New Jersey's 8th Congressional District election, 2026

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New Jersey's 8th Congressional District
Democratic primary Republican primary General election
Election details
Filing deadline: March 23, 2026
Primary: June 2, 2026 General: November 3, 2026
How to vote
Poll times: 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voting in New Jersey
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Democratic DDHQ and The Hill: Pending Inside Elections: Solid Democratic Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Democratic
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026
See also
New Jersey's 8th Congressional District 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 Alabama U.S. House racesAlaska U.S. House raceArizona U.S. House racesArkansas U.S. House racesCalifornia U.S. House racesColorado U.S. House racesConnecticut U.S. House racesDelaware U.S. House raceFlorida U.S. House racesGeorgia U.S. House racesHawaii U.S. House racesIdaho U.S. House racesIllinois U.S. House racesIndiana U.S. House racesIowa U.S. House racesKansas U.S. House racesKentucky U.S. House racesLouisiana U.S. House racesMaine U.S. House racesMaryland U.S. House racesMassachusetts U.S. House racesMichigan U.S. House racesMinnesota U.S. House racesMississippi U.S. House racesMissouri U.S. House racesMontana U.S. House racesNebraska U.S. House racesNevada U.S. House racesNew Hampshire U.S. House racesNew Jersey U.S. House racesNew Mexico U.S. House racesNew York U.S. House racesNorth Carolina U.S. House racesNorth Dakota U.S. House raceOhio U.S. House racesOklahoma U.S. House racesOregon U.S. House racesPennsylvania U.S. House racesRhode Island U.S. House racesSouth Carolina U.S. House racesSouth Dakota U.S. House raceTennessee U.S. House racesTexas U.S. House racesUtah U.S. House racesVermont U.S. House raceVirginia U.S. House racesWashington U.S. House racesWest Virginia U.S. House racesWisconsin U.S. House racesWyoming U.S. House raceSubmit

All U.S. House districts, including the 8th Congressional District of New Jersey, are holding elections in 2026. The general election is November 3, 2026. The primary is June 2, 2026. The filing deadline is March 23, 2026. For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:

• New Jersey's 8th Congressional District election, 2026 (June 2 Democratic primary)
• New Jersey's 8th Congressional District election, 2026 (June 2 Republican primary)

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

Note: At this time, Ballotpedia is combining all declared candidates for this election into one list under a general election heading. As primary election dates are published, this information will be updated to separate general election candidates from primary candidates as appropriate.

General election

The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.

General election for U.S. House New Jersey District 8

Incumbent Robert Menendez Jr. and Richard Barilla are running in the general election for U.S. House New Jersey District 8 on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Robert Menendez Jr. (D)
		Richard Barilla (Independent)

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= 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.
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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.

Richard Barilla

Party: Independent

Incumbent: No

Submitted Biography:  "I am an independent candidate running for the U.S. House of Representatives for New Jersey’s 8th Congressional District. As an Engineer and Teacher, I possess a unique combination of skills that enable me to approach problems from multiple perspectives. I have a penchant for comedy, theater, music, and entertainment and have even tried stand-up open mic events. My experiences in education, engineering, technology, healthcare, law, finance, operations, and humanities have equipped me with a broad understanding of the issues that affect New Jersey’s communities. My upbringing has been a journey of growth, and I believe that my entire life has led me to this moment, where I can make a positive impact as a representative of all people. As a bona-fide multi-cultural and bi-racial citizen, I have faced and endured the same daily struggles as the people I wish to represent. I am committed to using my diverse personal and professional experiences to inform my decision-making and ensure that every individual has an equal voice. I believe our leaders today should evermore instill guiding principles so that families, communities, schools, and other nations yearn to live to create, to share, to tap into our hearts and souls and succeed via human collaboration and warmth, not calculated competition. With bravery and intelligence at an all-time low, we must renew our education and governments to focus on truth, conscientiousness, and God-given rights as our collective objectives."

