A look at federal, county and municipal races in Mercer County in 2026

Mercer County, home to the state capital, Trenton, has been one of the state’s most consistent Democratic counties. The county is one of only a few in the state where it is quite common for all 12 municipalities to vote Democratic by comfortable margins. The county’s decades-long Democratic lean has only become more pronounced in recent years.

There was a time when Mercer Republicans had a bench of countywide officials, including a county clerk and county executive as well as a few local offices. Those days, however, Hamilton Township, in particular, was a place where Republicans could secure victories.  In 2019, they lost the mayoralty, and Democrats now have a 5-0 majority on the council.  Following the defeat of Hopewell Borough Councilman Sky Morehouse in 2023, no municipal official was elected as a Republican in a partisan Mercer County election.

The last Republican countywide victory in Mercer came in 2000, when County Clerk Cathy DiCostanzo was re-elected with 52% of the vote. DiCostanzo subsequently lost re-election in 2005.

Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Ewing), a legendary figure in Mercer County politics, is retiring. After 2022 redistricting, Rep. Christopher Smith (R-Manchester) was forced to move from Hamilton to Ocean County.  Since none of the candidates in the 3rd and 12th congressional districts are from Mercer County, next year will mark the first time no Member of Congress has resided in Mercer County since 1949.

The county was one of only three counties to vote for Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis in 1988 over Vice President George H.W. Bush.

Democrats are unopposed in Hightstown, Lawrence, and Pennington.

Hamilton, Robbinsville, and West Windsor do not have municipal elections this year.

U.S. Senate

Two-term Sen. Cory Booker is seeking a third term in Washington. Booker has performed well in Mercer in all three of his races, carrying the county by 34 points over former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan in 2013, by 33 points over former Ronald Reagan speechwriter Jeff Bell, and by 38 points over pharmaceutical executive Rik Mehta in 2020.

This year, Booker faces former Tabernacle Deputy Mayor Justin Murphy. Curtis Bashaw, the 2024 Republican nominee for U.S. Senate, lost Mercer County by 38 points to now-Sen. Andy Kim in 2024. Kim represented part of Mercer in his final term in the U.S. House from 2023-2025.

3rd Congressional District

The 3rd Congressional district includes the Mercer County municipalities of East Windsor, Hamilton, Hightstown, Lawrence, and Robbinsville.

First-term Rep. Herb Conaway (D-Delran) is seeking a second term. He faces veteran Michael McGuire in November.

Conaway carried the Mercer County portion of the 3rd district by 17 points over Dr. Rajesh Mohan in 2024.

The 3rd congressional district was once one of the most competitive in the state. However, the 2020 round of congressional redistricting removed some very Republican municipalities in Ocean County from the district in exchange for adding Mercer, making the district much more Democratic-leaning. Kamala Harris carried the 3rd district by 8 points in 2024 while carrying the Mercer portion by 17 points. Gov. Mikie Sherrill carried the district by 15 points in 2025 and the Mercer portion by 28 points.

12th Congressional District

The 12th congressional district includes the Mercer County municipalities of Ewing, Hopewell Borough, Hopewell Township, Pennington, Princeton, Trenton, and West Windsor.

Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman is retiring, and Democratic progressive Dr. Adam Hamawy is running to succeed her.

Hamawy won a very crowded primary earlier this year, beating 12 other candidates.

Hamawy managed to carry the Mercer County portion of the 12th by four points over local Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (D-Trenton), who had the backing of most of the county’s Democratic establishment.

Hamawy is widely viewed as a congressman-in-waiting and faces off against perennial Republican nominee Gregg Mele in November.

County Sheriff

Democratic Sheriff Jack Kemler is seeking re-election. Kemler was first elected in 2011 and has been re-elected every three years without serious opposition.

Kemler faces veteran and retired police officer David Meiswinkle in November.

County Surrogate

County Surrogate Diane Gerofsky is seeking a seventh five-year term. Gerofsky was first elected county surrogate in 1996, making her the longest-serving county surrogate currently in New Jersey.

Gerofsky faces Republican disabled Army veteran Priscilla DeVine in November.

County Commissioner

Democratic Commissioner Lucy Walter is seeking re-election with Democratic former Princeton University official Nakia White Barr. White Barr defeated longtime Mercer County Commissioner John Cimino in the June 2 Democratic primary.

Cimino became the first incumbent to lose a primary in Mercer County since four-term incumbent Tony Mack fell to Cimino in 2008.

