one of the most watched legislative races this year is a rematch in District 16 between incumbent Democratic senator Andrew zwicker and Mike Pappas a former Republican Congressman who's been launching a political comeback as senior correspondent Brenda Flanagan reports the race appears to hinge on a polarizing issue with each candidate's base pick your issue from the list of culture War topics like abortion and it pops up in New Jersey's 16th legislative district race pro-choice incumbent Democrat Senator Andrew zwicker cast his own daughter in a campaign ad that attacks Republican Challenger Mike Pappas Pappas wants to ban all abortions including cases of rape and incest completely out of touch with the vast majority of new jerseys and to be clear that's not a Democratic or unaffiliated or even many republican issues right it crosses party Isle it's an extreme extreme case what is your position plainly on abortion my position has been established many years ago and and has not changed his position is among the most radical of any legislator in New Jersey he voted for a measure to permit abortion right up to the moment of birth in off-year elections both sides need to Galvanize their base and get those voters to the polls when no big names topped the ballot for many Democrats this fall it means rallying around abortion rights even though that's already protected by New Jersey statute but funding and access are not says Planned Parenthood which endorsed 97 legislative candidates including zwicker there is still a ton that could be done to dismantle access to abortion the legality of abortion is protected in New Jersey but access for abortion and still you know very much sits in the hands of the legislature and the governor the problem for Pappas to go back to numbers is simply that this district and this state are so overwhelmed pro-choice and his position is going to be out of step with a large majority of his voters in his district certainly abortion's an issue and uh not surprised the Democrats are going there uh and they're going there because they don't want to talk about the other issues that are facing the state right now uh parental rights and what's happening now uh schools about keeping secrets from parents Republican strategist Chris Russell says Pappas is connecting with voters on the parental rights issue and with school board seats on the ballot this November that may draw voters who wouldn't ordinarily have turned out for legislative races absolutely it's an advantage to Republicans because in in a low turnout election these votes are magnified right the importance of these votes are magnified speaking of turnout the 16th may look like a swing district with 36 percent registered Democrats 26 percent Republicans and the rest unaffiliated but it's demographics have shifted says writers Michael Rasmussen they're worried about taxes and Trump if we know that anybody is going to vote in New Jersey it's going going to be the kind of Voters in this District who have been voting Democratic and not really with Trump Papas won't say whether he'd backed the former president I've not endorsed a candidate and certainly my focus right now is the State Legislative election Pappas has been outspent by the incumbent in this campaign he challenged zwicker for the senate seat in 2021 and lost by some 5200 votes this is the rematch I'm Brenda Flanagan NJ Spotlight News NJ Spotlight News