New Jersey’s Republican candidates in 2026 are led by attorney Justin Murphy, who won the June 2 U.S. Senate primary and will face Democratic incumbent Cory Booker in November. Republicans also fielded 18 candidates across the state’s 12 congressional districts, with the most competitive House primaries producing Marine veteran Michael McGuire in the 3rd District and Clifton Councilwoman Rosie Pino in the 9th.1New Jersey Globe. The Final List of Who’s Running for Congress in New Jersey in 2026 The party is running into stiff terrain: New Jersey has not elected a Republican to the U.S. Senate since 1972, and Democrats hold roughly 2.5 million registered voters to the GOP’s 1.7 million as of May 2026.2WHYY. New Jersey Election 2026 Primary Senate Republican Nomination
Justin Murphy, the Senate Nominee
Murphy won the four-way Republican Senate primary with 33% of the vote.2WHYY. New Jersey Election 2026 Primary Senate Republican Nomination He is a practicing attorney in Burlington County who has worked in estate law, real estate, contracts, and energy consulting since 2006. He holds a J.D. from Widener University School of Law, an LL.M. in energy and natural resources from the University of Oklahoma, and a B.A. in political science from Rowan University.3InsiderNJ. Proud Son of the Pinelands: Murphy Wants to Take on Booker He previously served on the township committee of Tabernacle and ran for the Republican Senate nomination in 2024, finishing third with 11%.4New Jersey Globe. In U.S. Senate Debate, Republicans Make the Case for How They’d Beat Booker
Murphy’s platform centers on tax cuts, reductions in federal spending, private-sector growth, border security on both the northern and southern borders, and energy independence. He opposes the legalization of recreational marijuana and has pledged to keep offshore wind turbines away from the Jersey Shore. On foreign policy, he has said he supports engaging China “from a position of strength, politically and economically.”2WHYY. New Jersey Election 2026 Primary Senate Republican Nomination
The Rest of the Senate Primary Field
Three other Republicans competed for the nomination.5WHYY. New Jersey Election 2026 Primary Senate Candidates
Richard Tabor is a New Jersey State Trooper, Iraq War veteran, and former member of the 82nd Airborne Division who spent a decade in the National Guard.6NJ Spotlight News. 2026 Primary U.S. Senate He grew up in public housing and founded a youth mentorship initiative called New Life Direction, aimed at rebuilding trust between law enforcement and communities. He collected endorsements from Republican committees in seven counties, including Atlantic, Hudson, Ocean, and Union.7Tabor for Senate. Tabor for Senate
Robert Lebovics is an otolaryngologist based in Englewood who spent nearly nine years leading the clinical ENT program at the National Institutes of Health and held a faculty appointment at Georgetown University School of Medicine. He also serves as an NYPD police surgeon. Running as a self-described “America First Conservative” and political outsider, he emphasized making health care affordable, protecting Social Security, empowering parents in education, and establishing regulatory guardrails for artificial intelligence.8Lebovics for Senate. Lebovics for Senate
Alex Zdan is a former political reporter for News 12 New Jersey who was laid off in 2023 after a six-year tenure. He first sought the Senate seat in 2024, winning Republican organization lines in Monmouth and Passaic counties before withdrawing and endorsing eventual nominee Curtis Bashaw.9New Jersey Globe. Alex Zdan Will Challenge Cory Booker for U.S. Senate He again won the Passaic County Republican endorsement for 2026, and his platform focused on reducing prescription drug costs, environmental conservation, strengthening nutritional standards, and increasing food access.5WHYY. New Jersey Election 2026 Primary Senate Candidates
Murphy vs. Booker in November
The gap between the two Senate campaigns is stark. Booker has served in the Senate since winning a 2013 special election, ran unopposed in the Democratic primary, and reported roughly $22 million in campaign funds as of mid-May 2026. The four Republican primary candidates raised a combined total of about $225,000 for the entire cycle.10New Jersey Monitor. Justin Murphy GOP Primary Cory Booker Murphy’s own FEC filings through mid-May showed total receipts of about $15,500, more than a quarter of which came from personal loans, and his campaign carried a negative cash balance.11FEC. Justin Michael Murphy FEC Candidate Profile The general election is November 3, 2026.2WHYY. New Jersey Election 2026 Primary Senate Republican Nomination
