New Jersey: who should earn your vote for Congress in 2026

Opinion · The paper’s scorecard

New Jersey: every race for Congress on the 3 November 2026 ballot, and how the candidates measure up against our standards.

Sitting and former members are scored on the same key votes, read from the official House and Senate roll calls; each vote links to the record. Candidates who have never served in Congress have no votes to score, and outside the battlegrounds we have not researched them, so they are marked as not scored. Where only one candidate could be measured, the mark rates that record on its own; it is not a verdict on the opponent. How the marks work · All states

U.S. Senate D+4

No mark

Cory Booker

Democrat · incumbent

Scored on 24 key votes · total -3

✗Smaller government
✗Small business over giants
✓Live and let live
✗Light touch on tech
✗Free speech
✓No surveillance state
✓Home first, open trade
~Checks on power
✗Right to bear arms
✗Hard on violent crime

With us (12)

Voted against the June 2026 bill adding about $70 billion for immigration enforcement. Source
Voted for the Respect for Marriage Act. Source
Voted for the amendment requiring a warrant to search Americans' communications under FISA Section 702. Source

Against us (12)

Voted against the 2025 package cancelling about $9 billion in approved spending. Source
Voted for the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. Source
Voted for the Inflation Reduction Act. Source

Justin Murphy

Republican

No congressional voting record; not scored

District 1 D+10

No mark

Damon Galdo

Republican

No congressional voting record; not scored

Donald Norcross

Democrat · incumbent

Scored on 26 key votes · total -4

✗Smaller government
~Small business over giants
✓Live and let live
✗Light touch on tech
✗Free speech
✗No surveillance state
✓Home first, open trade
~Checks on power
✗Right to bear arms
✗Hard on violent crime

With us (8)

Voted for the 2022 antitrust package funding merger enforcement with fees on the largest deals. Source
Voted for the Respect for Marriage Act. Source
Voted against a further clean extension of FISA surveillance authorities in 2026. Source

Against us (18)

Voted against the Limit, Save, Grow Act tying the 2023 debt-limit increase to spending cuts. Source
Voted against a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution. Source
Voted against the Small Business Regulatory Reduction Act. Source

District 2 R+5

✓ Meets our standards: Jeff Van Drew

Zack Mullock

Democrat

No congressional voting record; not scored

Meets our standards

Jeff Van Drew

Republican · incumbent

Scored on 27 key votes · total +2

✓Smaller government
~Small business over giants
✗Live and let live
✓Light touch on tech
✗Free speech
✓No surveillance state
✗Home first, open trade
~Checks on power
✓Right to bear arms
✓Hard on violent crime

With us (17)

Voted for the Limit, Save, Grow Act tying the 2023 debt-limit increase to spending cuts. Source
Voted for the 2025 package cancelling about $9 billion in approved spending. Source
Voted for a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution. Source

Against us (10)

Voted against the 2022 antitrust package funding merger enforcement with fees on the largest deals. Source
Voted against the Respect for Marriage Act. Source
Voted for the 2024 law forcing TikTok's sale or ban. Source

District 3 D+5

✓ Meets our standards: Herb Conaway

Meets our standards

Herb Conaway

Democrat · incumbent

Scored on 11 key votes · total +2

✗Smaller government
✗Small business over giants
?Live and let live
✓Light touch on tech
?Free speech
✓No surveillance state
✓Home first, open trade
✓Checks on power
?Right to bear arms
~Hard on violent crime

With us (7)

Voted for the CLARITY Act, a light-touch rulebook for digital assets. Source
Voted against a further clean extension of FISA surveillance authorities in 2026. Source
Voted for ending the emergency behind the tariffs on Canada. Source

Against us (4)

Voted against the 2025 package cancelling about $9 billion in approved spending. Source
Voted against a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution. Source
Voted against the Small Business Regulatory Reduction Act. Source

Michael McGuire

Republican

No congressional voting record; not scored

District 4 R+14

✓ Meets our standards: Chris Smith

Rachel Peace

Democrat

No congressional voting record; not scored

Meets our standards

Chris Smith

Republican · incumbent

Scored on 27 key votes · total +2

✓Smaller government
~Small business over giants
✗Live and let live
✓Light touch on tech
✗Free speech
~No surveillance state
✗Home first, open trade
✓Checks on power
✓Right to bear arms
✓Hard on violent crime

