New Jersey's 5th Congressional District election, 2024

2026 → ← 2022
New Jersey's 5th Congressional District
Democratic primary Republican primary General election
Election details
Filing deadline: March 25, 2024
Primary: June 4, 2024 General: November 5, 2024
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: Safe Democratic 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, 2024
See also
New Jersey's 5th Congressional District U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th • 10th • 11th • 12th New Jersey elections, 2024 U.S. Congress elections, 2024 U.S. Senate elections, 2024 U.S. House elections, 2024 Alabama U.S. House racesAlaska U.S. House racesArizona U.S. House racesArkansas U.S. House racesCalifornia U.S. House racesColorado U.S. House racesConnecticut U.S. House racesDelaware U.S. House racesFlorida 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 racesOhio 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 racesTennessee U.S. House racesTexas U.S. House racesUtah U.S. House racesVermont U.S. House racesVirginia U.S. House racesWashington U.S. House racesWest Virginia U.S. House racesWisconsin U.S. House racesWyoming U.S. House racesSubmit

All U.S. House districts, including the 5th Congressional District of New Jersey, held elections in 2024. The general election was November 5, 2024. The primary was June 4, 2024. The filing deadline was March 25, 2024. The outcome of this race affected the partisan balance of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 119th Congress. All 435 House districts were up for election.

At the time of the election, Republicans held a 220-212 majority with three vacancies. As a result of the election, Republicans retained control of the U.S. House, winning 220 seats to Democrats' 215. To read more about the 2024 U.S. House elections, click here.

In the 2022 election in this district, the Democratic candidate won 54.7%-44.3%. Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Joe Biden (D) would have defeated Donald Trump (R) 55.6%-43.2%.

For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:

• New Jersey's 5th Congressional District election, 2024 (June 4 Democratic primary)
• New Jersey's 5th Congressional District election, 2024 (June 4 Republican primary)

Candidates and election results

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
	Submit photo	Aamir Arif (Peace Freedom Liberty Party)	0.6	2,375

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	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

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	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

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	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.

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.

Beau Forte

Party: Green Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "My name is Beau Forte and I am running for Congress in NJ’s 5th Congressional district. I am a father, a husband, and a homeowner in West Milford. I grew up in Rochelle Park and was raised by my father with help from my grandparents and my aunt. My father worked hard to ensure I had the best childhood possible. In 1981, he purchased the home that I grew up in, and moved my grandparents and aunt in with us to help him raise me. It was the first time my grandparents didn’t have to worry about making rent payments and could have their very own yard for a garden. My father was very proud of that. I am a graduate of River Dell Regional High School in Oradell and Lincoln Technical Institute in Mahwah. Aside from a few years living in Massachusetts, I am a lifelong resident of North Jersey. I started my career with a building supply company in Maplewood, NJ and have spent most of the last twenty years employed as a manufacturers representative for an independent sales agency. I covered a territory of multiple states, had the privilege of meeting and working with many wonderful people."

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Key Messages

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

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Universal Healthcare - right now, over 1000 Americans file for bankruptcy every day solely due to personal medical bills. We are the only industrialized nation that does not have a universal healthcare system. If you are diagnosed with cancer, your chances are almost 50% that fighting the disease will take everything you own within TWO YEARS. We can and must do better than this.

---

Expansion of Congress - in 1920, the United States has a population of approximately 106 million people, and those people were represented by 435 members of Congress. Today, we have a population of approximately 330 million people, but we are still only represented by 435 members of Congress. Expansion proportionate to population growth would have so many positive impacts for our nation. It would make it harder for political parties to gerrymander districts, make it harder for lobbyists and wealthy people to purchase votes, make it harder for elected representatives to hide from their constituents, and so much more. It would actually help us to begin to restore faith on our democracy, while curbing corruption.

