Balvir Singh Wins Special Election For State Assembly In BurlCo

BURLINGTON COUNTY, NJ — Burlington County Commissioner Balvir Singh was selected to State Assembly on Saturday, filling the vacancy created by Herb Conaway's election to Congress.

Members of the Burlington County Democratic Committee voted for Singh to fill the vacant seat in a special election convention. Singh defeated Moorestown Council Member Nicole Gillespie, 172-93.

Singh will be sworn in to the assembly on Thursday. He will represent New Jersey's 7th legislative district, which includes Burlington County communities along the Delaware River.

Singh was elected to the Burlington Township School Board in 2014 and became a county commissioner four years later. He is the first Asian American to win a countywide election in Burlington County and the first Sikh to win a countywide election in New Jersey.

Now, he's slated to become the first Sikh legislator in state history.

"This victory is not just personal," Singh wrote on social media, "it's a testament to the power of diversity, inclusion, and the progress we can achieve together."

Conaway, a Democrat, held one of the district's two assembly seats for the past quarter-century. In November, he was elected to represent New Jersey's 3rd congressional district in congress.

The assembly seat has been vacant since Conaway began his congressional term earlier this month. As a result, the Burlington County Democratic Committee held a special election to appoint a temporary replacement — in line with state law.

Singh's assembly appointment will only last a year. But all of New Jersey's assembly seats are up for election in November, and both Singh and Gillespie are among the candidates running in the 7th district.

New Jersey's 7th legislative district includes Beverly, Bordentown, Bordentown Township, Burlington, Burlington Township, Cinnaminson, Delanco, Delran, Edgewater Park, Fieldsboro, Florence, Moorestown, Mount Laurel, Palmyra, Riverside, Riverton and Willingboro.