Christopher Binetti was a very visible presence a year and a half ago at state Legislative redistricting meetings.

His point was that New Jersey’s political system discriminates against Italian-Americans.

Binetti was sincere and at times passionate, but you got the impression no one took him all that seriously.

Now he’s trying to make the powerful pay for their indifference.

Binetti is challenging state Sen. Patrick Diegnan in Tuesday’s Democratic primary in LD-18, covering the heart of Middlesex County, including Metuchen and Edison.

Describing himself as an educator and an Italian-American civil rights activist, Binetti says on social media that he is “committed to fighting for policies that promote equal opportunity, access to quality education regardless of background, improving our infrastructure and civil rights reform.”

Regarding the election process itself, Binetti comes across as a reformer, calling for open primaries, ranked-choice voting and proportional representation.

Primary challenges can be beneficial because they give party members a reason to vote and prevent incumbents from becoming too comfortable. But it is always tough – to put it mildly – for a challenger to win.

Diegnan is running a joint campaign with Assembly members – Robert Karabinchak and Sterley Stanley.

Their Facebook page shows a recent rally to support the Middlesex County Democratic team with Phil Murphy.

Seasoned politicians take nothing for granted.