New Jersey’s 12 Democratic and Republican congressional district primary elections feature well-funded incumbents who are expected to breeze in on June 7 and advance on to November’s ballots, where many will face familiar foes in rematches from the 2020 elections.
Democrats now hold 10 of the state’s dozen U.S. House seats with November’s ballot already set in two congressional districts because Democrat and Republican candidates are unchallenged in their primaries.
Of the 10 congressional districts contested in the primaries, Republicans in five are vying to get back on to the general election ballot to unseat Democrats that defeated them two years ago.
Only one seat is open with the pending retirement of Rep. Albio Sires (D-N.J.) in Congressional District 8 (CD 8). Of the remaining 11 incumbents, four sitting Democratic House representatives have primary challengers, and five do not, meaning they are guaranteed to be on November’s ballots.
Both incumbent GOP congressional reps, including U.S. Rep. Christopher Smith the longest-serving U.S. House representative in New Jersey history, face primary challenges but are expected to advance.
The most compelling races could be in the 3rd and 7th Congressional Districts, where incumbent Democrats in November will meet robustly financed Republicans boosted by post-Census redistricting and growing numbers of Republican voters.
Collectively, 55 candidates are vying for the 12 seats—35 Republicans and 20 Democrats.
Vote-by-mail has been underway for the primary election for several weeks. May 31 was the last day for registered voters to apply for a mail ballot for the primaries.
Early in-person voting begins June 3 and continues through June 5 at limited locations in every county.
Below is a district-by-district roundup of both parties’ primary slates.
New Jersey’s CD 1 includes the city of Camden and the suburbs of Philadelphia. It has been represented by U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross (D-Camden) since 2014. He is seeking a fifth term in November. The district is rated “safe” for Democrats.
Democratic Primary: Mario DeSantis is challenging heavily favored Norcross in the party primary.
DeSantis, 34, is a public school teacher and a progressive making his first run at elected office. As of May 18, his campaign reported to the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) that it had raised $7,488 in contributions, spent $5,601, and was $631.51 in the hole.
On the other hand, Norcross’ campaign reported to the FEC that it had raised $1,398,889, spent $630,855.82, and had $2,692,697 in cash on hand on May 18.
The vast majority of Norcross donations are from significant individual contributions. PAC contributions of $622,650 amount to more than half his campaign’s donations.
Republican Primary: The GOP preliminary race will pit union carpenter Damon Galdo against children’s clothing store owner Claire Gustafson, who Norcross defeated in 2020.
As of May 18, Galdo’s campaign reported to the FEC that it had raised $1,820, spent $1,433.72, and had $386.28 on hand. A lifelong Democrat, he says he’s running for Congress as a Republican because the Democratic Party has “moved so radically Left.”
Gustafson’s campaign reported to the FEC that it had raised $13,221, spent $22,587, and had $19,482 in its war chest as of March 31. She espouses her “adept budgetary and organizational skills as well as her ability to form savvy business partnerships” as assets that could appeal to CD 8 voters after decades of Democratic domination.
Charles Park is petitioning to get on to November’s ballot as an independent. He had raised $5,000 for his campaign, spent $1,321, and had $3,679 cash on hand as of March 31.
This southern New Jersey district is represented by Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, who was elected as a Democrat in 2018 but switched parties in December 2019, winning a second term as a Republican in 2020.
The Cook Political Report rates NJ-02 as “safe” Republican after being a ’toss-up” swing district for much of the previous decade.
Democratic Primary: Former prosecutor and detective Tim Alexander is heavily favored to be the party’s entry on November’s ballot after former Egg Harbor Township school board member Hector Tavarez dropped out of the race.
As of May 18, his campaign reported to the FEC that it had raised $291,102.96, including $5,000 in personal loans, spent $263,138, and had $26,365.02 cash on hand.
Alexander is being challenged in the primary by Carolyn Rush, a “problem-solving” engineer whose campaign reported $64,206 in contributions, $71,732 in expenditures, and was $1,337 in arrears as of May 18.
Republican Primary: U.S. Army veteran, radiographer, and certified pesticide applicator John Barker and Sean Pignatelli, a member of the Carpenter’s Union and small business owner in Cumberland County, are challenging Van Drew in the GOP preliminary campaign.
Neither of their campaigns met the threshold for an FEC filing.
Van Drew’s campaign, meanwhile, reported to the FEC on May 18 that it had raised $2,319,321, spent $1,534,936, and had $976,262.78 in his war chest.
