Pou has $1.3 million on-hand heading into 2026

Rep. Nellie Pou (D-North Haledon) has raised nearly $1.8 million since kicking off her campaign for re-election at the beginning of last year, which her campaign says is the largest off-year fundraising total in the history of the 9th congressional district.

Pou, who is a Republican target in this year’s midterm elections, raised more than $425,000 in the 4th quarter of 2025, and ended the year with a campaign warchest of $1.3 million.

“I’m honored to receive such an outpouring of support for re-election from all across North Jersey,” Pou said in a statement. “Representing New Jersey in Congress is one of the honors of my life and I am committed to making sure my constituents’ voices are heard in Washington. New Jerseyans know the stakes are too high.”

Pou said 86% of her donations in the 4th quarter were $100 or less, and the median contribution was just $9.62.

The freshman congresswoman, a former longtime state legislator, was first put forward as a congressional candidate after Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-Paterson)’s death in 2024, when the Paterson-based 9th district was still seen as a safely Democratic district.

Donald Trump’s surge in North Jersey’s urban communities, however, shifted the district into competitive territory, forcing Pou to build up an all-new campaign infrastructure and put serious effort into fundraising ahead of her first re-election bid. (The district has since seemingly shifted back towards Democrats; Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill carried it by 20 points last year.)

And although Pou hasn’t raised quite as much as some of her fellow endangered Democratic incumbents around the country, she’s far ahead of her Republican competition. One Republican who’s been running since July, Clifton Councilwoman Rosie Pino, had only raised around $150,000 as of the October filing deadline; a newer GOP contender, attorney Tiffany Burress, entered the race earlier this week and won’t have to reveal any of her fundraising numbers for months to come.