Monmouth County has long been indispensable to Republican hopes in New Jersey, a sprawling political anchor stretching from deeply Republican Shore communities to conservative inland towns. The state’s sixth-largest county is neither as populous nor as overwhelmingly Republican as neighboring Ocean County, but a strong showing there remains essential to any viable statewide GOP campaign.
There was a moment, however, when Monmouth appeared to be moving in the other direction.
Al Gore carried the county by five points in the 2000 presidential election, becoming the last Democratic presidential candidate to win Monmouth—Democrat Jim McGreevey followed by narrowly carrying it in the 2001 governor’s race.
Democrats also began making inroads farther down the ballot. Barbara McMorrow won a seat on the Monmouth County freeholder board in 2006, John D’Amico followed in 2007, and Amy Mallet’s 328-vote victory in 2008 gave Democrats their first majority on the board since 1985. The breakthrough proved fleeting: Republicans quickly regained control, and Democrats have not won a county commissioner race since.
Still, Democrats have demonstrated that individual candidates can build durable constituencies in Monmouth.
Frank Pallone defeated incumbent Republican State Sen. Brian Kenney in 1983 and won a congressional seat five years later. He has remained in Congress ever since, surviving Republican waves and multiple rounds of redistricting while maintaining a political base along the northern Monmouth coastline. Pallone was first elected to the House in November 1988.
Vin Gopal supplied another striking exception in 2017, when he ousted Republican State Sen. Jennifer Beck by seven points in the 11th legislative district. Gopal survived the Republican surge of 2021 even as his two Democratic Assembly running mates lost, then won a third term by 21 points in 2023. He remains the most successful Democratic legislative candidate in the county. Gopal defeated Steve Dnistrian with more than 60% of the vote in 2023.
Democrats have also accumulated meaningful municipal victories, particularly in places such as Red Bank, Long Branch, Neptune and the Bayshore. But those local and legislative gains have not translated into stronger performances at the top of the ticket. In many respects, Monmouth has become redder.
George W. Bush flipped the county in 2004. John McCain held it narrowly in 2008; Mitt Romney expanded the Republican advantage in 2012; and Donald Trump won Monmouth by 9 points in 2016, 3 points in 2020, and 11 points in 2024. Gore was the last Democratic presidential candidate to carry Monmouth.
The gubernatorial results have been equally unforgiving. Jon Corzine lost Monmouth by eight points in 2005. Chris Christie carried it by 31 points in 2009 and 43 points in 2013. Phil Murphy lost his home county in both of his successful campaigns: by 12 points to fellow Monmouth County native Kim Guadagno in 2017 and by 18 points to Jack Ciattarelli in 2021. Mikie Sherrill performed better but still lost Monmouth to Ciattarelli by eight points in 2025.
Voter registration tells a similar story, despite enormous growth by both parties. In 2006, Monmouth had 77,326 Republicans and 66,318 Democrats, a GOP advantage of 11,008. By August 2026, Republican registration had climbed to 171,047, compared with 143,960 Democrats — expanding the Republican edge to 27,087.
Democrats have more than doubled their registration numbers over two decades and have found ways to win selected municipal and legislative contests. But Republicans have grown even faster, while continuing to dominate countywide and statewide races.
Monmouth has become more competitive in some places without becoming less Republican as a county.
Republicans are uncontested in Colts Neck, Englishtown, Farmingdale, Freehold Township, Howell, Interlaken, Little Silver, one township committee seat in Manalapan, Millstone, Oceanport, Rumson, Sea Girt, the mayoralty and one borough council seat in Shrewsbury Borough, Spring Lake, Spring Lake Heights, Union Beach, Upper Freehold, Wall, and the mayoralty in West Long Branch.
Democrats are uncontested in one borough council seat in Allentown, Lake Como, Neptune City, Neptune, and Roosevelt.
Independents are uncontested in one borough council seat in Allentown.
Allenhurst, Deal, Keansburg, Loch Arbor, Long Branch, and Monmouth Beach and Ocean Township hold nonpartisan elections in May.
Asbury Park, Avon-by-the-Sea, Bradley Beach, Highlands Borough, Red Bank, and Tinton Falls have nonpartisan elections this November.
Marlboro has no municipal elections this year.