---

Civil Rights - this applies to both home and abroad. Civil Rights are under attack globally right now. Here at home, women have lost the right to make decisions about their own bodies, The LGBTQ+ community are in danger of losing rights they thought they permanently attained not long ago, and elected officials want college kids to be investigated for having opinions that are unpopular to wealthy dark money donors. Abroad, we continue to support wars of genocide and regimes that implement an apartheid system over it's ingenious citizens, regimes that murder journalists, and regimes that are equally hostile to women and/or The LGBTQ+ community. Again, we can and must do better.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House New Jersey District 5 in 2024.

James Tosone

Party: Libertarian Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "Lifelong resident of NJ. 36-year resident of Township of Washington (Bergen). B.S. (1975) and M.S (1976) from Stevens Institute of Technology (Hoboken). Information Technology executive at a Fortune 100 (30 years). Management Consultant (10 years). Lifetime member of the Libertarian Party (National and New Jersey). Vice Chair of the NJ Libertarian Party (2016-2017). Libertarian Party candidate for NJ State Senate (LD39, 2017 & 2021) and U.S. House (CD5, 2018 & 2024)."

---

Key Messages

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

---

I am the only candidate in the race running to protect our personal, civil, and economic liberties by limiting the Federal government to the purpose for which it was established—to protect those rights. In contrast, both of the two major parties seek to control the government in order to impose their view on how people should live their lives on everyone.

---

Federal Government spending, taxes, and debt are out of control. The only way to control spending, so we can reduce both taxes and the debt, is to reform the biggest Federal spending programs: entitlements and the military.

---

We need to remove the laws and regulations that the two major parties have passed that limit the ability of third-party and Independent candidates to participate in our democracy. This includes excessively high signature requirements to get on the ballot, reserving the first two columns on the ballot for Democrats and Republicans, taxpayer-funding of Democratic and Republican primaries, and overly complex campaign finance laws.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House New Jersey District 5 in 2024.

Voting information

See also: Voting in New Jersey

Election information in New Jersey: Nov. 5, 2024, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

• In-person: Oct. 15, 2024
• By mail: Postmarked by Oct. 15, 2024
• Online: Oct. 15, 2024

Was absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

Yes

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

• In-person: Nov. 4, 2024
• By mail: Received by Oct. 29, 2024
• Online: N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

• In-person: Nov. 5, 2024
• By mail: Postmarked by Nov. 5, 2024

Was early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What were the early voting start and end dates?

Oct. 26, 2024 to Nov. 3, 2024

Were all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

6:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. (EST)

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?

Beau Forte (G)

Universal Healthcare - right now, over 1000 Americans file for bankruptcy every day solely due to personal medical bills. We are the only industrialized nation that does not have a universal healthcare system. If you are diagnosed with cancer, your chances are almost 50% that fighting the disease will take everything you own within TWO YEARS. We can and must do better than this.

Expansion of Congress - in 1920, the United States has a population of approximately 106 million people, and those people were represented by 435 members of Congress. Today, we have a population of approximately 330 million people, but we are still only represented by 435 members of Congress. Expansion proportionate to population growth would have so many positive impacts for our nation. It would make it harder for political parties to gerrymander districts, make it harder for lobbyists and wealthy people to purchase votes, make it harder for elected representatives to hide from their constituents, and so much more. It would actually help us to begin to restore faith on our democracy, while curbing corruption.

Civil Rights - this applies to both home and abroad. Civil Rights are under attack globally right now. Here at home, women have lost the right to make decisions about their own bodies, The LGBTQ+ community are in danger of losing rights they thought they permanently attained not long ago, and elected officials want college kids to be investigated for having opinions that are unpopular to wealthy dark money donors. Abroad, we continue to support wars of genocide and regimes that implement an apartheid system over it's ingenious citizens, regimes that murder journalists, and regimes that are equally hostile to women and/or The LGBTQ+ community. Again, we can and must do better.

