Democrat Matt Jenkins will run once again against Rep. Chris Smith (R-Manchester) next year, setting up a potential rematch in New Jersey’s most Republican congressional district.
“When I said, ‘I’ll be back,’ I was not referencing one of the most famous movie lines in history,” Jenkins said in a statement. “I knew once would not be enough. From the beginning, I committed to running for NJ’s 4th congressional district again in 2024. The stakes have never been higher, and the time for action is now.”
Jenkins, a Colts Neck resident and the owner of a general contracting business, first ran for office in 2022, challenging Smith in a district based in deep-red Monmouth and Ocean County towns like Lakewood and Toms River. Jenkins won the Democratic primary unopposed, but lost to Smith 67%-31% in the general election.
It’s unlikely that Jenkins would fare any differently in next year’s race; even President Joe Biden lost the district by 22 percentage points in 2020. But Jenkins said that Smith’s stances on issues like abortion and offshore wind are too extreme for the voters of New Jersey.
“We are one election away from big government taking control of women’s bodies,” Jenkins said. “First, Republicans claimed states’ rights, but when red states voted to keep abortion legal, Senator [Lindsey] Graham and my opponent, Congressman Chris Smith, put together a bill for a national ban… Our democracy is at stake. Our fundamental rights as human beings are at stake.”
If Jenkins becomes the Democratic nominee once again, it will be the third time in a row that a member of his household has appeared on Monmouth County ballots. His wife, Colts Neck school board member Alison De Noia, was one of the Democratic nominees for Monmouth County Commissioner this year; she and her running mate lost 56%-44%.
Smith, for his part, is currently halfway through his 22nd term in Congress, a longer tenure than any other New Jerseyan in history. Assuming he can continue getting re-elected (in a district that’s changed dramatically since his first win in 1980), the 70-year-old Smith may be on track to become the first-ever Dean of the House from New Jersey.