According to OpenSecrets, Van Drew’s biggest donors come from Democratic/Liberal sources ($177,283), real estate interests ($107,725), health professionals ($86,046), and securities & investment concerns ($58,186).
His largest single contributors are Democracy Engine ($177,283), Lund’s Fisheries ($18,400), Heritage Surgical Group ($14,000), Grimmway Enterprises ($11,600), and Pan American Hotel LLC ($11,600).
New Jersey’s CD 3 spans nearly all of Burlington County with portions of the Jersey Shore in Ocean County. It is represented by Democrat Rep. Andy Kim, who is seeking a third term in November.
The Cook Political Report rates NJ-03 as a “leaning Democratic” swing district.
Democratic Primary: Progressive Reuven Hendler, 24, of Beachwood is on the party’s primary ballot but is not expected to pose much of a challenge to Kim. As of May 18, his campaign had not raised enough money to warrant an FEC filing.
Kim’s campaign reported on May 18 that it had raised $4,421,741, spent $1,024,391, and had $3,949,184 cash on hand.
According to OpenSecrets, Kim’s biggest financial support comes from lawyers/law firms ($256,873), securities and investment concerns ($239,263), Democratic/Liberal sources ($195,642), and the education industry ($155,580).
His largest individual contributors are J Street ($108,055), Democracy Engine ($80,333), Princeton University ($25,091), Frontline USA ($24,985), and Arista Networks ($23,325).
Republican Primary: Three Republicans are vying for the party’s nod to challenge the potentially vulnerable Kim in November.
Bob Healey, a Burlington County resident who is executive co-chair of the Viking Group, a shipbuilding company that employs at least 1,000 people in the area. He has received the GOP party line endorsement and the most in contributions.
Healey’s campaign reported it had raised $1,156,797, spent $719,376, and had $437,421 cash on hand as of May 18 with at least $260,000 coming from his own pocket.
Also on the GOP primary ballot are an attorney and realtor Nicholas Ferrara of Hamilton, and Ian Smith, who owns Atilis Gym.
Ferrara’s campaign is largely self-funded. As of March 31, it reported to the FEC that it had raised $55,335, spent $54,900, and had $435.27 on hand.
Smith gained notoriety in 2020 and 2021 by defying New Jersey’s pandemic lockdown orders before being arrested earlier this year for a second time for drunk driving.
On May 18, his campaign reported to the FEC that it had raised $154,110, spent $80,978, and had $73,132.45 in its war chest.
New Jersey’s CD 4 spans the central Jersey shore west to the state capital of Trenton and has been represented by the state’s longest-serving Congressional rep, Republican U.S. Rep. Christopher Smith since 1981 even though the district earns a “likely” Democratic rating from The Cook Political Report.
Democratic Primary: Matthew Jenkins of Colts Neck was the only Democrat to file and will go unchallenged on June 7.
A substitute teacher who earned degrees in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Rutgers University, Jenkins is certain to be on November’s ballot.
Republican Primary: Conservative podcaster Mike Crispi, who is being advised by Trump ally Roger Stone, and retired FBI agent Steve Gray are on the GOP ballot and vying to prevent Smith from winning a 22nd term on the House.
U.S. Army veteran Mike Blasi dropped out of the race in April although his name will appear on the GOP primary ballot.
According to their campaigns’ May 18 FEC filings, Crispi had raised $120,387—including $30,000 of his own money—spent $100,494, and had $19,893.06 on hand while Gray had raised $104,922, including $80,000 from a personal loan, spent $89,727.67—including paying $50,000 of the loan off—and $15,194.76 in his war chest.
By comparison, Smith’s campaign reported it had raised $1,089,745, spent $531,224, and had $700,095 in cash on hand as of May 18.
Smith, 69, rated among the most moderate Republicans in the House, is most heavily supported by building trade unions ($46,500), real estate interests ($45,550), securities and investment firms ($44,600), and Republican/Conservative PACs ($42,560).
His largest single donors include Bristol-Myers Squibb ($14,510), NorPAC ($14,500), American International Group ($12,600), Ralph Clayton & Sons ($11,600), and Wakefern Food ($11,600).
New Jersey’s CD 5 includes most of Bergen County, as well as parts of Passaic, Sussex, and Warren counties and has been represented by Democratic U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer since 2017. The North Jersey district is rated as “likely” voting Democratic by The Cook Political Report.
