Eight incumbents, six challengers win congressional primaries uncontested

Results from New Jersey’s contested primaries will be streaming in all night – but for a large number of the state’s congressional candidates, their path to the November general election was guaranteed when the state’s filing period ended.

Despite a nationwide incumbent-skeptical mood, eight New Jersey incumbents from both parties escaped without any primary opposition and won their primaries today uncontested.

That includes all three of New Jersey’s GOP congressmen: Reps. Jeff Van Drew (R-Dennis), Chris Smith (R-Manchester), and Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield). Smith was originally set to face a minor challenger, Rob Canfield, but he didn’t get enough signatures to make the ballot and said he’ll return in 2028; Kean has been absent for several months due to a health issue, but that only started making headlines after the filing deadline had passed.

Like Smith, Senator Cory Booker, Rep. Donald Norcross (D-Camden), and Rep. Herb Conaway (D-Delran) all had primary challengers who failed to make the ballot. Some local Democrats (including the mayor of Paterson) mulled a challenge to Rep. Nellie Pou (D-North Haledon), but none of them pulled the trigger, and Pou went unopposed.

The one Democrat who never faced any whispers of a primary challenge was, interestingly, Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-Tenafly), by far the most moderate member of the state’s Democratic delegation. Though progressives have long griped about Gottheimer’s votes, none of them have actually stepped up to run against him since 2020.

As for challengers, six Republicans won today’s primaries uncontested: Damon Galdo in the 1st district, Sean Kirrane in the 5th district, Hillary Herzig in the 6th district, Carmen Bucco in the 10th district, Joe Hathaway in the 11th district, and Gregg Mele in the 12th district.

Republicans were also unable to field a candidate at all in the 8th district, which is currently held by Rep. Rob Menendez (D-Jersey City). Local GOP leaders have instead decided to get behind Aristotle Eliopoulos, a teachers union official and registered Republican who filed to run as an independent.