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Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

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Free Speech - I firmly believe that all forms of free speech and expression must NEVER be prohibited, censured, or limited. I recognize and advocate that dissent and disagreeing are the keys to learning, compromise, and sustained liberty. While we have the right to dislike both things and other people, we do not have the right to hate, and I will uphold and protect the First Amendment rights of all individuals.

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Community Health and Wellness - I passionately advocate for affordable and accessible healthcare. I believe that healthcare in the United States should be publicly free and universally equal in quality, with private companies serving only as non-profits to provide additional services. Profiting from health and human services should be ILLEGAL in the U.S.A. No one person should be able to attain a higher standard of care than another.

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Technology and Innovation - I ferociously support digital literacy and access to technology and a Free Internet, while ensuring that advanced technologies adhere to strict ethical standards aligned with the Constitution and Bill of Rights, such as the right to privacy, security, and anonymity. I recognize the need for caution and oversight in areas like artificial intelligence, but believe that the adoption of automation will replace the laboriously mundane. This will bolster production capabilities and sustain economic growth with the creation of new unique businesses and opportunities, and individual ingenuity.

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.

Expand all | Collapse all

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Richard Barilla (Independent)

Free Speech - I firmly believe that all forms of free speech and expression must NEVER be prohibited, censured, or limited. I recognize and advocate that dissent and disagreeing are the keys to learning, compromise, and sustained liberty. While we have the right to dislike both things and other people, we do not have the right to hate, and I will uphold and protect the First Amendment rights of all individuals.

Community Health and Wellness - I passionately advocate for affordable and accessible healthcare. I believe that healthcare in the United States should be publicly free and universally equal in quality, with private companies serving only as non-profits to provide additional services. Profiting from health and human services should be ILLEGAL in the U.S.A. No one person should be able to attain a higher standard of care than another.

Technology and Innovation - I ferociously support digital literacy and access to technology and a Free Internet, while ensuring that advanced technologies adhere to strict ethical standards aligned with the Constitution and Bill of Rights, such as the right to privacy, security, and anonymity. I recognize the need for caution and oversight in areas like artificial intelligence, but believe that the adoption of automation will replace the laboriously mundane. This will bolster production capabilities and sustain economic growth with the creation of new unique businesses and opportunities, and individual ingenuity.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Richard Barilla (Independent)

The Three Pillars Government. State versus Federal Rights, Laws and Legislation. Democracy versus Representation. Healthcare, Labor and Workforce, Civil Rights, National, Foreign, and Homeland Security, Technology and Innovation, Humanities and Human Services, Guided Free Enterprise and Capital Markets.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Richard Barilla (Independent)

It is an amalgam and mosaic of past and present heroes, revolutionaries, and truth-tellers, fighting for the good, for the happiness of the People, dispelling evil and pain.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Richard Barilla (Independent)

Truth at almost all Costs. Decency. Open-mindedness. Integrity and Nobility. An understanding of pain, suffering, impact, and the dichotomy and difficulty of good vs. evil and the policies and laws we must enact to protect and defend the nation simultaneously, and the willingness to be a leader and teacher for the people and the citizens. Being a voice is not enough. And finally, most importantly, Life, Liberty, and Happiness for All, the Constitution, Freedom of Expression, and the Bill of Rights. All of these principles must power and guide an elected official's behaviors and actions.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Richard Barilla (Independent)

Truth at almost all Costs. Decency. Open-mindedness. Integrity and Nobility. An understanding of pain, suffering, impact, and the dichotomy and difficulty of good vs. evil and the policies and laws we must enact to protect and defend the nation simultaneously, and the willingness to be a leader and teacher for the people and the citizens. Being a voice is not enough. And finally, most importantly, Life, Liberty, and Happiness for All, the Constitution, Freedom of Expression, and the Bill of Rights. All of these principles must power and guide an elected official's behaviors and actions.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Richard Barilla (Independent)

That I was the first Congressman who was joyful and happy and concurrently embodied the most honest, intelligent, and pragmatic approach to policy-making.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Richard Barilla (Independent)

I haven't written it yet because I probably never will.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Richard Barilla (Independent)

Superorcaman, the most powerful on land and in the sea. I could fly, but the air is meant for the heavens, for God to conquer and behold.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Richard Barilla (Independent)

With or Without You by U2.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Richard Barilla (Independent)

(Not) Knowing where I belong or where to apply any God-given gifts and talents that I may possess. Not knowing my destiny in life, what I'm supposed to do, what my service was supposed to be.