Democratic Primary: Gottheimer has nearly $14 million in campaign money and no primary opponent, so he will be on November’s ballot.
As of May 18, his campaign reported to the FEC that it had raised $5,978,351, spent $898,274, and had $13,971,464 in cash on hand.
Gottheimer’s most significant financial support comes from securities and investment concerns ($1 million), real estate interests ($293,988), and lawyers/law firms ($223,940), according to OpenSecrets.
His largest donors include Blackstone Group ($81,732), KKR & Co ($72,500), Apollo Global Management ($51,061), NorPAC ($51,000), and Comcast Corp. ($37,000)
Republican Primary: Four candidates are on the GOP’s primary ballot and engaged in a feisty campaign to deny Gottheimer’s bid for a fourth term in November.
U.S. Marine Corps Iraq and Afghanistan combat veteran Nick De Gregorio has garnered the most endorsements and raised the most money.
According to his campaign’s May 18 FEC filing, it had raised $836,679, spent $562,220, and had $274,450 on hand as of May 18.
Frank Pallotta, the former investment banker who won the 2020 GOP nomination after spending $1.4 million of his own money but lost to Gottheimer in the general election, is seeking a rematch.
His campaign reported to the FEC that it had raised $309,601, spent $297,775, and had $35,154 on hand as of May 18.
Sab Skenderi of Wyckoff is also on the ballot but has not filed with the FEC while businessman Fred Schneiderman, after being backed on the stump by former Trump White House adviser and local resident, Kellyanne Conway, dropped out of the race in late April.
New Jersey’s CD 6 incorporates northern and eastern portions of Middlesex County and the coastal areas of Monmouth County, including towns along Raritan Bay.
The district is rated by the Cook Political Reports as “safe” Democratic and has been represented by Democratic U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. since 1988.
Democratic Primary: When Sherry Euvin dropped out of the primary, that left Pallone, chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, with no challengers in the June 7 primary and more than $4 million socked away for the general election.
His campaign reported to the FEC that it had raised $1,847,835, spent $1,078,742, and had $4,106,688 in cash on hand as of May 18.
Industries Pallone has received the most support from include health professionals ($417,231), pharmaceuticals/health products ($256,925), lobbyists ($195,750), lawyers/law firms ($189,525), and electric utilities ($177,500).
Pallone’s largest contributors include Neurological Surgery ($36,000), Rock Holdings ($30,900), National Association of Broadcasters ($27,750), DISH Network ($26,250), and MacAndrews & Forbes ($26,200).
Republican Primary: Three candidates are vying for the GOP nod to take on Pallone in November.
Monmouth County Commissioner Sue Kiley is the favorite. Her campaign reported to the FEC on May 18 that it had raised $234,922, spent $45,769, and had $189,153.60 in cash on hand.
Dr. Rik Mehta, a former U.S. Food and Drug Administration official and the 2020 Republican nominee for U.S. Senate against Cory Booker, had raised $178,445, spent $169,3761, and had $9,623 in cash on hand, his campaign reported to the FEC as of May 18. He’s boosted funding with a $70,000 personal loan.
Former Republican National Committee staffer Tom Toomey, who has run for Congress in New Jersey’s 11th District, is also on the GOP primary ballot.
His campaign reported to the FEC on May 18 that it had raised $115,889, spent $91,050.50, and had $24,839 in cash on hand.
New Jersey’s CD 7 includes all of Hunterdon County, and parts of Essex, Morris, Somerset, Union, and Warren counties.
CD 7 is represented by Democrat U.S. Rep. Tom Malinowski, who was first elected in 2018, defeating Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Leonard Lance. The district is rated by the Cook Political Reports as ”leaning” Republican.
Democratic Primary: In seeking the party’s nod for a third term, Malinowski has only one primary opponent—Roger Bacon, a pro-Trump Democrat making his seventh run for public office.
Bacon’s campaign has not qualified for an FEC filing while Malinowski’s reported on May 18 that it had raised $5,117,107, spent $1,525,486, and had $3,642,716 in its war chest.
According to OpenSecrets, Malinowski’s biggest industry support comes from lawyers/law firms ($311,608), Democratic/Liberal sources ($244,524), the education industry ($203,139), and securities and investment concerns ($202,028).
His largest donors are Democracy Engine ($88,850), J Street ($77,490), Princeton University ($37,880), Rutgers University ($35,256), and Technology Crossover Ventures ($23,200).
