Vote 2026: What you need to know about the New Jersey primary election

How to Complete and Return Your Mail-in Ballot:

According to the New Jersey Voter Information Portal, voters who requested a mail-in ballot must return it in one of three way:

Mail: It must be postmarked on or before 8 p.m. Election Day and be received by your county’s Board of Elections on or before six days after Election Day. To make sure your ballot is postmarked on time, put your ballot in the mail at least a few days before Election Day, or go up to the counter at a U.S. Post Office and have a clerk manually stamp the postmark on your ballot envelope.
Secure Ballot Drop Box: Place it in one of your county’s secure ballot drop boxes by 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Click here to find secure drop boxes

Board of Elections Office: Deliver it in person to your county’s Board of Elections Office by 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Click here to see county election officials.

Who’s on the ballot?

New Jersey Senate

Sen. Cory Booker - The Democratic incumbent U.S. senator. He has served as senator for New Jersey since 2013 after winning a special election following the death of Sen. Frank Lautenberg. Booker grew up in northern New Jersey, attended Stanford University, University of Oxford and Yale Law School. He first got into politics in 1998 at 29 years old, serving on the Newark City Council, then becoming mayor of Newark from 2006 through 2013. Booker still lives in Newark's Central Ward.
Robert Lebovics - Meet Dr. Bob, one of several Republicans challenging Booker. He’s an otolaryngologist and ENT surgeon specializing in infectious and inflammatory disorders. Lebovics says he is not a politician. He tried running for office in both local and state elections, but lost. Lebovics was born and raised in the Bronx, but he now resides in Englewood.
Justin Murphy - A Republican attorney from Tabernacle. While Murphy has no official political experience, he was appointed as the deputy mayor of Tabernacle Township during the mid-to-late 2000s. On his campaign website, Murphy vows to make sure “the NJ Pinelands are kept pristine, the Jersey Shore kept pollution and windmill free; Parental Rights and Medical Freedom become national priorities; and our seniors have the best Medicare program available.”
Richard Tabor - An Army and National Guard veteran who was also a New Jersey State Trooper, running as a Republican for U.S. Senate. Tabor is from Elizabeth and founded the nonprofit, New Life Direction, to support at-risk youth. On his campaign website, Tabor says he’s running “to give New Jersey a fighter who understands real life, real pain and real responsibility because New Jersey doesn’t need another career politician.”
Alex Zdan - A former News 12 New Jersey political reporter and current anchor for TV Asia. He’s appeared on News Nation, Newsmax, Fox News, NDTV, Times Now and other networks. Zdan, who is running as a Republican, calls Sen. Booker “a Washington elitist,” while he says he’s “an outsider fighting to hold the line in New Jersey.” Zdan previously ran for the U.S. Senate in 2024 for the seat held by Democrat Bob Menendez, who was convicted of federal bribery.

New Jersey U.S. House elections

All 12 congressional districts will be up for election, but the race for New Jersey's 7th seat may be one of the most watched. It’s considered a purple (swing) district. It covers all of Hunterdon and Warren counties, along with portions of Morris, Somerset, Sussex and Union counties.

Rep. Tom Kean Jr. - The Republican incumbent congressman and son of former Gov. Tom Kean. Kean has been absent from Congress for weeks due to an undisclosed medical condition. He serves on two primary committees: Energy and Commerce and Foreign Affairs. Kean first won the seat in 2022 after defeating incumbent Democrat Tom Malinowski. He defended his seat in 2024 against Democratic challenger Sue Altman, who is now running in the 12th District.
Rebecca Bennett - One of four Democrats trying to flip the district back to blue. Bennett has taken a similar campaign approach to Gov. Mikie Sherrill by highlighting her 15-year military career as a Navy helicopter pilot. While serving, Bennett earned her M.B.A., with honors, from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. She also worked in healthcare, focused on expanding access, improving outcomes and lowering costs. She moved to New Jersey seven years ago.
Michael Roth - A Democratic businessman who served as the interim head and a senior advisor of the U.S. Small Business Administration during the Biden administration. Prior to that, Roth worked at IBM, JP Morgan, and Johnson & Johnson. He also served as CEO of Next Street and co-founded the Economic Opportunity Coalition, organizations centered on economic revitalization in underserved communities. Roth was born and raised in New Jersey and lives in Westfield with his dog, Remy.
Tina Shah - Dr. Tina Shah says she’s spent her career caring for patients in the ICU, fighting to protect access to care in New Jersey, and leading federal policy. Listed on her campaign website, Shah is triple board-certified in internal medicine, pulmonary medicine and critical care medicine. She served under three White House administrations. Shah has been vocal against President Donald Trump and RFK Jr., who “gut our healthcare and undermine lifesaving medical research.”
Brian Varela - A New Jersey native raised by his Colombian immigrant parents, is promising to fight for working families and protect democracy. According to his campaign website, Varela worked hard to put himself through college. After years of working in corporate America, Varela founded Growing Seeds Learning Academy, a network of childcare centers, a marketing and digital agency and a medical spa.

A Full list of all Candidates for the House of Representatives