1997Final results
1997 election for New Jersey Legislative District 1
New Jersey General Assembly · New Jersey
2 seats: John C. Gibson (R), Nicholas Asselta (R) won.
2 seatsJohn C. GibsonRepublican · winner · incumbent
27.6%32,699
Nicholas AsseltaRepublican · winner · incumbent
27.0%32,032
Jeff Van DrewDemocrat
25.5%30,221
Rob OdonnellDemocrat
17.9%21,278
Rosemary GarrisonIndependent
1.1%1,325
Marie PellecchiaIndependent
0.9%1,127
118,682 votes
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1997
Races before and after
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET
The candidates
John C. Gibson (R)Nicholas Asselta (R)Jeff Van Drew (D)Rob Odonnell (D)
Also on the ballot: Rosemary Garrison (Independent), 1.1%; Marie Pellecchia (Independent), 0.9%