With us (17)

Voted for the Limit, Save, Grow Act tying the 2023 debt-limit increase to spending cuts. Source
Voted for the 2025 package cancelling about $9 billion in approved spending. Source
Voted for a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution. Source

Against us (10)

Voted against the 2022 antitrust package funding merger enforcement with fees on the largest deals. Source
Voted against the Respect for Marriage Act. Source
Voted for the 2024 law forcing TikTok's sale or ban. Source

District 5 D+2

Leans our way: Josh Gottheimer

Leans our way

Josh Gottheimer

Democrat · incumbent

Scored on 26 key votes · total +1

✗Smaller government
✓Small business over giants
✓Live and let live
✓Light touch on tech
✗Free speech
✗No surveillance state
✓Home first, open trade
~Checks on power
✗Right to bear arms
✓Hard on violent crime

With us (11)

Voted for the 2022 antitrust package funding merger enforcement with fees on the largest deals. Source
Voted for the Small Business Regulatory Reduction Act. Source
Voted for the Respect for Marriage Act. Source

Against us (15)

Voted against the Limit, Save, Grow Act tying the 2023 debt-limit increase to spending cuts. Source
Voted against the 2025 package cancelling about $9 billion in approved spending. Source
Voted against a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution. Source

Sean Kirrane

Republican

No congressional voting record; not scored

District 6 D+5

No mark

Hillary Herzig

Republican

No congressional voting record; not scored

Frank Pallone

Democrat · incumbent

Scored on 27 key votes · total -2

✗Smaller government
~Small business over giants
✓Live and let live
✗Light touch on tech
✗Free speech
✓No surveillance state
✓Home first, open trade
~Checks on power
✗Right to bear arms
✗Hard on violent crime

With us (11)

Voted for the 2022 antitrust package funding merger enforcement with fees on the largest deals. Source
Voted for the Respect for Marriage Act. Source
Voted for the amendment requiring a warrant to search Americans' communications under FISA Section 702 (it failed 212-212). Source

Against us (16)

Voted against the Limit, Save, Grow Act tying the 2023 debt-limit increase to spending cuts. Source
Voted against the 2025 package cancelling about $9 billion in approved spending. Source
Voted against a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution. Source

District 7 EVEN

No mark

Rebecca Bennett

Democrat

No votes in Congress: scored on platform and record, promises at half weight · total +1

~Smaller government
?Small business over giants
✓Live and let live
~Light touch on tech
?Free speech
?No surveillance state
✓Home first, open trade
✓Checks on power
✗Right to bear arms
~Hard on violent crime

With us (4)

Pledges to 'protect LGBTQ+ rights by advancing the Equality Act, ensuring that no one is discriminated against because of who they are or who they love'; nothing found on cannabis. Source
After the House's Sept. 16, 2026 Iran war-powers vote she attacked Rep. Kean for voting 'for the third time to continue Trump's war in Iran' and said she is running for people 'who want lower costs and no more forever wars'. Source
Pledges to 'Hold the current administration accountable for ignoring judicial orders and constitutional checks on executive power, including Congress's ability to determine spending'. Source

Against us (3)

Her 'Keeping Our Neighborhoods Safe' page says: 'Get weapons of war off our streets – it should not be easier for untrained civilians to access these weapons than it is for members of our armed forces.' It opens by saying she operated weapons of war in the Navy and 'they should not be on our streets'. Source
The same page pledges to 'Reimplement the tax on silencers', to 'Pass commonsense, popular gun safety reforms to keep firearms out of the hands of those who shouldn't have them', and to reopen the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention and restore CDC gun research funding. Source
NRA-PVF grades Bennett 'F' for the 3 November 2026 general election (its lowest grade, defined as 'a consistent anti-gun candidate'); incumbent Thomas Kean Jr. is graded B. The page does not list the positions behind the grade. Source

Thomas Kean Jr.

