Middlesex County has long been one of New Jersey’s strongest Democratic bastions. Home to nearly 900,000 residents, it is the state’s third-most populous county, with its Democratic dominance reinforced by a powerful county organization and heavily Democratic municipalities such as New Brunswick, home to Rutgers University. The county has not elected a Republican to countywide office since 1991—a drought exceeded only by Hudson County, which last elected a Republican countywide in 1956, and Camden County, where the last Republican victory came in 1990.
Even so, Middlesex was one of the few Democratic strongholds where President Donald Trump made significant gains in 2024. After Joe Biden carried the county by 22 percentage points in 2020, Trump cut the Democratic margin to just eight points four years later. With Middlesex now only 42% white, his improved performance likely reflected substantial gains among non-white voters.
By 2025, however, many of those voters appeared to have shifted back toward the Democratic Party. Gov. Mikie Sherrill carried Middlesex County by 28 points—twice her statewide margin—signaling a sharp Democratic rebound in just one year. At the local, county, and federal levels, Democrats appear to be benefiting from that renewed strength. Many municipalities where Trump made notable gains in 2024, including Carteret, do not even have Republican candidates on the ballot this year, suggesting that his support may have been uniquely personal and has not translated into broader down-ballot Republican competitiveness.
Democrats are unopposed in Carteret, Cranbury, East Brunswick, Highland Park, Jamesburg, Metuchen, New Brunswick, North Brunswick, and Plainsboro. Republicans are uncontested only in South Plainfield.
There are no municipal elections this year in Edison, Monroe, Old Bridge, or Woodbridge. In Helmetta, an independent incumbent is unopposed.
U.S. Senate
Democrat Cory Booker has carried Middlesex in each of his three previous runs for the United States Senate.
He won by16 points in the 2013 special election against former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan, by 21 points in 2014 against ex-Reagan speechwriter Jeff Bell, and by 23 points in 2020 against pharmaceutical executive Rik Mehta.
The Republican nominee, former Tabernacle Deputy Mayor Justin Murphy, has a lot of ground to make up in a county Booker won by 86,404 votes six years ago. In that race, Booker carried 21 of the 25 municipalities in Middlesex County, losing only Middlesex Borough (by 79 votes), Milltown (by 113), Helmetta (by 120), and Spotswood (by 581).
Murphy was in South Brunswick this weekend for a town hall meeting.
Congressional District 6
The 6th congressional district includes the Middlesex County municipalities of Carteret, Edison, Highland Park, Metuchen, New Brunswick, part of Old Bridge, Perth Amboy, Piscataway, Sayreville, South Amboy, South Plainfield, and Woodbridge.
Incumbent Rep. Frank Pallone (D-Long Branch) remains heavily favored to win another term, having represented the district since 1988.
One potentially notable development was Pallone’s relatively underwhelming Democratic primary performance. While he still won comfortably by nearly 30 points, progressive challenger John Hsu received a respectable 26.7% of the vote, while fellow progressive Katie Bansil won another 7%. Combined, 34.5% of Democratic primary voters chose someone other than their nearly 40-year incumbent congressman.
In November, Pallone will face Hillary Herzig, a mother of three, military spouse, and civil servant who has worked for the Key West Chief of Police, the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Operations, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Herzig was unopposed in the Republican primary and is making her first run for public office.
Republicans have been unable to unseat Pallone even in favorable political environments, and it is unlikely that 2026—which is shaping up to be a Democratic-leaning cycle—will be any different. Although the district shifted Republican in 2024, with Kamala Harris carrying it by only six points, Pallone won every municipality in Middlesex except for the portion of Old Bridge he represents.
Congressional District 12
The 12th Congressional District includes the Middlesex County municipalities of Cranbury, Dunellen, East Brunswick, Helmetta, Jamesburg, Middlesex, Milltown, Monroe Township, North Brunswick, part of Old Bridge, Plainsboro, South Brunswick, South River, and Spotswood.
The real contest in the 12th District took place in the June 2 Democratic primary to succeed retiring Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Ewing).
