1997Final results
1997 election for New Jersey Legislative District 11
New Jersey State Senate · New Jersey
Joseph A. Palaia (R) won with 66.2% of the vote, defeating Eugene M. Lavergne (D) by 34.5 points.
Joseph A. PalaiaRepublican · winner · incumbent
66.2%39,579
Eugene M. LavergneDemocrat
31.7%18,981
Christian P. OlsenIndependent
2.1%1,228
59,788 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
Joseph A. Palaia (R)Eugene M. Lavergne (D)
Also on the ballot: Christian P. Olsen (Independent), 2.1%