Walter is a former Ewing school board member and a special education teacher. She won a special election to become the Mercer County Freeholder in October 1998.

Republicans Kevin Monte De Ramos, a bureau chief for the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, and Donald Ober, a small-business owner and local musician, are challenging the pair.

Democrats currently have a 7-0 majority on the Board of Commissioners.

East Windsor

Democratic Councilman Richard Eland is seeking re-election. Challenging him is Republican Barry Greenstein, the chair of the East Windsor GOP.

Democrats currently hold all seats on East Windsor’s council.

East Windsor is a Democratic stronghold at the top of the ticket. Kamala Harris carried East Windsor by 25 points in 2024. Gov. Mikie Sherrill did even better, carrying the township by 44 points in 2025.

Ewing

Democratic Mayor Bert Steinmann is seeking re-election. Republican police officer Jessica Marasco is challenging him.

Democratic Councilwoman Sarah Steward is seeking re-election with Carl Benedetti, a former three-term school board member and zoning board chairman.

Benedetti ousted veteran Councilwoman Kathleen Wollert, who served as councilwoman in the 1990s and then returned in 2012, in the Democratic primary this year.

They are being challenged by Republicans James W. Anderson, a retired businessman, and John Wesley Brown, the founder and owner of Lighthouse Counseling Center.

Democrats currently hold all seats on the Ewing council.

Ewing is a Democratic stronghold. Kamala Harris carried Ewing by 46 points in 2024. Gov. Mikie Sherrill carried Ewing by 56 points in 2025.

Hopewell Borough

Democratic Councilwoman Sheri Hook is seeking re-election. She is running with Democrat Justine Levine, the dean of Rockefeller College at Princeton University, who is seeking to keep the council seat currently held by retiring Councilwoman Heidi Wilenius in Democratic hands.

The pair faces no Republican opposition but does face one independent candidate, community advocate James Higgins, who is running under the “Putting Hopewell First” ballot slogan.

Democrats currently hold all seats on the Hopewell Borough council.

Hopewell Borough is a Democratic stronghold. Kamala Harris carried the borough by 59 points in 2024, and Gov. Mikie Sherrill in 2025 carried Hopewell Borough by 63 points.

Hopewell Township

Democratic Township Committee members Michael Ruger and Kevin Kuchinski are seeking re-election to the Township Committee. Republicans Steve Niederer, a retired member of the Mercer County Tactical Response Unit, and former Committeeman John Hart are challenging them. Hart previously served on the Township Committee until losing re-election in 2021.

Democrats currently hold all seats on the Township Committee.

Hopewell Township is a Democratic stronghold. Both Kamala Harris in 2024 and Gov. Mikie Sherrill in 2025 carried Hopewell Borough by over 30 points over their Republican opponents.

There is also an election for the Hopewell Township Charter Study Commission; a Superior Court Judge is still considering a challenge to some of the petitions.

Princeton

Democratic Councilman David Cohen is seeking reelection, and Democratic architect Marina Rubino is running for the seat held by Councilwoman Leticia Fraga, who is retiring.

The pair faces only one Republican opponent, Antonio Merolli, an orthopedic surgeon.

Princeton is a solidly Democratic town. Kamala Harris carried Princeton by 64 points in 2024. Gov. Mikie Sherrill carried Princeton by 65 points in 2025.

Trenton

Mayor Reed Gusciora is seeking a third term. He is being challenged by Austin Edwards, an attorney, chairman of the Trenton Downtown Association, and president of the Trenton NAACP; Jasi Edwards (no relation), a first-term city councilwoman; Corey McNair, a Trenton police detective assigned to the Community Affairs Unit; and Rolando Ramos, a retired Trenton police lieutenant.

Gusciora is a former assemblyman who previously represented the 15th legislative district, which included Trenton. He easily won re-election in his 2022 bid, securing more than 70% of the vote against a field that contained two city council members.

At-Large City Councilmembers Crysyal Feliciano and Yazminelly Gonzalez are seeking re-election, while Councilwoman Jasi Edwards is giving up her seat to run for mayor.

The non-incumbent candidates seeking the three at-large seats include local businessman Joel Griffith; repeat candidates Evangeline Ugorji and Mary Horne, who have each unsuccessfully sought a seat on the council several times; businessman Eric McRoy; and political newcomer Richa Thompson.