Progressive Dr. Adam Hamawy, a Middlesex County native, carried the Middlesex County portion of the district by three points over East Brunswick Mayor Brad Cohen. Hamawy is widely viewed as a congressman-in-waiting.
Surrogate
Incumbent Surrogate Caribel Cortes, the first Latina to serve as Middlesex County surrogate, was appointed in early 2021 and won a full five-year term later that year. She is heavily favored to win re-election. Her Republican challenger is Harold Kane, a U.S. Navy veteran, retired telecommunications analyst, and former Monroe Township Council candidate. Republicans have not won a race for Middlesex Surrogate since Joseph Spataro unseated incumbent Guido Brigiani in 1972.
County Commissioner
Incumbent County Commissioners Leslie Koppel and Charles Tomaro also appear well-positioned to retain their seats on Middlesex County’s seven-member Board of County Commissioners.
Tomaro has served on the board since 2011, while Koppel has served since 2017.
Challenging them are Middlesex Borough Mayor Jack Mikolajczyk and Andrew Zaborney, chairman of the board of directors of Raritan Bay Federal Credit Union and a former Spotswood Borough Council candidate.
Dunellen
Incumbent Republican councilwomen Elizabeth Van Dermark and Crisol-Iris Lantx are seeking re-election to another three-year term. Challenging them are Democrats David Kraemer, a public school educator, and Douglas Meyer.
Dunellen has trended Democratic at the top of the ticket in recent elections. Kamala Harris carried the borough by 10 points in 2024, while Gov. Mikie Sherrill expanded that margin to more than 20 points in 2025. Despite those results, Republicans continue to control the borough council. This year’s election will test whether Democrats can translate their success in federal and statewide races into victories at the local level.
Middlesex Borough
Incumbent Republican councilmen Michael Conahan and Kevin Dotey are seeking re-election to the Borough Council. Republicans currently hold all six seats on the governing body.
Challenging them are Democrats Vincent Rouse and Vinne Lella.
Lella has drawn criticism from some Middlesex County Democrats after voting for President Donald Trump in 2024. As a result, he and Rouse—who has the full backing of the municipal Democratic organization—will run separate fall campaigns despite both being Democrats. Rouse previously mounted an unsuccessful campaign for Borough Council in 2025.
Middlesex Borough backed Donald Trump by 10 points in 2024, then narrowly supported Gov. Mikie Sherrill by 3 points in 2025. The split-ticket voting raises the question of whether Democrats can build on their statewide gains at the municipal level or whether Republicans will maintain their grip on borough government.
Milltown
Incumbent Republican Councilman Gary Posansky is seeking re-election to another three-year term on the Milltown Borough Council.
Republicans did not nominate a second candidate during the primary. However, Kenneth Graulich, a member of the Milltown Fire Department, received enough write-in votes to secure the Republican nomination for the seat currently held by retiring Republican Councilman Frank Manco.
Challenging them are Democrats Rachel Fried, a member of the Milltown Revitalization Committee, and Keith Cook, a former Planning Board member.
Milltown’s governing body is currently evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans, making this one of the more consequential municipal races in Middlesex County. Democrats have the opportunity to gain control of the council, while Republicans are seeking to preserve the current balance.
Milltown has become one of the county’s more competitive municipalities at the top of the ticket. Donald Trump carried the borough by seven points in 2024, while Gov. Mikie Sherrill won it by four points in 2025, underscoring the town’s status as a true political battleground.
Perth Amboy
Perth Amboy experienced one of New Jersey’s most dramatic rightward shifts at the presidential level, moving from backing Joe Biden by more than 40 points in 2020 to supporting Kamala Harris by just eight points in 2024.
Democratic incumbents Milady Tejeda and Hailey Cruz Batista are seeking re-election to four-year terms on the City Council. Fellow Democrat Kenneth L. Gonzalez is running for the third seat currently held by retiring Councilman Kenneth Puccio.
Puccio sought re-election this year but lost the Democratic nomination for his seat to Gonzalez.