U.S. Senate
Two-term Sen. Cory Booker is seeking a third term in Washington. Booker has never won Monmouth County in any of his Senate contests. He lost the county by nine points in the 2013 special election against former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan, again by nine points to former Reagan speechwriter Jeff Bell in 2014, and by five points to pharmaceutical executive Rik Mehta in 2020.
Booker faces former Tabernacle Deputy Mayor Justin Murphy. Curtis Bashaw, the 2024 Republican nominee, carried Monmouth County by nine points in 2024 over now-Sen. Andy Kim, who represented part of Monmouth during his final term in the U.S. House.
3rd Congressional District
The 3rd congressional district contains the Monmouth County municipalities of Allentown, Englishtown, Freehold Borough, part of Freehold Township, Holmdel, Manalapan, Marlboro, Millstone, Roosevelt, and Upper Freehold.
Freshman Rep. Herb Conaway (D-Delran) is seeking another term. He faces Navy veteran Michael McGuire this November.
The Monmouth County portion of the 3rd is one of the most Republican parts of the district. Donald Trump carried the Monmouth portion by 17 points in 2024, while Kamala Harris carried the district by eight points. Conaway’s 2024 challenger, Dr. Rajhesh Mohan, carried the Monmouth portion of the district by nearly 20 points in 2024 on his way to an eight-point district-wide loss.
The 3rd congressional district is Democratic-leaning but not as overwhelmingly so as other districts, despite the district’s current 2020s iteration having narrowly voted for Gov. Murphy by just under two points in 2021, pointing to the district’s Democratic rigidity.
4th Congressional District
The 4th congressional district includes the Monmouth County municipalities of Avon-By-The-Sea, Belmar, Brielle, Colts Neck, Eatontown, Farmingdale, part of Freehold, Howell, Lake Como, Manasquan, part of Middletown, Ocean, Sea Girt, Shrewsbury, Shrewsbury Township, Spring Lake, Spring Lake Heights, Tinton Falls, and Wall.
Twenty-three-term Rep. Chris Smith (R-Manchester) is seeking a 24th term in Washington. Smith is the dean of the state’s congressional delegation and second in line to be dean of the U.S. House, only behind Rep. Hal Rogers.
Smith first ran for Congress in 1978, losing to longtime U.S. Rep. Frank Thompson (D-Trenton) by more than 30 points. He ran again two years later and, aided by Thompson’s indictment in the Abscam scandal and Ronald Reagan’s strong coattails, won easily.
His current district bears little resemblance to the one that first elected him in 1980. Still, Smith has survived every redistricting map drawn during his tenure, even in 1982, when Democrats tried to draw him out of Congress by giving him an extremely tough district. Despite the setback, Smith prevailed in that race 52-47 against former state Senate President Joe Merlino (D-Trenton).
This year, Smith faces Democrat Rachel Peace, a single mother and small businesswoman who gained prominence in Jersey Shore activist circles through her opposition to the 2025 Big Beautiful Bill.
The 4th district is New Jersey’s most Republican congressional district. Trump carried it by 30 points in 2024. The Monmouth County portion is still strongly Republican-leaning, but less so than the district as a whole, which voted for Donald Trump by 17 points in 2024.
6th Congressional District
The 6th congressional district includes Aberdeen Township, Allenhurst, Asbury Park, Atlantic Highlands, Bradley Beach, Deal, Fair Haven, Hazlet, Highlands, Interlaken, Keansburg, Keyport, Little Silver, Loch Arbour, Long Branch, Matawan, part of Middletown Township, Monmouth Beach, Neptune City, Neptune Township, Oceanport, Red Bank, Rumson, Sea Bright, Union Beach, and West Long Branch.
19-term Rep. Frank Pallone (D-Long Branch) is seeking re-election. Pallone was first elected in 1988. Pallone faced a close call in his first re-election bid in 1990, only beating former Assemblyman and Asbury Park councilor Paul Kapalko by three points. Since then, Pallone has been re-elected easily.
One notable development this year 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.
This was Pallone’s most competitive primary for renomination since 1992, when Pallone’s Monmouth County-based district, then numbered the 3rd congressional district, was merged with the Middlesex County-based 6th district, creating the beginnings of the current Monmouth-Middlesex configuration. The merger led to a primary between then-Assemblyman and now State Sen. Bob Smith (D-Piscataway) and Pallone. Pallone won renomination with 54% of the vote to Smith’s 34%.
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.
