Insider NJ's 2026 Primary Day War Room

PRIMARY

It's Primary Day in New Jersey!

Stay tuned to Insider NJ's Primary Day War Room tonight for results and updates from around the state.

Polls are open until 8pm.  Check your polling location here.

After considerable pre-election passion, county clerks said turnout appeared low in key areas of the state as of the early afternoon.

There are several key contested primaries in New Jersey on both the Democratic and Republican sides tonight. Take a look at Insider NJ's Primary Elections publication for a deep-dive into the biggest clashes of the cycle.

On the Senate side, Senator Booker is running unopposed for the Democratic nomination for re-election.  Four Republicans are vying for the nomination to challenge Booker in the general election: Alex Zdan, Richard Tabor, Dr. Robert Lebovics, and Justin Murphy.

In CD1, Rep. Norcross is running unopposed in the Democratic primary; Damon Galdo is running unopposed in the Republican primary.

In CD2, four Democratic candidates are vying for the nomination to take on incumbent Republican Rep. Van Drew.  The Democratic candidates are Cape Mayor Mayor Zack Mullock, previous CD2 candidate Tim Alexander, Bayly Winder, and Terri Reese.

In CD3, three Republicans are fighting for the nomination to challenge Democratic Rep. Conaway: Justin Barbera, Justin Cullen, and Michael McGuire.

In CD4, Rachel Peace and John Blake are running for the Democratic nomination to take on veteran Republican Rep. Chris Smith, who's running unnopposed.

In CD5, Rep. Gottheimer is running unopposed in the Democratic primary; Sean Kirrane is seeking the Republican nomination.

In CD7, four candidates emerged from an initially crowded field to battle for the nomination to take on Republican Rep. Kean in what will be a battleground district in November: Rebecca Bennett, Brian Varela, Michael Roth, and Dr. Tina Shah.  President Trump endorsed Kean, who hasn't been seen in months, on Monday evening, writing on Truth Social that '"Tom Kean has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election."

In CD8, Rep. Menendez faces a challenge from former Jersey City BOE President Mussab Ali in what has become a contentious primary race.  Republicans plan to back an independent candidate, with no one vying for the GOP nomination.

In CD9, two Republican primary candidates are battling for the nomination to take on Democratic Rep. Pou: attorney Tiffany Burress and Clifton Councilwoman Rosie Pino.

In CD10, Rep. McIver faces a first-time primary challenge from Lawrence Poster.  Carmen Bucco is on the ballot in the Republican primary.

In CD11, Democratic Rep. Mejia faces three primary challengers:  Donald Cresitello, Justin Strickland, and Joseph Lewis.  Republican Joe Hathaway, who ran against Mejia in the April special election, is running for the Republican nomination.

In CD12, the Democratic primary race is the most crowded, and tangled, in the state, with over a dozen candidates vying to succeed retiring Rep. Watson Coleman in the deep Democratic district. Gregg Mele is the lone candidate running in the Republican primary.

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