Republican Primary: There are seven candidates seeking to get on November’s ballot in this swing district to challenge Malinowski, who is regarded as among the most vulnerable of 2022 Congressional incumbents.
Former Senate Minority Leader Thomas Kean Jr.—the grandson of former U.S. Rep. Robert Kean and son of former Republican Gov. Thomas H. Kean, Sr.—is regarded as the frontrunner.
Kean lost in 2020 to Malinowski by 1 percentage point but with CD 7 becoming a bit more red following redistricting, Republicans like their chances in 2022.
Kean’s campaign reported to the FEC on May 18 that it had raised $2,243,624, spent $1,130,707, and had $1,206,597 in cash on hand.
Challenging the frontrunner Kean is Assemblyman Erik Peterson, a 12-year veteran of the state legislature, whose campaign reported to the FEC on May 18 that it had raised $$62,194, spent $34,471, and had $$27,723 in its war chest.
2021 gubernatorial candidate Phil Rizzo is also on the CD 7 GOP primary ballot. His campaign reported to the FEC on May 18 that it had raised $227,947, spent $149,316.38, and had no cash—zero dollars—on hand on May 18.
Long Valley businessmen Kevin Dorlon’s campaign reported on May 18 that it had raised $24,743.84, spent $21,477, and had $3,317 cash on hand on May 18.
John Henry Isemann, 27, Fredon Mayor John Flora, and U.S. Navy veteran Sterling Irwin Schwab are also all on the CD 7 Republican primary. None of their campaigns met the threshold for FEC filings.
New Jersey’s CD 8 is the urban-suburban corridor west on the west side of the Hudson across from Manhattan and has been represented by the retiring Democrat U.S. Rep. Albio Sires since 2006.
The district, which includes parts of Newark, Jersey City, and Elizabeth, is rated as “safe” for Democrats The Cook Political Reports and will be the only one of the state’s 12 congressional districts where voters are guaranteed to elect a new House rep in the 2022 midterms.
Democratic Primary: Three Democrats are on the party’s primary ballot seeking to replace Sires. Whoever wins will be the favorite in November.
The frontrunner appears to be another scion of a New Jersey political family—Robert Menendez, son of the New Jersey’s senior U.S. Senator, Bob Menendez, and who has received the party’s support as well as Gov. Phil Murphy’s endorsement.
Menendez, a Port Authority Commissioner, is also winning when it comes to fundraising. As of May 18, his campaign reported to the FEC that it had raised $1,064,061, spent $639,996, and had $424,065 in cash on hand.
He faces environmental compliance start-up founder and son of Columbian immigrants David Ocampo Grajales of Jersey City and history teacher-entrepreneur Ane Roseborough-Eberhard from Weehawken, both progressives, in the Democratic primary.
According to his May 18 campaign report, Grajales had raised $37,434, including $5,000 of his own money, spent $30,799, and had $6,635 in cash on hand. Roseborough-Eberhard’s campaign did not file with the FEC.
Republican Primary: West New York housing inspector Marcos Arroyo is unopposed on the ballot although a write-in candidate, Ana Rivera, has emerged.
Neither filed with the FEC nor do they, as yet, have campaign websites or literature widely available.
New Jersey’s CD 9 spans the north-central part of the state and incorporates much of Bergen and Passaic County, including the city of Paterson.
The district has been represented by Democratic U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell since 1996 and is regarded by The Cook Political Reports as “leaning” Democratic. It is also one of the two Congressional races in New Jersey where November’s ballot is already set.
Democratic Primary: Pascrell has no primary challengers in launching his bid for a 13th term in Congress.
As of May 18, his campaign reported to the FEC that it had raised $1,127,599, spent $800,072, and had $1,731,912 in cash on hand.
Pascrell’s biggest backers are real estate interests ($86,850), lawyers/law firms ($82,450), public sector union ($52,000), and insurance companies ($49,903), according to OpenSecrets.
His most significant campaign donors include NorPAC ($14,950), the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers ($12,500), Fourth Edition ($11,600), and the Plumbers/Pipefitters Union ($11,500).
Republican Primary: U.S. Air Force veteran and son of immigrants from Ghana, Billy Prempeh faces no challenger in CD 9’s GOP primary and will face off against Pascrell in a rematch of the 2020 election won by the Democrat.
According to his campaign’s May 18 FEC filing, Prempeh, 30, had raised $208,364, spent $214,914, and had $6,406.75 in cash on hand.