The Monmouth portion of the district is much less Democratic than the district as a whole. The Monmouth portion voted for Kamala Harris by less than a point in 2024 and for Gov. Mikie Sherrill by six points in 2025.
In its current configuration, the district is strongly Democratic. However, it did shift rightward in 2024, with Kamala Harris carrying it by only six points, down from Joe Biden’s 20-point win in 2020. Gov. Mikie Sherrill carried the district by 22 points in 2025.
County Surrogate
Republican Surrogate Maureen Raisch is seeking a second term. Before becoming surrogate, Raisch spent the last 20 years as the assistant to the mayor of Middletown and the chief of staff to the Township Committee.
Raisch faces Democrat Anthony Cherry, a criminal defense attorney, this November.
County Commissioner
Two-term Republican Monmouth County Commissioner Ross Licitra will not seek re-election this year; incumbent Republican Commissioner Erik Anderson will seek re-election. Republicans are running Middletown Mayor Tony Perry to replace him. Middletown is the largest municipality in Monmouth County by population.
Democrats are running Dr. Chelsey Tanner, the chief executive officer at Morph Mentoring, and community advocate Sofie Ugarte.
Democrats have not won a countywide race in Monmouth County since John D’Amico was elected freeholder in 2008. That race gave Democrats a 3-2 majority on the commissioner board. Republicans have held all five seats on the commissioner board since 2011.
Aberdeen
Democratic Councilmember Catherine Zavorskas is running for a one-year unexpired term on the Aberdeen Council. Republican Matthew Braithwaite, a senior client success manager at a large technology company, is challenging her. Zavorskas replaced Democratic Councilman Gregory Cannon, who was elected mayor last year.
All Democrats currently control Aberdeen’s council with a Democratic mayor.
Aberdeen is competitive at the top of the ticket. Donald Trump carried Aberdeen by five points in 2024. Gov. Mikie Sherrill did the same over Jack Ciattarelli in 2025.
Asbury Park
Mayor John Moor is retiring this year after 13 years in office. Two candidates have emerged to succeed him. Deputy Mayor Amy Quinn is running with Moor’s support.
In her 2024 re-election bid, Quinn was the top vote-getter in a six-candidate field. She received nearly three times as many votes as her challengers. Challenging Quinn is Planning Board member Dan Sciannameo.
Sciannameo is a longtime critic of the city’s government, saying the city’s development has focused too much on the tourist sections around the boardwalk.
Asbury Park’s municipal elections are nonpartisan; the deadline for candidates to file nominating petitions is August 20 for mayor and one council seat.
Atlantic Highlands
Democratic Borough Councilmembers Alyson Forbes and Jon Crowley are seeking re-election. Republican political newcomer Joseph Freitas III and Brian Boms are challenging them. This is Boms’ fourth run for Borough Council.
Democrats currently hold all six seats on the Atlantic Highlands Borough Council as well as the mayor’s office.
Atlantic Highlands is Democratic-leaning. Kamala Harris prevailed here by 11 points. Gov. Mikie Sherrill won here by 16 points in 2025.
Belmar
Belmar Mayor Gerald Buccafusco resigned on July 1. The Borough Council chose Democratic Councilwoman Caitlin Donovan, the Democratic nominee for mayor in the November general election, to fill the last six months of Buccafusco’s term.
Republican Councilman Mike DeBlasio, who first won his seat last year, is challenging her. Donovan’s council seat is up this year, and Democrat Johanna Roper-Robinson, a furniture professional, and Republican artist Suzanne Anan are competing for Donovan’s seat.
Last year, Republicans took control of the Boroughs governing body by flipping two seats, giving them a 4-1 majority. If they flip the seat this year, they would hold all seats on the council and the Mayoralty.
Belmar leans Republican at the top of the ticket. Donald Trump won the borough by six points in 2024. Jack Ciattarelli prevailed here by three points in 2025.
Brielle
Republican Councilmembers John Visceglia and Timothy Shaak are seeking re-election to the two Borough Council seats. The race has been complicated by a ballot-access lawsuit involving James E. Bond.
Bond filed an independent nominating petition on June 1 and then received 127 Republican write-in votes in the June primary.
Bond received 127 Republican write-in votes in the June primary, finishing fourth behind Visceglia, Shaak, and George Mervine III.
County Clerk Christine Hanlon rejected Bond’s independent petition under New Jersey’s “sore loser law,” arguing that his participation in the Republican primary prevented him from subsequently running as an independent.
