There will be 32 independents seeking seats in the U.S. House of Representatives from New Jersey this year, with the Green Party fielding candidates in all twelve districts and the Libertarians participating in seven contests.
In the 7th district, one of the most competitive House races in the nation, the presence of Green Party and Libertarian candidates could become significant if the contest between freshman Tom Kean, Jr. (R-Westfield) and Democrat Sue Altman ends up ultra close on Election Day. There’s a general assumption that the Green Party pulls votes from Democrats and Libertarians from Republicans.
The Green Party is running Andrew Black and the Libertarian candidate is Lana Leguía, the founder of the Ladies of Liberty Alliance chapter in Stanhope.
Libertarians tried to get a candidate on the 7th district ballot in 2022, but their candidate, Clayton Pajunas, was tossed after an administrative law judge found that his nominating petitions were three signatures short of what he needed.
The two races between Kean and Democratic incumbent Tom Malinowski had no independents on the ballot. In 2018, when Malinowski challenged GOP incumbent Leonard Lance, the Green Party candidate, Diane Moxley, garnered 2,676 votes, and the conservative Freedom candidate, Gregg Mele, received 2,286.
In 2021, the Green Party candidate for State Assembly in the 11th legislative district, Dominique Faison received 1,152 votes; in that election, Democratic incumbent JoAnn Downey lost her seat by 506 votes.
The group of independents includes some familiar names, including Pablo Olivera, a Newark man who is challenging Rob Menendez (D-Jersey City) in the 8th district. This is Olivera’s fifteenth bid for public office; he made news last year as an independent candidate for State Senate when election officials inadvertently left his name off the ballot in two Hudson County municipalities.
Lea Sherman, the Socialist Workers candidate against Menendez, has run for office at least eight times in at least four states, including bids for Governor of California and the Texas State Senate.
Steven Welzer, the Green Party candidate in the 3rd district, was the Green Party candidate for governor in 2013 and received 8,295 votes statewide (0.39%). He’s run for Congress five times in three different districts, and three times for Assembly in two districts.
Libertarian James Tosone is taking on Josh Gottheimer (D-Wyckoff) for the second time in the 5th district; he lost State Senate bids in the 39th district in 2017 and 2021. Herb Tarbous, who ran as an independent against Frank Pallone (D-Long Branch) in 2006, 2008, and 2012, and then joined progressive Democrats to run for county clerk in 2020 and county commissioner in 2022, is the Green party candidate against Pallone this year.
Calling himself the “American Values” candidate, Lou Vellucci is running against Gottheimer for the third time; he received 1.2% in 2020 and less than one-quarter of one percent in 2022. Gottheimer also faces Richard Siegel, the Ceasefire and Justice candidate.
Olivera first ran for office in 2003, winning 1.4% of the vote as an independent against State Sen. Sharpe James (D-Newark) in the 29th district. He lost races for the North Ward seat on the Newark City Council in 2010 (9.6%), 2014 (3.2%), and 2018 (3.7%), for Essex County Freeholder in 2011 (3.7%), Congress in 2012 (1%), 2014 (1.5%), 2016 (2.5%), and 2018 (0%), U.S. Senator in a 2013 special election (0.1%), State Senate in 2013 (3.9%) and 2017 (1.9%) – both times against Ruiz – and for State Assembly in 2015 (3%).
The independent candidates who filed:
1st District: Robin Brownfield, Green Party; Austin Johnson
2nd District: Thomas Cannavo, Green Party
3rd District: Steven Welzer, Green Party; Justin Barbera, Join the Revolution; Chris Russomanno, Libertarian Party; Douglas Anthony Wynn, Why Not Wynn
4th District: Barry Bendar, Green Party; John Morrison, Libertarian Party
5th District: Lou Vellucci, American Values; Richard Siegel, Ceasefire and Justice; Beau Forte, Green Party; James Tosone, Libertarian Party; Aamir Arif, Peace Freedom Liberty
6th District: Fahad Akhtar, Common Sense Independent; Herb Tarbous, Green Party; Matthew Amitrano, Libertarian Party
7th District: Andrew Black, Green Party; Lana Leguía, Libertarian Party
8th District: Christian Robbins, Green Party; Pablo Olivera, Labour Party; Lea Sherman, Socialist Workers Party
9th District: Benjamin Taylor, Green Party; Bruno Pereira, Libertarian Party
10th District: Michelle Middleton, All of Us; Cynthia Johnson, C4C 2024; Jon Carlos Serrano, Green Party; Donna Weiss, Social Activist
11th District: Lily Benavides, Green Party; Joshua Lanzara, Truth Freedom Prosperity
12th District: Kim Meudt, Green Party; Vic Kaplan, Libertarian Party