New Jersey’s CD 10 is an urban district on the west side of the Hudson that includes portions of Essex, Hudson, and Union counties, and parts of the cities of Newark and Orange.
The district, which The Cook Political Reports rates as “safe” Democratic, has been represented by Democratic U.S. Rep. Donald Payne since 2012, when he succeeded his late father, U.S. Rep. Donald Payne, Sr., New Jersey’s first black Congressman.
Democratic Primary: Payne, who served as Newark City Council President and as an Essex County Freeholder, before running for Congress, faces two rivals in securing the nod to seek a sixth House term.
Attorney and U.S. Senate Constituent Advocate Imani Oakley and Essex County College professor Akil Khalfani are on the ballot.
According to her campaign’s May FEC filing, Oakley had raised $425,511, spent $389,383, and had $36,128 in cash on hand. Khalfani did not file with the FEC.
Payne’s May 18 FEC report said his campaign had raised $946,948, spent $930,996, and had $219,194 in its war chest.
Republican Primary: David Pinckney and Garth Stewart will square off in the GOP preliminary. Neither has filed with the FEC and Pinckney as yet does not appear to have assembled any campaign apparatus.
Pinckney ran against Payne in 2016, securing less than 12 percent of the vote in the district, which has not elected a Republican to Congress since 1946.
New Jersey’s CD 11 spans suburban areas in the north-central part of the state, including portions of Essex, Morris, Passaic, and Sussex countess and is among the 10 most affluent congressional districts in the United States.
The district traditionally leaned Republican but is now rated by The Cook Political Reports as “likely” voting Democratic. It has been represented by Democratic U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill since she was elected in November 2018.
Democratic Primary: Sherrill faces no challengers in the Democratic primary and has more than $5.6 million in her war chest to take on her Republican opponent in November.
Sherrill’s campaign reported to the FEC on May 18 that it had raised $4,120,733 and had $5,647,495 in cash on hand.
According to OpenSecrets, her most significant financial support comes from lawyers/law firms ($498,754), securities and investment concerns ($439,187), Democratic/Liberal sources ($428,467), and real estate interests (251,371).
Sherrill’s top campaign contributors include Emily’s List ($44,015), Goldman Sachs ($33,261), New York Life Insurance ($31,684), Kirkland & Ellis ($30,696), and Gibbons PC ($29,224).
Republican Primary: There are five hopefuls entered in CD 11’s GOP primary hoping to make it to November and deny Sherrill’s bid for a third term in the House.
Morris County Commissioner Tayfun Selen and former assistant Passaic County Prosecutor Paul DeGroot are regarded as the favorites.
Selen’s campaign reported to the FEC on May 18 that it had raised $255,790, spent $77,494, and had $178,296 in cash on hand.
DeGroot is largely self-funding his campaign, loaning himself $206,421 of the $243,598 his campaign reported raising to the FEC on May 18. His coffers had $140,404 on hand on May 18.
Hospice Triage Registered Nurse Ruth McAndrew, TV/communications technician Alexander Halter, and small business owner, Iraq War veteran Toby Anderson are also on the GOP primary ballot. None posted reports with the FEC.
New Jersey’s CD 12 is a suburban-to-rural district that spans the state capital of Trenton and includes research and educational institutions such as Princeton University, Rider University, College of New Jersey, Institute for Advanced Study, Johnson & Johnson, and Bristol-Myers Squibb.
The district is rated “safe” for Democrats and has been represented since her 2014 election by Democratic U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman.
It also is one of the state’s two 12 congressional districts where November’s ballot is set with Coleman seeking a fifth term against Republican challenger Darius Mayfield because neither faces primary opponents.
Democratic Primary: Coleman has no primary challenger. Her campaign reported to the FEC on May 18 that it had raised $595,570, spent $458,396, and had $244,334 cash in its coffers.
Coleman’s campaign receives it biggest support from the pharmaceuticals/health products industry ($53,775), building trade unions ($29,500), public sector unions ($27,045), and lawyers/law firms ($23,481).
Her largest donors are the Plumbers/Pipefitters Union ($10,000), the Progressive Turnout Project ($10,000), the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers ($10,000), the American Federation of Teachers ($10,000), and Rwjbarnabas Health ($9,950).
Republican Primary: Like Coleman, local businessman and “active philanthropist” Mayfield faces no challengers on June 7 so he joins her on November’s ballot.
His campaign reported to the FEC on May 18 that it had raised $185,783, spent $164,630, and had $21,153 in cash on hand.