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

Richard Barilla (Independent)

The Representatives are supposed to a product of the people, the ones most closely aligned to the day-to-day realities, struggles, and livelihoods of the people that they represent back in their designed districts. A Representative does not need to be an expert subject matter, just an expert listener and member of their respective communities.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

Richard Barilla (Independent)

Not necessarily.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

Richard Barilla (Independent)

To reconcile whether the People can actually be happier and better off if the nation itself is no longer considered to be the greatest nation on earth. Said another way, is it possible to come in 2nd place if that leads to a better life for everyone involved? If the above is not true or undesirable, then the nation must insist on being the greatest nation while still remaining true to the principles and laws of the Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

Richard Barilla (Independent)

Perhaps, but I could see 3 or 4 years as also being a good term. Perhaps for multi-representative states, there could be a tier/tranche for different term lengths for different Representatives.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

Richard Barilla (Independent)

They should not exist in a simplistic, binary or black-and-white manner as is currently, and instead we should impose by law an increasingly higher number of required votes needed to elect say a President for a 3rd (4-year) term. As an example, if both 2/3 of the popular and electoral vote was in favor of a President, a 3rd term should be permissible.

Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Richard Barilla (Independent)

It is a mixture, amalgam, a mosaic of past and present heroes.

Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

Richard Barilla (Independent)

Too many, some too painful to repeat in a condensed manner without doing justice to the actual story and people involved.

Tell us your favorite joke.

Richard Barilla (Independent)

My favorite book is the one I haven't written yet because I probably never will.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Richard Barilla (Independent)

Yes. An easy example is switching policies every 10 years to allow certain rights for a certain time period, and then reverting, thus allowing both sides relief and the ability to have their voices heard. The notion of all-or-nothing or black-and-white or yes-and-now is an outdated concept -- compromise means sometimes we win, sometimes we lose, but we can share and allow someone else's ideas to flourish. We cannot predict the future, therefore trying to listen to another political ideology's point of view could actually be best and could actually lead to a better outcome for the country and for the people, often unintuitively. Many great mistakes led to great discoveries and innovations. This is a key concept that is necessary to instill in the American people -- that doing something new, even if seemingly erroneous, could actually, magically, be the correct move. Additionally, many, if not all, decisions we make have both short-term and long-term impacts which themselves are interdependent and emergent, meaning the impacts are virtually impossible to predict so the real outcomes and how things will play out in reality are unknown. We must try to be open-minded, and sometimes, experiment on a small scale to learn, and keep learning on what good policy-making actually is, and that is being flexible, skeptical, and accepting.

The Constitution says that all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House. What role would this power play in your priorities if elected?

Richard Barilla (Independent)

I would respectfully and with honor and privilege undertake all such financial and economic matters with utmost diligence.

How should the U.S. House use its investigative powers?

Richard Barilla (Independent)

Always remain skeptical. There are never enough questions because the outcomes of most policies are too numerous for anyone or any party to be confident about. I believe that all legislation should be geared to protect the one percent, the small few minorities who are protected as Individuals by the Constitution. Group-rights or group privileges should, in general, not be considered an appropriate or ethical lens or perspective when trying to investigate in the search for truth and the search for impact and the betterment and welfare of our society and citizenry.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Richard Barilla (Independent)

I've endorsed myself, this is most important.

What committees interest you?

Richard Barilla (Independent)

All of them.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Richard Barilla (Independent)

It should be 99% transparent and itemized for public consumption. 1% should be reserved for special projects that are matters of national security requiring Congressional oversight.

You can ask candidates in this race to fill out the survey by clicking their names below:

• Robert Menendez Jr.

