Atlantic County is arguably the most politically competitive county in New Jersey and has been since the Nucky Johnson-to-Hap Farley GOP machine was overthrown in 1971.
Despite the Republican lock on county government, elections in Atlantic County are sometimes closer than they appear. The GOP has had a lock on the county executive’s office since 1979, but in 2026, Atlantic County is once again a premier battleground at the congressional, county, and local levels.
Jack Ciattarelli carried Atlantic County by 10 points in 2021. In 2024, Donald Trump became the first Republican presidential nominee since George H.W. Bush to carry Atlantic County, winning it by four points. Democrats rebounded in 2025. Gov. Mikie Sherrill carried Atlantic County by three points over Ciattarelli, who had won the county four years earlier.
At the same time, Democrats flipped one of the Assembly seats in the Atlantic County-based 2nd legislative district, making it one of the few legislative districts represented by a Democrat and a Republican. That’s a common occurrence in the 2nd district. The Atlantic County Senate seat was held by Democrats Joe McGahn and Steve Perskie from 1972 to 1982, Republicans Bill Gormley and Sonny McCullough from 1982 to 2008, Democrats Jim Whelan and Colin Bell from 2008 to 2018, and Chris Brown and Vince Polstina since 2018.
Republicans are uncontested in Brigantine, Buena Borough, Corbin City, Estell Manor, Folsom, Hammonton, Keyport, Linwood, Port Republic, and Weymouth.
Democrats are uncontested in Pleasantville.
Atlantic City, Galloway, Longport, Margate, and Ventnor do not have municipal elections this year.
U.S. Senate
Sen. Cory Booker carried Atlantic County by two points in his 2013 special election against former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan, by six points in 2014 against Jeff Bell, and by seven points in 2020 against pharmaceutical executive Rik Mehta.
Atlantic County has shown a willingness to support Republican Senate candidates in recent years. The county backed hotelier Curtis Bashaw, who hails from next-door Cape May, by one point over then-Rep. Andy Kim in 2024 and gave Bob Hugin the same one-point margin in 2018 when he took on incumbent Bob Menendez.
For former Tabernacle Mayor Justin Murphy, matching those performances will not be enough. He will need to outperform both Bashaw and Hugin in Atlantic County if he hopes to be competitive statewide in a state that remains more Democratic than Atlantic County.
2nd Congressional District
All of Atlantic County is located within New Jersey’s 2nd Congressional District.
Four-term Republican Congressman Jeff Van Drew (R-Dennis) is seeking re-election and is looking to carry Atlantic County for a third consecutive time as a Republican.
Van Drew carried Atlantic County by a commanding 14-point margin during his first congressional campaign as a Democrat. He then lost the county to Democrat Amy Kennedy by four points in his first re-election campaign after switching parties. In 2022, Van Drew carried Atlantic County for the first time as a Republican, winning it by 12 points on his way to a dominant districtwide victory. He followed that with another strong performance in 2024, carrying Atlantic County by eight points while winning comfortably across the district.
Cape May Mayor Zack Mullock is challenging Van Drew.
If Mullock hopes to pull off a districtwide upset, he will need a strong showing in Atlantic County, particularly in Democratic strongholds such as Atlantic City and Pleasantville. Van Drew won his first congressional race in 2018 by running up the score in Atlantic County, and Mullock will likely need a similar performance.
Van Drew has demonstrated that winning Atlantic County is not essential for a Republican to carry the district. For Democrats, however, a decisive victory in Atlantic County remains critical to winning the district.
The Atlantic County Board of Commissioners consists of nine members serving staggered three-year terms. Five commissioners represent equally populated districts, while the remaining four are elected at-large, meaning they are chosen countywide. Republicans currently hold a commanding 8-1 majority on the board, holding all at-large seats and all but one district seat.
Commissioner At-Large
Incumbent at-large Commissioners John Risley and June Byrnes are seeking re-election to three-year terms. Democrats Jonathan Marcellus, a small-business owner, and Kyle Gornick, an Atlantic City Planning Board member, are challenging them.
Risley has held county office for 23 years, first from 1995 to 2004 and again since 2012. He’s had some close races: he was re-elected in 2017 by 203 votes against Thelma Withersoon and by 381 votes against Celeste Fernandez in 2020. He lost a State Assembly race in 2019 by 940 votes.
Democrats came close to flipping an at-large seat last fall. Victoria Dolceamore finished just 271 votes—less than one-third of a percentage point—behind Republican Art Schenker, a former Democrat who held on to preserve the GOP’s 8-1 majority on the commission.
Marcellus, a Haitian immigrant and U.S. citizen, ran for commissioner last year in the Republican-leaning 4th District. Gornick also serves as a policy specialist at the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
Commissioner, 3rd District
The 3rd Commissioner District encompasses portions of Hamilton Township and Egg Harbor Township.
Republican Commissioner Andrew Parker is seeking re-election to another three-year term. Parker was re-elected in 2023 with a 61%-39% victory.
Challenging him is human resources specialist Richard Healey.
Andrew Parker’s first bid for the Atlantic County Board of Chosen Freeholders in 2020 ended in an extraordinary legal battle after Democrat Thelma Witherspoon was declared the winner by 286 votes.
Republicans challenged the outcome when it was discovered that County Clerk Ed McGettigan, a Democrat, had mailed incorrect ballots to hundreds of Hamilton Township voters, omitting the District 3 freeholder race entirely and effectively disenfranchising enough voters to cast doubt on the result.