Republican House Candidates
Eighteen Republicans appeared on primary ballots across New Jersey’s 12 congressional districts. For the first time since 2008, the party left the 8th District entirely uncontested. Incumbents Jeff Van Drew in the 2nd District, Chris Smith in the 4th, and Tom Kean Jr. in the 7th all ran unopposed in their Republican primaries.1New Jersey Globe. The Final List of Who’s Running for Congress in New Jersey in 2026
Two contested House primaries produced first-time nominees. In the 3rd District, Michael McGuire, a Marine Corps veteran, former NYPD officer, and family law attorney from Freehold, won with 57%, defeating Jason Cullen (26%) and Justin Barbera (17%).12WHYY. New Jersey Election 2026 Primary 3rd Congressional District Winner McGuire has said he launched his campaign after he and fellow Naval reservists missed paychecks during a federal government shutdown. He will face Democratic incumbent Herb Conaway in a district covering much of Burlington County and parts of Mercer and Monmouth counties.13New Jersey Monitor. Michael McGuire GOP Primary Herb Conaway
In the 9th District, Clifton Councilwoman Rosie Pino, a former Democrat who switched to the Republican Party, edged attorney Tiffany Burress by just 366 votes, 51.4% to 48.6%.14New Jersey Globe. Rosie Pino Will Face Nellie Pou in November After Close NJ-9 Primary Victory Pino’s platform includes mandatory voter ID and strict limits on late mail-in voting.15WSLS. Rosie Pino Wins Republican Primary in New Jersey’s 9th District She faces Democratic incumbent Nellie Pou, who has $1.5 million on hand compared with less than $40,000 for Pino.
Why the Primary Field Looked Different This Year
The 2026 primaries were the second cycle conducted under New Jersey’s new office-block ballot design. For decades, 19 of the state’s 21 counties arranged primary ballots around a “county line,” grouping party-endorsed candidates together in a prominent row or column while non-endorsed candidates were often relegated to isolated positions on the ballot.16New Jersey Monitor. Governor Murphy Signs Bill Revamping Design of Primary Ballots Between 2012 and 2022, endorsed candidates performed an average of 12 percentage points better when placed on the county line, and the gap rose to 17 points for non-incumbents.17LSE US Centre. The 2026 Midterms in New Jersey: A New Voting Law May Be Loosening the Grip of the State’s Political Machines
After federal litigation, including a 2024 suit by then-congressman Andy Kim, Governor Phil Murphy signed legislation in March 2025 mandating the office-block format, which groups candidates by the office they seek rather than by party endorsement.16New Jersey Monitor. Governor Murphy Signs Bill Revamping Design of Primary Ballots The practical effect on the Republican side has been more competitive primaries. Justin Murphy took the Senate nomination without claiming the endorsement of any major county party, and both McGuire and Pino won without the sort of ballot placement advantage the county line once conferred. Party endorsements still carry weight in fundraising and visibility, but the structural boost on the ballot itself is gone.
The Broader Picture
New Jersey Republicans go into November as what Jack Ciattarelli, who lost the 2025 governor’s race to Democrat Mikie Sherrill by 13 points, called the state’s “loyal opposition.”18New Jersey Monitor. Jack Ciattarelli New Jersey Governor Democrats hold the governorship for a third consecutive term, a streak not achieved since 1961.19PBS. New Jersey 2025 Gubernatorial Election Results Independent and unaffiliated voters, who number roughly 2.5 million, exceed Republican registrations by nearly 800,000.2WHYY. New Jersey Election 2026 Primary Senate Republican Nomination The party’s 2026 candidates have coalesced around a broadly Trump-aligned agenda emphasizing immigration enforcement, fiscal conservatism, and election integrity, and whether that message can close the fundraising and registration gaps is the question heading into November.