Bond disputes that he actually sought the Republican nomination, saying he did not organize or participate in the Republican write-in campaign.
The dispute has now gone to Superior Court, where Bond and the Brielle Democratic Committee are seeking to place him on the November ballot as a Democrat, an independent, or a replacement Democratic candidate.
The case became even more complicated after Bond received 33 Democratic write-in votes in the primary, enough to qualify for the Democratic nomination. At the same time, Mervine also received enough Democratic write-in votes to qualify.
Because Mervine had appeared on the Republican primary ballot, both sides agree that he cannot accept the Democratic nomination, leaving a potential vacancy for the Brielle Democratic Committee to fill.
As of August 14, a Superior Court judge had not yet resolved whether Bond would appear on the November ballot.
The case was scheduled for arguments in the Superior Court in August, with the court’s decision potentially determining whether Bond can appear on the November ballot and how. The dispute has left Brielle’s two-seat council race unsettled following the June primary.
If the committee picks no one by August 25th, then Visceglia and Shaak will be unopposed this November.
At the top of the ticket, Brielle is a Republican stronghold, voting for Donald Trump by 26 points in 2024. The borough backed Jack Ciattarelli by 29 points in 2025.
Eatontown
Democratic Mayor Anthony Talerico is seeking re-election, and Republican Councilwoman Maria Escalante is challenging him. Escalante is currently the only Republican on Eatontown’s six-member Borough Council.
Democratic Councilmembers Danielle Jones and Candace Faust are running for re-election. Escalante was elected to the council in 2024; she previously sought a seat in 2023 and lost to Jones and Faust. Republican former councilman Kevin Gonzalez and Ali Mehdaoui, the founder of ME Studios, are challenging the pair.
Eatontown is a competitive borough at the top of the ticket. Donald Trump carried the borough by one and a half points in 2024. Gov. Mikie Sherrill carried the borough by seven points in 2025.
Fair Haven
Republican Mayor Josh Halpern is retiring. Republican Councilwoman Elizabeth Koch is running to keep the mayoralty in the Republican column. Democratic Councilwoman Michal DiMiceli is challenging her, vacating her seat to run for mayor. Independent Diana Anttonen, one of the founders of the Fair Haven Farmers Market, is challenging them both.
Republican Councilwoman Melissa Lowry is retiring. Republicans Brian Olson and Kristen Hoey are running to hold Lowry’s seat and flip DiMiceli’s for the GOP. Democrats Marian Croak, the vice president of engineering at Google (yes, that Google), and former Councilman Christopher Rodriguez are running to hold DiMiceli’s seat and flip Lowry’s seat.
Republicans currently hold a 4-2 majority on the council. If this election goes well for the Democrats, the council could be tied.
Fair Haven is light blue at the top of the ticket. Kamala Harris carried Fair Haven by 10 points in 2024. Gov. Mikie Sherrill carried the borough by just four points in 2025.
Freehold Borough
Democratic Councilmembers Michael DiBenedetto and Jeffrey Friedman are seeking re-election. Republicans real estate agent Sara Razi and teacher and emergency responder Autumn Nonnenmacher are challenging them. This is Nonnenmacher’s fourth run for council.
Democrats currently control all seats on the Freehold Borough Council.
Freehold Borough is comfortably Democratic. Kamala Harris won the borough by 11 points. Gov. Mikie Sherrill carried the borough by 23 points in 2025.
Hazlet
Republican Mayor Michael Sachs is seeking re-election to the Hazlet Township Committee. Democrat David O’Chat, a senior manager at EHS&S, is challenging him.
Republicans currently control all seats on the Hazlet Township Committee.
Hazlet is strongly Republican. Donald Trump won Hazlet by 27 points in 2024. Jack Ciattarelli won the township by 20 points in 2025.
Keyport
Keyport Mayor Rose Araneo is seeking re-election. Democratic Councilwoman Kathleen McNamara is challenging her.
Democratic Councilman Robert Bergen is seeking re-election with fellow Democrat Danielle Mastropiero, who is running for McNamara’s seat, which she is vacating. Republicans Judith Scibetti, the assistant secretary and treasurer of the Keyport First Aid Squad, and Joseph Piccinich, a real estate agent, are challenging them.
Democrats currently have a 5-1 majority on the Keyport Borough Council.