A Superior Court judge voided the election, a decision later upheld by the Appellate Division, and ordered a new election. Parker returned to the ballot in the November 2021 special election, defeating Witherspoon in an entirely different political environment to capture the seat.
The office was renamed County Commissioner on January 1, 2021, meaning Parker ultimately became a county commissioner even though he had first run for freeholder.
County Clerk
Republican County Clerk Joseph Giralo is seeking re-election to another term.
Giralo was first elected in 2021, flipping the office from Democratic to Republican control with a 55%-45% victory over Democrat Lisa Jiampetti, the mayor of Egg Harbor City. The embattled incumbent, Ed McGettigan, did not seek re-election.
Democrat Lisa Bender is challenging Giralo. Bender unsuccessfully sought an Assembly seat in the 2nd Legislative District in 2023.
This race will test whether Republicans can hold onto a county office they flipped only five years ago.
Sheriff
Republican Sheriff Joe “Tokyo” O’Donoghue is seeking re-election to a second term.
O’Donoghue unseated two-term Sheriff Eric Scheffler by a six-point margin in 2023, flipping the office to Republican control.
His challenger is Atlantic City Police Director Sean Riggin, a former Pleasantville police chief.
Like the county clerk’s race, the sheriff’s contest will serve as a test of whether Atlantic County Republicans can retain the county offices they have recently flipped.
Absecon
Incumbent Councilmembers Alexander Clark and Christine Parker are seeking re-election to the Absecon City Council. Clark is running for another term in Ward 1, while Parker is seeking re-election in Ward 2.
Clark is being challenged by Democrat Maria Prete, a community advocate and former guest experience manager at Walt Disney World. Parker faces Democrat Gloria Seel, assistant vice president of Behavioral Health at AtlantiCare.
Democrats controlled the council as recently as 2022, but Republicans now hold a 7-0 majority.
Absecon remains a Republican-leaning community. Jack Ciattarelli carried the city by less than one percentage point in 2025, while Donald Trump won it by nearly ten points in 2024.
Buena Vista
Republican Mayor William Ruggieri is seeking another term on the Township Committee. He is being challenged by Democrat Ronald Stone, who previously ran for the committee in 2023.
Republicans currently hold all five seats on the Buena Vista Township Committee.
Buena Vista is a solidly Republican municipality. Donald Trump carried the township by 24 points in 2024.
Egg Harbor City
Democratic incumbent Karl Timbers and Republican incumbent Donna Heist are seeking re-election to the Egg Harbor City Common Council.
Timbers is running alongside fellow Democrats Steve Ortiz, a former school board member, and Nate Ross, a massage therapist, for three council seats.
Heist is running with fellow Republicans Joseph Fahrman and former Councilman Joseph Ricci, who unsuccessfully sought a council seat in 2025 and is making another bid this year.
Democrats secured a seven-member majority on the nine-member Common Council in 2025 by sweeping every seat on the ballot. Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s 13-point victory in the district likely provided local Democrats with the momentum they needed. Republicans will be looking to halt that momentum.
Egg Harbor Township
Republican Councilmembers Laura Pfrommer and Carl Hodson are seeking re-election to the Township Committee.
Democrats Tamike Gilbert-Floyd and Juanita Hyman, both current members of the Egg Harbor Township Board of Education, are challenging them.
Republicans currently hold a 4-1 majority on the five-member committee. If Democrats win both seats, they will take control.
Egg Harbor Township remains highly competitive. Donald Trump carried the township by five points in 2024, while Gov. Mikie Sherrill won it by four points in 2025.
Hamilton
Republican Committeeman Eric Aiken is seeking re-election to the Township Committee.
He is being challenged by Democrat Maria Newman, a real estate broker and former member of the Hamilton Township Board of Education.
Republicans currently hold a 3-2 majority on the committee. This election will determine whether Democrats gain control or Republicans maintain it.
Hamilton Township remains competitive. Kamala Harris carried the township by one point in 2024, while Gov. Mikie Sherrill won it by eight points in 2025.
Mullica
Incumbent Deputy Mayor Charles Muller is seeking re-election to another three-year term.
He is being challenged by Democrat Beth Schroeder Buonsante, the former chief of staff to State Sen. Jim Whelan (D-Atlantic City).
Mullica Township is a deeply Republican Pinelands community. Republicans control all five seats on the committee. Donald Trump carried the township by more than 30 points in 2024, and Jack Ciattarelli won it by more than 22 points in 2025.
Northfield
Ward 1 Councilman David Notaro is seeking re-election to another term.
He is being challenged by Joan Brennan, an inventory analyst for Sysco Foods.
Republicans currently hold all seven seats on the Northfield City Council.
Northfield is Republican-leaning, though not overwhelmingly so. Donald Trump carried the city by nine points in 2024, while Jack Ciattarelli won it by less than one-half of a percentage point in 2025.
Somers Point
Ward 1 Republican Councilman Richard DePamphilis and Ward 2 Republican Councilman John Shields are seeking re-election to the Somers Point City Council.
DePamphilis is being challenged by Democrat Kimberly O’Brien, a Somers Point Spanish teacher and former Peace Corps member.
Shields faces Democrat Steven Lamond, an Air Force veteran and consulting database programmer for SmithKline Beecham and Merck.
Republicans currently hold a 6-1 majority on the council. Democrats are hoping to cut that advantage to 4-3.
Somers Point is a competitive, Republican-leaning community. Donald Trump carried the city by five points in 2024, Gov. Mikie Sherrill carried it by less than one-half of a percentage point in 2025, and Joe Biden won it by three points in 2020.