Campaign finance

Name	Party	Receipts*	Disbursements**	Cash on hand	Date
Robert Menendez Jr.	Democratic Party	$696,522	$377,538	$595,670	As of September 30, 2025
Richard Barilla	Independent	$5,600	$3,749	$1,851	As of June 30, 2025
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." ** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.

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.
• 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.

Race ratings: New Jersey's 8th Congressional District election, 2026
Race tracker	Race ratings
	1/13/2026	1/6/2026	12/23/2025	12/16/2025
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	Safe Democratic	Safe Democratic	Safe Democratic	Safe 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

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in New Jersey in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in New Jersey, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2026
State	Office	Party	Signatures required	Filing fee	Filing deadline	Source
New Jersey	U.S. House	Ballot-qualified party	5% of the entire vote cast for members of the General Assembly at the last preceding general election, held for the election of all of the members of the General Assembly, in the district	N/A	3/23/2026	Source
New Jersey	U.S. House	Unaffiliated	5% of the entire vote cast for members of the General Assembly at the last preceding general election, held for the election of all of the members of the General Assembly, in the district	N/A	6/2/2026	Source

District history

The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2020.

• 2024
• 2022
• 2020

General election

General election for U.S. House New Jersey District 8

Incumbent Robert Menendez Jr. (D) defeated Anthony Valdes (R), Christian Robbins (G), Pablo Olivera (Labour Party), and Lea Sherman (Socialist Workers Party) in the general election for U.S. House New Jersey District 8 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Robert Menendez Jr. (D)	59.2	116,434
		Anthony Valdes (R)	34.6	68,152
	Submit photo	Christian Robbins (G)	2.8	5,465
		Pablo Olivera (Labour Party)	2.2	4,295
	Submit photo	Lea Sherman (Socialist Workers Party)	1.2	2,419

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 196,765
= 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.
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Democratic primary

Democratic primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 8

Incumbent Robert Menendez Jr. (D) defeated Ravinder Bhalla (D) and Kyle Jasey (D) in the Democratic primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 8 on June 4, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Robert Menendez Jr.	52.0	22,465
		Ravinder Bhalla	37.5	16,218
		Kyle Jasey	10.5	4,528

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 43,211
= 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.
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Republican primary

Republican primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 8

Anthony Valdes (R) advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 8 on June 4, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Anthony Valdes	100.0	4,905

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,905
= 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

• Dario Duffe (R)

General election

General election for U.S. House New Jersey District 8

The following candidates ran in the general election for U.S. House New Jersey District 8 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Robert Menendez Jr. (D)	72.9	70,837
	Submit photo	Marcos Arroyo (R)	24.2	23,540
	Submit photo	Joanne Kuniansky (Socialist Workers Party)	0.9	894
		Dan Delaney (L)	0.7	687
		David W. Cook (Other)	0.7	647
		Pablo Olivera (Labour Party)	0.4	361
	Submit photo	John Salierno (Truth and Merit)	0.2	226

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 97,192
= 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

Democratic primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 8

Robert Menendez Jr. (D) defeated David Ocampo Grajales (D) and Ane Roseborough-Eberhard (D) in the Democratic primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 8 on June 7, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Robert Menendez Jr.	83.0	26,490
		David Ocampo Grajales	11.7	3,749
		Ane Roseborough-Eberhard	5.2	1,668

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 31,907
= 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

• Eugene Mazo (D)
• Ricardo Luis Rojas (D)
• Brian Varela (D)

Republican primary

Republican primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 8

Marcos Arroyo (R) defeated Ana Rivera (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 8 on June 7, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Marcos Arroyo	100.0	3,127
		Ana Rivera (Write-in)	0.0	0

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,127
= 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.

