Thompson served in the New Jersey General Assembly, representing District 13 from 1998 to 2012. He was moved into District 12 by the 2011 redistricting process.
Thompson earned his B.S. in chemistry and mathematics from the University of Arkansas-Little Rock and his Ph.D. in physical chemistry from Louisiana State University. His professional experience includes working as director of the New Jersey Turnpike Authority from 1995 to 1997, a research scientist for six years for DuPont and J.P. Stevens, and the director of the New Jersey State Department of Health, Lab Division from 1972 to 1994.
a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | |
Yes | b) Should abortion be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape? |
Yes | c) Should abortion be legal when the life of the woman is endangered? |
Yes | d) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions? |
e) Other or expanded principles: |
I do not consider myself pro- or anti-abortion. I consider each issue as it arises, e.g., I do not believe abortion should be used as a primary method of birth control but it should be available under some circumstances as noted. I do believe parental notification should be required.
1) Budget Stabilization:
Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing New Jersey's budget.
a) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions | |
b) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees | |
c) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | |
d) An income tax increase on any tax bracket | |
e) Other or expanded principles: |
All parties must work together to redesign the pension system so that it be both affordable and fully funded. Retirement payouts for sick leave and accrued vacation must be reduced.
a) Do you support limits on the following types of contributions for state candidates?
Yes | 1) Individual |
Yes | 2) Political Action Committee |
Yes | 3) Corporate |
Yes | 4) Political Party |
Yes | b) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information? |
Yes | c) Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? |
Yes | d) Do you support the use of an independent AND/OR bipartisan commission for redistricting? |
Yes | e) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls? |
f) Other or expanded principles: |
Yes | a) Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? |
Yes | b) Do you support alternatives to incarceration for certain non-violent offenders, such as mandatory counseling or substance abuse treatment? |
No | c) Do you support legalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana? |
Yes | d) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? |
Yes | e) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? |
No | f) Do you support delaying the seizure of assets by law enforcement officials until after a conviction? |
g) Other or expanded principles: |
Yes | a) Do you support government spending as a means of promoting economic growth? |
Yes | b) Do you support lowering taxes as a means of promoting economic growth? |
Yes | c) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? |
Yes | d) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits? |
Yes | e) Do you support requiring welfare applicants to pass a drug test in order to receive benefits? |
Yes | f) Do you support an increase of the minimum wage? |
Yes | g) Do you support legalized state-sponsored sports betting in New Jersey? |
Yes | h) Do you support a tax on short-term housing rentals in New Jersey? |
i) Other or expanded principles: |
Yes | a) Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative? |
Yes | b) Do you support state funding for charter schools? |
Yes | c) Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from New Jersey high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities in New Jersey? |
d) Other or expanded principles: |
Yes | a) Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)? |
Yes | b) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? |
Yes | c) Do you support government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions? |
d) Other or expanded principles: |
a) Do you generally support gun-control legislation? | |
Yes | b) Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? |
c) Should citizens be allowed to carry concealed guns? | |
Yes | d) Should a license be required for gun possession? |
e) Other or expanded principles: |
(a) For most issues that have been up, rarely
(c) Under reasonable limitations
Yes | a) Do you support a universally-accessible, publicly-administered health insurance option? |
Yes | b) Do you support Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")? |
c) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | |
Yes | d) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? |
e) Other or expanded principles: |
a) Do you support same-sex marriage? | |
Yes | b) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in New Jersey's anti-discrimination laws? |
c) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in New Jersey's anti-discrimination laws? | |
d) Other or expanded principles: |
New Jersey State Senate, District 12 General Election, 2017 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
Republican | Samuel Thompson Incumbent | 56.75% | 30,013 | |
Democratic | David Lande | 41.38% | 21,888 | |
Coach Kev | Kevin Antoine | 1.87% | 990 | |
Total Votes | 52,891 | |||
Source: New Jersey Department of State |
New Jersey State Senate, District 12 Democratic Primary, 2017 | ||
---|---|---|
Candidate | ||
David Lande | ||
Source: New Jersey Department of State |
Incumbent Samuel Thompson defeated Art Haney in the New Jersey State Senate District 12 Republican primary election.
New Jersey State Senate, District 12 Republican Primary, 2017 | ||
---|---|---|
Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
Samuel Thompson Incumbent | 59.82% | 4,277 |
Art Haney | 40.18% | 2,873 |
Total Votes | 7,150 | |
Source: New Jersey Department of State |
Thompson won re-election in the 2013 election for New Jersey State Senate District 12. Thompson was unopposed in the June 4 Republican primary and defeated Raymond D. Dothard (D) in the general election, which took place on November 5, 2013.
New Jersey State Senate, District 12 General Election, 2013 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
Republican | Samuel Thompson Incumbent | 65.4% | 32,911 | |
Democratic | Raymond D. Dothard | 34.6% | 17,440 | |
Total Votes | 50,351 |
Thompson won election to New Jersey State Senate District 12 in 2011. He was unopposed in the June 7 Republican primary election. Republican incumbent Jennifer Beck did not run for re-election. Thompson defeated Robert Brown (D) in the general election, which took place on November 8, 2011.
New Jersey State Senate District 12 General Election, 2011 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
Republican | Samuel Thompson | 59.8% | 18,349 | |
Democratic | Robert "Bob" Brown | 40.2% | 12,317 | |
Total Votes | 30,666 |
Thompson ran for re-election in the November 3, 2009, general election. He received 38,823 votes (32%), defeating challengers Bob Brown (D), James Grenafege (D) and Sean Dunne (Fight Corruption). He was bracketed with Amy Handlin (R).
New Jersey Assembly General Election, Thirteenth Legislative District (2009) | Candidates | Votes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Amy H. Handlin (R) | 39,998 | |||
Samuel D. Thompson (R) | 38,967 | |||
Robert "Bob" Brown (D) | 20,371 | |||
James Grenafege (D) | 18,769 |