NJ primary election voter guide: What's on the ballot? What are the key races?
Voting booths at a polling station inside Frank Sinatra School of the Arts High School in the Queens borough of New York, US, on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. New Yorkers heading to the ballot box to select a new mayor face stark choices: a youthful sociali
NEW JERSEY - New Jersey voters are heading to the polls next week to cast their ballots in the state’s primary election.
Here is everything you need to know before you cast your ballot on June 2.
Closed primary
Local perspective:
New Jersey operates under a closed primary system, which means only registered Democrats and Republicans can vote for their respective party's nominees.
However, if you are an unaffiliated voter, you can declare a party affiliation at the polls to vote in that party's primary or select a specific party's ballot if voting by mail.
Key races
What we know:
U.S. Senate
Democratic incumbent Sen. Cory Booker is running for reelection and is currently unopposed in the primary. On the Republican side, four candidates are vying for the chance to unseat him in the fall.
Democratic Party
- Cory Booker (Incumbent, currently unopposed)
Republican Party
- Robert Lebovics
- Justin Murphy
- Richard Tabor
- Alex Zdan
NY-7 congressional race: Meet the candidates running to replace Nydia Velázquez
The race has drawn several progressive candidates from across Brooklyn and Queens and quickly became one of the most closely watched Democratic primaries in New York City.
U.S. House of Representatives
All of New Jersey's congressional districts are up for election. Some of the most heavily contested and watched primaries are in the 2nd, 4th, 7th, 8th, 11th and 12th districts.
1st District
- Democratic Party: Donald Norcross (Incumbent)
- Republican Party: Damon Galdo
2nd District
- Democratic Party: Tim Alexander, Zack Mullock, Terri Reese, and Bayly Winder
- Republican Party: Jeff Van Drew (Incumbent)
3rd District
- Democratic Party: Herbert C. Conaway Jr. (Incumbent)
- Republican Party: Justin Barbera, Jason Cullen, and Michael McGuire
4th District
- Democratic Party: John Blake and Rachel Peace
- Republican Party: Chris Smith (Incumbent)
5th District
- Democratic Party: Josh Gottheimer (Incumbent)
- Republican Party: Sean Kirrane
6th District
- Democratic Party: Frank Pallone Jr. (Incumbent), Katie Bansil, and John Hsu
- Republican Party: Hillary Herzig
7th District
- Democratic Party: Rebecca Bennett, Michael Roth, Tina Shah, and Brian Varela
- Republican Party: Thomas Kean Jr. (Incumbent)
8th District
- Democratic Party: Robert Menendez Jr. (Incumbent) and Mussab Ali
- Republican Party: No candidates listed
9th District
- Democratic Party: Nellie Pou (Incumbent)
- Republican Party: Tiffany Burress and Rosie Pino
10th District
- Democratic Party: LaMonica McIver (Incumbent) and Lawrence Poster
- Republican Party: Carmen Bucco
11th District
- Democratic Party: Analilia Mejia (Incumbent), Donald Cresitello, Joseph Lewis, and Justin Strickland
- Republican Party: Joe Hathaway
12th District
- Democratic Party: Matt Adams, Sue Altman, Brad Cohen, Elijah Dixon, Adam Hamawy, Kyle Little, Adrian Mapp, Verlina Reynolds-Jackson, Shanel Robinson, Squire Servance, Sujit Singh, Jay Vaingankar, and Sam Wang
- Republican Party: Gregg Mele
Voters can find their New Jersey U.S. House district online using their ZIP code.
Municipal races
Dig deeper:
In addition to federal offices, several counties and municipalities are holding local elections. Notably, voters in Newark and Trenton will weigh in on city council and mayoral races. Essex and Hudson counties are also holding elections for county executive and board of commissioners.
Voters can contact their county election office for more information about local races.
The Source: This article includes information from New Jersey government websites.