The 2026 New Jersey Senate election is a November 3 contest between Democratic incumbent Cory Booker and Republican nominee Justin Murphy. Booker, first elected in 2013 and now seeking a third full term, is heavily favored. The Cook Political Report rates the race “Solid Democrat,” and Booker’s campaign holds roughly $22 million on hand while the entire Republican primary field collectively raised about $225,000.1The Hill. Cory Booker Justin Murphy New Jersey Senate Race2Cook Political Report. New Jersey Senate Race
Who Is Justin Murphy
Murphy won the Republican nomination on June 2, 2026, taking 33.3% of the vote in a four-way primary that had no clear front-runner. He ran under the slogan “American Conservative Republican” and secured endorsements from the Camden, Gloucester, and Mercer county Republican organizations.3State of New Jersey. Certification of Primary Nominees4WHYY. New Jersey Election 2026 Primary Senate Republican Nomination
He is an attorney who has practiced since 2006 in estate law, real estate, contracts, energy consulting, and EB-5 economic development. Before law, he served four years in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Comte De Grasse, including six months in the Arabian Gulf during the Iran-Iraq war. He was elected to the Tabernacle Township Committee in Burlington County in 2000 and served a three-year term, and has held various Republican Party roles in Burlington County since 1988. He previously ran for the Republican Senate nomination in 2024, finishing third.5InsiderNJ. Murphy Wins Republican Primary US Senate
Where Murphy Stands on the Issues
Murphy’s platform centers on tax cuts, spending reductions, and private-sector growth for the middle class. On health care, he supports universal Health Savings Accounts and provider competition while pledging to protect Medicare. On immigration, he backs stationing the U.S. military at the border, finishing the border wall, and withholding federal aid from sanctuary cities. He campaigns on energy independence, has pledged to keep the Jersey Shore “windmill free,” opposes legalized recreational marijuana, and emphasizes parental rights. On foreign policy, he describes China as a serious threat but favors economic and political engagement from “a position of strength.”4WHYY. New Jersey Election 2026 Primary Senate Republican Nomination6NJ Spotlight News. 2026 Primary U.S. Senate
Cory Booker’s Record and 2026 Message
Booker has held the seat since winning a special election in October 2013 following Senator Frank Lautenberg’s death, and became the state’s first Black senator. He ran unopposed in the 2026 Democratic primary.7Booker.Senate.Gov. About Cory4WHYY. New Jersey Election 2026 Primary Senate Republican Nomination His signature legislative achievement remains the First Step Act, the bipartisan criminal justice reform bill signed into law in December 2018. In the 118th Congress he introduced 156 bills, the third-most among senators, though none were enacted. He sits on the Judiciary, Foreign Relations, Agriculture, and Small Business committees.8GovTrack. Cory Booker Report Card
For 2026, Booker is campaigning on lowering costs for housing, groceries, child care, and utilities; cutting taxes for working families; restoring Medicaid funding and Affordable Care Act marketplace tax credits; and adding vision, dental, and hearing coverage to Medicare while expanding drug price negotiation. Immigration enforcement has become a signature issue: he opposes current ICE policies, has visited Delaney Hall in Newark twice for congressional oversight, and protested a proposed facility in Roxbury Township. In January 2026, he reintroduced the Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act, which would phase out private for-profit immigration detention within three years.6NJ Spotlight News. 2026 Primary U.S. Senate9Booker.Senate.Gov. Booker Announces Legislation Cracking Down on ICE Detention Facilities
In March 2025, Booker delivered a 25-hour, 5-minute Senate floor speech criticizing the Trump administration, breaking a record held by Strom Thurmond since 1957. The speech included more than 200 constituent stories and drew heavy national attention. Booker has told multiple outlets he is “definitely not ruling out” a 2028 presidential run, though he says his current focus is reelection.10Booker.Senate.Gov. Senator Booker’s Marathon Speech11NBC News. Cory Booker Definitely Not Ruling Out Presidential Run
Why Booker Is Favored
New Jersey has not elected a Republican to the U.S. Senate since Clifford Case won his fourth term in 1972 with 62% of the vote. Case lost his own party’s primary in 1978, and Democrats have gone 16–0 in New Jersey Senate general elections since. Two Republicans have served in the interim, but both were gubernatorial appointees rather than elected officeholders: Nicholas Brady in 1982 and Jeff Chiesa in 2013.12New Jersey Globe. NJ Hasn’t Tossed an Incumbent US Senator in a General in 78 Years
The state still leans Democratic in statewide races, though the margin has tightened. Kamala Harris carried New Jersey by six points in 2024, and Democrat Andy Kim won the state’s other Senate seat that year 53.6% to 44%. The Cook Partisan Voting Index stands at D+4.13Politico. New Jersey Senate Results2Cook Political Report. New Jersey Senate Race
Republican voter registration has climbed 35% between August 2017 and August 2025, adding nearly 433,000 voters, and the Democratic registration edge has shrunk from about 1.1 million in 2021 to roughly 865,000 by mid-2025.14New Jersey Monitor. NJ GOP Sees Big Increase in Voters but Dems Maintain Healthy Lead As of May 2026, the state has roughly 6.7 million registered voters: about 2.5 million Democrats, 1.7 million Republicans, and 2.5 million unaffiliated or other.4WHYY. New Jersey Election 2026 Primary Senate Republican Nomination Even with the narrowing, the financial and structural gap is steep. The Cook Political Report put it bluntly: defeating Booker “will be hard for Republicans, and there’s no indication yet they will try.”2Cook Political Report. New Jersey Senate Race