10 to January 9, 2013.
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Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Diegnan and his wife, Anita, have two children.
See also
2023 Elections
External links
|
Officeholder New Jersey State Senate District 18 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Biography," accessed April 10, 2014
- ↑ New Jersey Secretary of State, "2017 Primary Election Timeline," accessed March 21, 2017
- ↑ New Jersey Division of Elections, "Official List, Candidate for State Senate for Primary Election, June 6, 2017," accessed April 13, 2017
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "Candidates for State Senate for General Election 11/07/2017 Election," accessed September 14, 2017
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "2017 official general election results," accessed November 30, 2017
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 New Jersey Department of State, "Official Primary Results: State Senate," accessed July 14, 2017
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "For GENERAL ELECTION 11/08/2016 Election," accessed November 10, 2016
- ↑ NJ elections, "Candidates for State Senate," accessed October 5, 2016
- ↑ New Jersey Department of Elections, "2015 Primary Election Timeline," accessed February 2, 2015
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "Official candidate list for June 2 primary," accessed May 22, 2015
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "Unofficial primary election results," accessed June 3, 2015
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "Official list for candidate for General Assembly," accessed August 10, 2015
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "Official primary results for General Assembly," accessed August 10, 2015
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "Official general election results for General Assembly," accessed December 7, 2015
- ↑ New Jersey Department of Elections, "Official Primary Election Results," accessed July 26, 2013
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "Official 2013 General Assembly general election candidates," accessed April 10, 2014
- ↑ Associated Press, "New Jersey - Summary Vote Results," November 6, 2013
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "2013 Official General Election results," accessed December 9, 2013
- ↑ PolitickerNJ.com, "AFL-CIO endorses candidates for elections," accessed September 4, 2013
- ↑ Planned Parenthood NJ "Planned Parenthood Action Fund of New Jersey Announces Endorsements in State Elections," accessed September 5, 2013
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "2011 Official General Assembly Primary Candidate List," accessed April 10, 2014
- ↑ Politicker NJ, "2011 AFL-CIO endorsed candidates," accessed August 5, 2011
- ↑ Associated Press, "General Election Results, November 4, 2009," accessed April 10, 2014
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "Official 2009 New Jersey Assembly General Election Results," accessed April 10, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
New Jersey State Senate District 18 2017-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
New Jersey General Assembly District 18 2002-2016 |
Succeeded by - |