Challenging the Democratic slate are Republicans Maria E. Rodriguez, who unsuccessfully ran for council in 2024, along with first-time candidates Jose Amarante and Aaron Yunes.
The central question in Perth Amboy is whether Republicans can translate their significant gains at the presidential level into success in local elections. Even after its rightward shift, however, the city remains Democratic-leaning.
Piscataway
Piscataway has emerged as one of New Jersey’s leading progressive strongholds.
The township’s June Democratic primary featured hotly contested races for Borough Council. School Board President Shantell Cherry defeated three-term Councilman Frank Uhrin, 814-700, winning with a 54%-46% margin.
Cherry’s victory reduced the progressive bloc’s disadvantage on the council from a 5-2 minority to a 4-3 minority.
In a municipality as overwhelmingly Democratic as Piscataway, the Democratic primary is effectively the decisive election. Kamala Harris carried the township by 50 points in 2024.
Cherry will face Republican William Lawrence in November and is widely viewed as a councilwoman-in-waiting.
Sayreville
Republican council members John Zebrowski and Michael Colaci are seeking re-election to the Sayreville Borough Council.
The six-member governing body is currently evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans.
Challenging them are Democrats Bernard Bailey and Dexter Thomas, president of the Sayreville Emergency Squad.
If Democrats flip one or both Republican-held seats, they will take control of the Borough Council.
Sayreville remains one of Middlesex County’s most competitive municipalities. Joe Biden carried the borough by six points in 2020 before Donald Trump won it by six points in 2024. Gov. Mikie Sherrill then carried Sayreville by 1.5 points in 2025, continuing the borough’s recent pattern of highly competitive elections.
South Amboy
Incumbent Democratic Councilman Michael “Mickey” Gross and Judith Raskoshin are running for two at-large council seats. Gross currently holds one seat, while the other is held by retiring Councilman Anthony Conrad.
Democrats currently hold every seat on the South Amboy City Council.
Republican Luis Cruz is challenging the Democratic ticket. No other Republican candidates filed or won enough write-in votes to qualify for the Nomination for the second seat, ensuring that either Gross or Raskoshkin will win.
Although Democrats dominate municipal government, South Amboy has leaned Republican at the top of the ticket in recent presidential elections. Donald Trump carried the city by three points in 2020 and expanded that margin to 11 points in 2024. Gov. Mikie Sherrill, however, carried South Amboy by six points in 2025.
This year’s election will test whether Republicans can finally translate their success in federal elections into victories at the municipal level.
South Brunswick
Democratic Mayor Charley Carley is seeking re-election to another four-year term. Carley has served as mayor since 2018.
His Republican challenger is John G. O’Sullivan, who previously served a three-year term on the South Brunswick Township Council after his election in 2009.
Councilman Ken Bierman is also seeking re-election to another four-year term. He is being challenged by Republican Michael J. Harvardansky, vice president and controller of an apparel company.
Harvardansky previously ran unsuccessfully for council in 2024.
When O’Sullivan was elected to the council, Republicans remained competitive in South Brunswick municipal elections. Today, however, Democrats hold every seat on the Township Council.
South Brunswick was moved into the 16th Legislative District during the 2011 legislative redistricting process as part of an effort to make the district more Democratic. The strategy proved successful, and the 16th District is now widely regarded as safely Democratic.
Kamala Harris carried South Brunswick by 24 points in 2024.
South River
Republican Councilman Henry Dziemian is seeking re-election to another two-year term. Former Councilman James F. Hutchinson is running for the open seat being vacated by Republican Councilman James Gurchensky.
Republicans currently hold every seat on the Borough Council.
Challenging them are Democrats Anita Chadha, a Realtor, and Madelina Rivera, a member of the South River Environmental Commission.
South River remains Republican-leaning, although it shifted toward Democrats between the last two presidential elections. Donald Trump carried the borough by 16 points in 2020 and by 12 points in 2024.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill carried South River by three points in 2025, making this election another test of whether Democratic gains at the top of the ticket can extend to local races.