Keyport is very competitive at the top of the ticket. Donald Trump carried the borough by six points in 2024. Gov. Mikie Sherrill won here by just under a point in 2025.
Manalapan
Republican Mayor John “Jack” McNaboe and Republican Councilwoman Susan Cohen are seeking re-election. The pair faces only one Democratic opponent, Teresa Morrison, a member of the Manalapan PTA.
Republicans currently hold all seats on the Manalapan Township Committee.
At the top of the ticket, Manalapan is strongly Republican. Donald Trump won the township by 26 points in 2024. Jack Ciattarelli beat Gov. Mikie Sherrill here by 22 points in 2025.
Manasquan
Democratic Councilmembers Jay Bryant and Sheila Vidreiro are seeking re-election. Republicans Maureen Anderson, a soccer instructor, and Michael Long, a program manager at Naval Air Systems Command, are challenging them.
Republicans currently have a 4-2 majority on the Borough Council. This election could shut Democrats out of the Borough Council with a Democratic mayor.
Manasquan is Republican-leaning at the top of the ticket, with Donald Trump winning the borough by 14 points in 2024 and Jack Ciattarelli winning by 15 points in 2025.
Matawan
Democratic Councilman Arlan J. Feiles is seeking re-election with Democrat James J. McCue, who is running to keep the seat currently held by retiring Councilwoman Deanna Gunn in Democratic hands. Republicans are only running one candidate for both seats: Raymond Stuetz, a culinary innovation specialist.
Democrats currently have a 4-2 majority on the Matawan Borough Council with a Democratic mayor.
Matawan voted for Donald Trump by 10 points in 2024. In 2025, the borough narrowly voted for Gov. Mikie Sherrill by less than a point.
Middletown
Republican Committee Member Ryan Clark is seeking re-election. He is running with fellow Republican Morganne Dudzinski, who is running to keep the seat currently held by retiring Republican Committee Member Kimberly Kratz. The pair are being challenged by Democrats Jeremy Seideman, a computer scientist, and Shawn Wallach, an attorney. The pair unsuccessfully ran for committee last year. Mayor Tony Perry’s seat is not up this year, but if he is elected county commissioner, his seat will become vacant.
Republicans currently hold all seats on the Township Committee.
Middletown is the largest and one of the most influential towns in Monmouth County, and it’s also a Republican stronghold. Donald Trump carried the township by 19 points in 2024. Jack Ciattarelli won Middletown by 16 points in 2025.
Sea Bright
Democratic Councilman Mark Leckstein is seeking re-election. Independent Councilman John Lamia is also seeking re-election. Lamia was last elected to the council in 2023 as a Republican and has since switched to being an independent. Lamia is running with former Councilwoman Susana Markson. Republicans are running former Councilman Jeffrey Booker and Fire Department Captain Benjamin Perrin.
The Sea Bright Borough Council currently has Republicans, one Democrat, and two independents.
Sea Bright is Republican-leaning at the top of the ticket. Donald Trump carried it by six points in 2024. Jack Ciattarelli increased that margin by 12 points in 2025.
Shrewsbury Borough
Republican Mayor and former Assemblywoman Kimberly Eulner is unopposed for another term. Democrats are only running one candidate, Alexander Howard, a social worker.
Republicans currently hold all six seats on the Shrewsbury Borough Council.
Shrewsbury Borough is very competitive at the top of the ticket; it is also unique in that the borough voted for Kamala Harris by 1.5 points in 2024 and Jack Ciattarelli by one vote in 2025.
Shrewsbury Township
Democratic Committeeman Lester Jennings is seeking another term. He faces Republican engineer Matthew Berdel.
Democrats currently hold all seats on the three-member Township Committee.
Shrewsbury Township is a Democratic stronghold. The township voted for Kamala Harris by 22 points in 2024. Gov. Mikie Sherrill dominated here, carrying the township by 40 points in 2025.
West Long Branch
Republican Councilman Matthew Sniffen is seeking another term. In contrast, Republican Barbara Ruane seeks to fill the seat currently held by Republican Councilman Christopher Neyhart. Democrats Abraham Seruya, a real estate agent at Genesis Properties, and political newcomer Sarah Betesh are challenging them.
Republicans currently control all seats on the Borough Council.
West Long Branch is a Republican stronghold, voting for Donald Trump by 29 points in 2024. The borough voted for Jack Ciattarelli by 23 points in 2024.
