Democrats in Ocean County, which is split between New Jersey’s two reddest congressional districts, awarded endorsements at their convention yesterday to two Democrats running to flip those districts this year: Tim Alexander in the 2nd district and Rachel Peace in the 4th district.
The county party has thus far declined to provide full results in each race, but a party official said that Alexander won the endorsement in the first round while Peace defeated fellow 4th district candidate John Blake in a runoff.
Also winning Ocean Democrats’ support was U.S. Senator Cory Booker, who’s running for a third full term this year; Booker was endorsed by acclamation, though one of his primary opponents, Chris Fields, also made an appearance at the convention. Kia Phua, an MTA train operator from Berkeley Township, got the endorsement for county commissioner unopposed.
Alexander, a civil rights attorney and former detective who has run for Congress twice before, has now gotten four of the 2nd district’s six county party endorsements, following convention wins in Atlantic, Cumberland, and Salem Counties. Cape May Mayor Zack Mullock has party support in his home of Cape May County; also running are Bayly Winder, Terri Reese, and Bill Finn.
Peace, meanwhile, has emerged as the party favorite for the 4th district on her first run for office, having previously won the support of the Monmouth County Democrats in February. Four other Democrats are seeking the nomination: Blake, Julie Flynn, Bob English, and Peter Linardakis.
The 2nd district, held by Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-Dennis), is on the very edge of the competitive playing field for the 2026 midterms. Rep. Chris Smith (R-Manchester)’s 4th district, however, is the reddest in the state and is virtually guaranteed to remain red this year, as is Ocean County as a whole in any countywide races.