It is primary election day in New Jersey.

The polls close in just a few hours.

Democratic and Republican voters are making their selections for the presumptive presidential nominees, along with statewide candidates vying for an open U.S. Senate seat.

All 12 in the House and local and county positions.

More than 350,000 residents voted early.

Most of them using mail in ballots, according to the state Division of Elections.

Tonight's outcome sets the stage for the general election in November, but also test the strength of New Jersey's Democratic political party organizations and whether the candidates they've endorsed can hold up without the power of a county line ballot behind them.

The U.S. Senate seat currently held by Bob Menendez has arguably gotten the most attention this election cycle.

Even though he's not on the primary ballot, he's, of course, fighting his ongoing federal corruption trial.

Menendez has had a significant influence on the federal races.

Three Democrats and four Republicans are running for the nomination from their parties, but it's not the primary matchup we were expecting.

Ted Goldberg has been on the ground all day with the candidates and has the latest.

It's something I never imagined as a public school kid, a son of immigrants, but I'm ready to step up for my state.

Representative Andy Kim says he isn't taking the primary for granted, but he's the heavy favorite to win the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate over Larry, him and Patricia Campos medina.

They're hoping to replace senior Senator Bob Menendez, who's defending himself against corruption and bribery charges and is now running as an independent.

But he's putting his own personal benefit ahead of what's right for the country right now.

Having a sitting senator in the race certainly changes the dynamics.

And in this given climate as well, you know, people are really fed up.

Strategists are split about how big of an impact Menendez could have in November.

I don't necessarily think that Senator Menendez is planning on staying in this race through November, even when early voting starts.

I think this is a way for Senator Menendez to potentially raise more money.

It's a bandwidth issue for for legal defense money.

He's not going to take Republican votes away from whoever the Republican nominee is.

He's going to take Democratic votes away from most likely, and he can.

I think the Republican candidate who wins the nomination tonight still has to make the race close enough for that to matter.

The ballot itself is also a story.

It's New Jersey's first Democratic ballot in a long time to not feature the county line, a result of Kim's lawsuit.

People are just like, oh, that's Jersey, the county line.

But it's to actually have a ballot probably the first time in a century, probably, that we haven't had, you know, a county line system on our ballot.

I think it is the start of a new era of great democracy here in New Jersey.

Voters I spoke with cared less about the county line than other issues like the integrity of the ballots.

Just seemed very cumbersome.

A lot more involved.

And I guess with the this is all designed to try and prevent what the false claims of fraudulent voting the.

Last four years.

It's been very upsetting.

So I would like to see some change as far as the local government.

Right now, our current government is all democratic.

I think we need to have to voices.

On the Republican ticket.

Nominees include Mendham, Mayor Christine Serrano, Glassner, and the well-traveled businessman Curtis Bash.

Since January 15th, we've put 52,000 miles on the car crisscrossing New Jersey.

The Cape May businessman has more county endorsements than any other GOP candidate, but his opponent, who is not available to speak with us, has national endorsements from figures like Donald Trump and Marco Rubio.

Bagshaw says party voters should consider November's elections when they vote in today's primary.

I know that we are going to be able to expand the Republican tent with this campaign.

I think the differences between my opponent and this campaign is that we are running a statewide campaign.

We have been in the private sector and built a huge business and created thousands of jobs and we are political outsider that's going to D.C., hopefully to get things done for all New Jerseyans.

We're the only campaign that can win in November in our opinion.

And we're the only campaign that has built a statewide organization.

The Republican race is still considered a tossup.

That'll keep things interesting right up until the polls close at 8:00 tonight.

For NJ Spotlight News, I'm Ted Goldberg.