Republican · incumbent

Scored on 19 key votes · total +1

✓Smaller government
✓Small business over giants
?Live and let live
✓Light touch on tech
✗Free speech
✗No surveillance state
✗Home first, open trade
✓Checks on power
✗Right to bear arms
✓Hard on violent crime

With us (9)

Voted for the Limit, Save, Grow Act tying the 2023 debt-limit increase to spending cuts. Source
Voted for the 2025 package cancelling about $9 billion in approved spending. Source
Voted for the Small Business Regulatory Reduction Act. Source

Against us (10)

Voted for the 2024 law forcing TikTok's sale or ban. Source
Voted for the Antisemitism Awareness Act, which civil-liberties groups opposed as a limit on campus speech. Source
Voted against the amendment requiring a warrant to search Americans' communications under FISA Section 702 (it failed 212-212). Source

District 8 D+15

No mark

Aristotle Eliopoulos

Independent

No congressional voting record; not scored

Craig Honts

Independent

No congressional voting record; not scored

Da'Shone Hughey

Independent

No congressional voting record; not scored

Rob Menendez

Democrat · incumbent

Scored on 21 key votes · total -5

✗Smaller government
✗Small business over giants
?Live and let live
✓Light touch on tech
✗Free speech
✗No surveillance state
✓Home first, open trade
✗Checks on power
✗Right to bear arms
✗Hard on violent crime

With us (6)

Voted for the CLARITY Act, a light-touch rulebook for digital assets. Source
Voted against a further clean extension of FISA surveillance authorities in 2026. Source
Voted for ending the emergency behind the tariffs on Canada. Source

Against us (15)

Voted against the Limit, Save, Grow Act tying the 2023 debt-limit increase to spending cuts. Source
Voted against the 2025 package cancelling about $9 billion in approved spending. Source
Voted against a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution. Source

District 9 D+2

Leans our way: Nellie Pou

Rosie Pino

Republican

No congressional voting record; not scored

Leans our way

Nellie Pou

Democrat · incumbent

Scored on 11 key votes · total +1

✗Smaller government
✗Small business over giants
?Live and let live
✓Light touch on tech
?Free speech
✓No surveillance state
✓Home first, open trade
✓Checks on power
?Right to bear arms
✗Hard on violent crime

With us (6)

Voted for the CLARITY Act, a light-touch rulebook for digital assets. Source
Voted against a further clean extension of FISA surveillance authorities in 2026. Source
Voted for ending the emergency behind the tariffs on Canada. Source

Against us (5)

Voted against the 2025 package cancelling about $9 billion in approved spending. Source
Voted against a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution. Source
Voted against the Small Business Regulatory Reduction Act. Source

District 10 D+27

No mark

Carmen Bucco

Republican

No congressional voting record; not scored

LaMonica McIver

Democrat · incumbent

Scored on 11 key votes · total -1

✗Smaller government
✗Small business over giants
?Live and let live
✗Light touch on tech
?Free speech
✓No surveillance state
✓Home first, open trade
✓Checks on power
?Right to bear arms
✗Hard on violent crime

With us (5)

Voted against a further clean extension of FISA surveillance authorities in 2026. Source
Voted for ending the emergency behind the tariffs on Canada. Source
Voted for the September 2026 resolution directing U.S. forces out of hostilities with Iran. Source

Against us (6)

Voted against the 2025 package cancelling about $9 billion in approved spending. Source
Voted against a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution. Source
Voted against the Small Business Regulatory Reduction Act. Source

District 11 D+5

No mark

Joe Hathaway

Republican

No congressional voting record; not scored

Analilia Mejia

Democrat · incumbent

Scored on 2 key votes · total +2

?Smaller government
?Small business over giants
?Live and let live
?Light touch on tech
?Free speech
✓No surveillance state
✓Home first, open trade
?Checks on power
?Right to bear arms
?Hard on violent crime

With us (2)

Voted against a further clean extension of FISA surveillance authorities in 2026. Source
Voted for the September 2026 resolution directing U.S. forces out of hostilities with Iran. Source

District 12 D+13

No mark

Bonnie Watson Coleman (D): incumbent retiring.

Adam Hamawy

Democrat

No congressional voting record; not scored

Gregg Mele

Republican

No congressional voting record; not scored

Photo credits. Official congressional portraits are works of the U.S. government and in the public domain. Others:

Analilia Mejia: U.S. House of Representatives, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (file)