General election

General election for U.S. House New Jersey District 8

Incumbent Albio Sires (D) defeated Jason Mushnick (R) and Dan Delaney (L) in the general election for U.S. House New Jersey District 8 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Albio Sires (D)	74.0	176,758
		Jason Mushnick (R)	24.6	58,686
		Dan Delaney (L)	1.4	3,329

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 238,773
= 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.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Kaylin Guzman (Independent)

Democratic primary

Democratic primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 8

Incumbent Albio Sires (D) defeated Hector Oseguera (D) and Will Sheehan (D) in the Democratic primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 8 on July 7, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Albio Sires	70.3	47,814
		Hector Oseguera	27.3	18,557
		Will Sheehan	2.4	1,612

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 67,983
= 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

Republican primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 8

Jason Mushnick (R) advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 8 on July 7, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jason Mushnick	100.0	5,899

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 5,899
= 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 Winkler (R)

District analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about voter composition, past elections, and demographics in both the district and the state.

• District map - A map of the district in place for the election.
• Competitiveness - Information about the competitiveness of 2026 U.S. House elections in the state.
• Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the district and the state.
• State party control - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.

• District map
• Competitiveness
• Presidential elections
• State party control

Below is the district map in place for this election. Click the map below to enlarge it.

See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2026

Information about competitiveness will be added here as it becomes available.

Partisan Voter Index

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Heading into the 2026 elections, based on results from the 2024 and 2020 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district is D+15. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 15 percentage points more Democratic than the national average. This made New Jersey's 8th the 90th most Democratic district nationally.

2020 presidential election results

The table below shows what the vote in the 2024 presidential election was in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by The Downballot.

2024 presidential results in New Jersey's 8th Congressional District

Kamala Harris	Donald Trump
61.0%	37.0%

Presidential voting history

See also: Presidential election in New Jersey, 2024

New Jersey presidential election results (1900-2024)

• 16 Democratic wins
• 16 Republican wins

Year	1900	1904	1908	1912	1916	1920	1924	1928	1932	1936	1940	1944	1948	1952	1956	1960	1964	1968	1972	1976	1980	1984	1988	1992	1996	2000	2004	2008	2012	2016	2020	2024
Winning Party	R	R	R	D	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D

See also: Party control of New Jersey state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of New Jersey's congressional delegation as of January 2026.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from New Jersey
Party	U.S. Senate	U.S. House	Total
Democratic	2	8	10
Republican	0	3	3
Independent	0	0	0
Vacancies	0	1	1
Total	2	12	14

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in New Jersey's top four state executive offices as of October 2025.

State executive officials in New Jersey, October 2025

Office	Officeholder
Governor	Phil Murphy
Lieutenant Governor	Tahesha Way
Secretary of State	Tahesha Way
Attorney General	Matt Platkin

State legislature

New Jersey State Senate

Party		As of January 2026
	Democratic Party	25
	Republican Party	15
	Other	0
	Vacancies	0
Total		40

New Jersey General Assembly

Party		As of January 2026
	Democratic Party	57
	Republican Party	23
	Other	0
	Vacancies	0
Total		80

Trifecta control

New Jersey Party Control: 1992-2025
Fourteen years of Democratic trifectas  •  Eight years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25
Governor	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
Senate	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	S	S	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
Assembly	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D

See also

New Jersey	2026 primaries	2026 U.S. Congress elections
New Jersey congressional delegation Voting in New Jersey New Jersey elections: 2026 • 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018	Democratic primary battlegrounds 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. Congress elections U.S. Senate elections U.S. House elections Special elections Ballot access

External links

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Footnotes

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New Jersey's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Cory Booker (D)

Andrew Kim (D)

Representatives

District 1

Donald Norcross (D)

District 2

Jeff Van Drew (R)

District 3

Herbert Conaway (D)

District 4

Chris Smith (R)

District 5

Josh Gottheimer (D)

District 6

Frank Pallone (D)

District 7

Thomas Kean (R)

District 8

Robert Menendez (D)

District 9

Nellie Pou (D)

District 10

LaMonica McIver (D)

District 11

Vacant

District 12

Bonnie Coleman (D)

Democratic Party (10)

Republican Party (3)

Vacancies (1)

2025-2026 Elections to the United States Congress

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