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New Jersey's 5th Congressional District election, 2026
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| New Jersey's 5th Congressional District |
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| General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: Pending |
| Primary: Pending General: November 3, 2026 |
| How to vote |
| Poll times:
6 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
| Race ratings |
DDHQ and The Hill: Pending Inside Elections: Solid Democratic Sabato's Crystal Ball: Likely Democratic |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026 |
| See also |
U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th • 10th • 11th • 12th New Jersey elections, 2026 U.S. Congress elections, 2026 U.S. Senate elections, 2026 U.S. House elections, 2026 |
All U.S. House districts, including the 5th Congressional District of New Jersey, are holding elections in 2026. The general election is November 3, 2026. To learn more about other elections on the ballot, click here.
Candidates and election results
Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:
- Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
- Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
General election for U.S. House New Jersey District 5
Incumbent Josh Gottheimer, Nick Gebo, Chandiha Gajapathy, Sean Kirrane, and Adam Rueda are running in the general election for U.S. House New Jersey District 5 on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Josh Gottheimer (D) | ||
| Nick Gebo (D) | ||
| Chandiha Gajapathy (R) | ||
| Sean Kirrane (R) | ||
Adam Rueda (Independent) (Write-in) ![]() | ||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Candidate profiles
This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.
Party: Independent
Incumbent: No
Political Office: None
Submitted Biography: "Hello! My name is Adam Rueda. I am a 28-year-old Bucknell graduate. I was raised in Andover Township (Sussex County). I grew up attending Catholic school at Reverend Brown grade & middle school and then Pope John XXIII Regional High School in Sparta. At PJ, I was inducted into both National Honors Society and as a National Hispanic Scholar. I was an Ambassador within the Office of Admissions as well as the proud recipient of the Tri-County Scholarship, a need- and performance-based grant to attend private high school. To attend Bucknell, I received the Diversity Scholarship, which was awarded to incoming freshman that were going to bring diversity of experience and fresh perspectives to campus. While at Bucknell, I was Vice President and Social Chair of my fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon, and proudly graduated as a First-Generation College Graduate. My entire life, including college, I have worked odd-jobs to survive. My degree is a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a focus in Financial Management and Accounting. I am proud to have participated in Student Managed Investment Fund, a year long course where selected students invest and manage a portion of Bucknell's endowment. After graduation, I have gained life experience working as a Senior Financial Analyst at a commercial real estate brokerage in Morristown, as an Interior Design Salesperson in Short Hills & Manhattan, and as a DJ in NYC & Brooklyn."
Voting information
- See also: Voting in New Jersey
Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.
Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses
Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
Survey responses from candidates in this race
Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
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Adam Rueda (Independent)
As an Earth-first, health-first minded candidate, I am deeply concerned about the health and sustainability of our home planet, as well as our own bodies, and see vividly how the two are interwoven and inter-related. It is of upmost importance that we pay much closer attention to the chemicals and pollution we are releasing into the air, our waters, spraying on our crops, processing into our foods and feeding to our children and loved ones.
I am deeply concerned about the impact of lobbying and self-profiteering in our federal government, as many existing politicians are bought and paid-for by large corporations and interest groups. I am deeply concerned that career politicians in DC are enriching themselves by voting on behalf of their own financial holdings and interests, and not the constituents they are there to actually represent. Many existing politicians accept massive funding from the Fossil Fuel industry, and even more from AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobby. I believe this lobbying and campaign financing shackles our representatives to advocating for their financiers and contributes massively to the problems we have with the war on science and participation in genocide.
Adam Rueda (Independent)
I am also very interested in election reform, including ways to boost voter turnout and ways to empower new, fresh candidates, outside of establishment Republicans and Democrats, to have a legitimate chance in elections without having to bend-the-knee to large corporations or interest groups. This could include ballot reform, open primaries, and much more.
Our party is passionate about thinking creatively about gun control, which could include reform to gun storage req., increasing hoops to get a gun, including mental health evaluations, as well as limiting access to assault weapons.Adam Rueda (Independent)
Adam Rueda (Independent)
Adam Rueda (Independent)
Adam Rueda (Independent)
Adam Rueda (Independent)
Adam Rueda (Independent)
Adam Rueda (Independent)
In addition, we have a massive problem with gun control as schools, churches and public places continue to be attacked with assault rifles meant for the battlefields of war.
Furthermore, the health and education of our general public and our children is of upmost priority. It is crucial we regulate food companies, that are often in business or in-partnership with pharmaceutical companies, and get Americans off of the processed-food to prescription-drug hamster wheel that is ever-profitable for big business, but does not serve any everyday American or their wallets.Adam Rueda (Independent)
Adam Rueda (Independent)
Adam Rueda (Independent)
Adam Rueda (Independent)
Adam Rueda (Independent)
Adam Rueda (Independent)
Adam Rueda (Independent)
You can ask candidates in this race to fill out the survey by clicking their names below:
Campaign finance
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josh Gottheimer | Democratic Party | $835,819 | $12,173,636 | $9,374,676 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| Nick Gebo | Democratic Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Chandiha Gajapathy | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Sean Kirrane | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Adam Rueda | Independent | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
|
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2026. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." |
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General election race ratings
- See also: Race rating definitions and methods
Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:
- Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
- Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
- Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[1]
- Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.
Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[2][3][4]
| Race ratings: New Jersey's 5th Congressional District election, 2026 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race tracker | Race ratings | ||||||||
| 10/21/2025 | 10/14/2025 | 10/7/2025 | 9/30/2025 | ||||||
| The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | |||||
| Decision Desk HQ and The Hill | Pending | Pending | Pending | Pending | |||||
| Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | |||||
| Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball | Likely Democratic | Likely Democratic | Likely Democratic | Likely Democratic | |||||
| Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week. | |||||||||
Ballot access
This section will contain information on ballot access related to this state's elections when it is available.
District history
The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2020.
2024
See also: New Jersey's 5th Congressional District election, 2024
New Jersey's 5th Congressional District election, 2024 (June 4 Republican primary)
New Jersey's 5th Congressional District election, 2024 (June 4 Democratic primary)
General election
General election for U.S. House New Jersey District 5
Incumbent Josh Gottheimer defeated Mary Jo Guinchard, Beau Forte, James Tosone, and Aamir Arif in the general election for U.S. House New Jersey District 5 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Josh Gottheimer (D) | 54.6 | 208,359 | |
| Mary Jo Guinchard (R) | 43.3 | 165,287 | ||
Beau Forte (G) ![]() | 0.9 | 3,428 | ||
James Tosone (L) ![]() | 0.6 | 2,440 | ||
| Aamir Arif (Peace Freedom Liberty Party) | 0.6 | 2,375 | ||
| Total votes: 381,889 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Richard Siegel (Ceasefire And Justice Party)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 5
Incumbent Josh Gottheimer advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 5 on June 4, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Josh Gottheimer | 100.0 | 42,819 | |
| Total votes: 42,819 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Michael Wildes (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 5
Mary Jo Guinchard defeated George Song in the Republican primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 5 on June 4, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Mary Jo Guinchard | 69.8 | 21,321 | |
| George Song | 30.2 | 9,238 | ||
| Total votes: 30,559 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2022
General election
General election for U.S. House New Jersey District 5
Incumbent Josh Gottheimer defeated Frank Pallotta, Jeremy Marcus, Trevor Ferrigno, and Louis Vellucci in the general election for U.S. House New Jersey District 5 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Josh Gottheimer (D) | 54.7 | 145,559 | |
| Frank Pallotta (R) | 44.3 | 117,873 | ||
| Jeremy Marcus (L) | 0.4 | 1,193 | ||
Trevor Ferrigno (Together We Stand) ![]() | 0.3 | 700 | ||
Louis Vellucci (American Values) ![]() | 0.2 | 618 | ||
| Total votes: 265,943 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- David Abrams (Stop Israel Boycotts)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 5
Incumbent Josh Gottheimer advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 5 on June 7, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Josh Gottheimer | 100.0 | 31,142 | |
| Total votes: 31,142 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 5
Frank Pallotta defeated Nick De Gregorio, Sab Skenderi, and Fred Schneiderman (Unofficially withdrew) in the Republican primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 5 on June 7, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Frank Pallotta | 50.2 | 16,021 | |
| Nick De Gregorio | 45.6 | 14,560 | ||
| Sab Skenderi | 2.2 | 712 | ||
| Fred Schneiderman (Unofficially withdrew) | 2.0 | 629 | ||
| Total votes: 31,922 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
2020
General election
General election for U.S. House New Jersey District 5
Incumbent Josh Gottheimer defeated Frank Pallotta and Louis Vellucci in the general election for U.S. House New Jersey District 5 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Josh Gottheimer (D) | 53.2 | 225,175 | |
| Frank Pallotta (R) | 45.6 | 193,333 | ||
Louis Vellucci (American Values Party) ![]() | 1.2 | 5,128 | ||
| Total votes: 423,636 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 5
Incumbent Josh Gottheimer defeated Arati Kreibich in the Democratic primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 5 on July 7, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Josh Gottheimer | 66.5 | 52,406 | |
Arati Kreibich ![]() | 33.5 | 26,418 | ||
| Total votes: 78,824 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 5
Frank Pallotta defeated John McCann, James Baldini, and Hector Castillo in the Republican primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 5 on July 7, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Frank Pallotta | 51.7 | 25,834 | |
| John McCann | 32.4 | 16,220 | ||
James Baldini ![]() | 10.3 | 5,126 | ||
| Hector Castillo | 5.6 | 2,814 | ||
| Total votes: 49,994 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Dana DiRisio (R)
- Paul Duggan (R)
- Robert Auth (R)
- Mike Ghassali (R)
- Jon Dalrymple Jr. (R)
District analysis
This section will contain facts and figures related to this district's elections when those are available.
See also
| New Jersey | 2026 primaries | 2026 U.S. Congress elections |
|---|---|---|
|
Voting in New Jersey New Jersey elections: 2026 • 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 |
Republican primary battlegrounds U.S. Senate Democratic primaries U.S. Senate Republican primaries U.S. House Democratic primaries U.S. House Republican primaries |
U.S. Senate elections U.S. House elections Special elections Ballot access |
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