James Tosone (L)

I am the only candidate in the race running to protect our personal, civil, and economic liberties by limiting the Federal government to the purpose for which it was established—to protect those rights. In contrast, both of the two major parties seek to control the government in order to impose their view on how people should live their lives on everyone.

Federal Government spending, taxes, and debt are out of control. The only way to control spending, so we can reduce both taxes and the debt, is to reform the biggest Federal spending programs: entitlements and the military.

We need to remove the laws and regulations that the two major parties have passed that limit the ability of third-party and Independent candidates to participate in our democracy. This includes excessively high signature requirements to get on the ballot, reserving the first two columns on the ballot for Democrats and Republicans, taxpayer-funding of Democratic and Republican primaries, and overly complex campaign finance laws.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Beau Forte (G)

Healthcare, transparency, proper representation, civil rights, campaign finance and anti-corruption.

James Tosone (L)

Fiscal responsibility, which involves controlling government spending, taxes, and debt.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Beau Forte (G)

So many people. I look up to underdogs who never quit fighting for what is right even at risk of their own death, and intellectuals who chose to help mankind more than themselves. I was inspired to run because of Bernie Sanders, and I looked up to my father, but I get inspiration from Nelson Mandela, Alice Paul, Jonas Salk, Woody Guthrie, Abbie Hoffman, Bobby Seal, Angela Davis, Gloria Steinem, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., Niccolo Sacco and Bart Vanzetti, Dorothy Day, W.E.B. Dubois, Harriet Tubman, and so many more.

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

Beau Forte (G)

Most of my political philosophies can be heard in Woody Guthrie's music catalog.

James Tosone (L)

David Boaz, "The Libertarian Mind," Simon & Schuster; Revised, Updated edition (February 10, 2015)

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

Beau Forte (G)

transparency and inclusivity. The ability to honestly hear both sides before making a decision. Listening to your constituency, and making a priority of helping those that need it most. Representing an entire electorate or district, and not just the wealthiest residents inside (or outside) the district who donate the most money. Courage to do the right thing, regardless of the personal cost. Honesty.

James Tosone (L)

Federal government officials need to adhere to the U.S. Constitution, which granted limited, enumerated powers to it. They should oppose any law or regulation that goes beyond this or attempts to end-around it.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Beau Forte (G)

I am honest, I know what it's like to worry about paying bills, I have met many people and heard many stories from wage earning people during my career alone, and I believe that I have their best interests in mind. I know what it is like to bully and be bullied, and the long-term ramifications of both actions. I know what it's like growing up in a single parent home, and the long term impact of not being in a secure environment early in my life. My life experiences have been vast for someone like me, and I want to bring those experiences to Washington to serve the working people who are just like me, which is a group that has been grossly underserved for all of my life.

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

Beau Forte (G)

Defend The Constitution, Represent the district, write and/or support legislation that will help the majority of people in my district and in the country. Ensure that every citizen in the district is heard, supported, and told the truth, especially when my own views on an issue is unpopular.

James Tosone (L)

Federal government officials need to adhere to the U.S. Constitution, which granted limited, enumerated powers to it. They should oppose any law or regulation that goes beyond this or attempts to end-around it.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Beau Forte (G)

Someone who helped people who needed it most. Someone who was fair and honest. A good father and husband, and an overall good citizen who was an asset to his community, district, country, and planet.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Beau Forte (G)

John Lennon's murder in 1980. I was almost 5, and I remember seeing everyone on TV, and my father driving down Rt. 17 that day or the day after, and everyone giving peace signs to each other.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Beau Forte (G)

Retail Sales at The Garden State Plaza, at a store that no longer exists called "Going To The Game." I think I was there for 6 months to a year when I was 16.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Beau Forte (G)

The Catcher In The Rye. It was the first book I was able to read cover to cover, and really delved into the life of an isolated, lonely boy. I felt I had connections with Holden.

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

Beau Forte (G)

Han Solo. Quick on the draw, and seemed to be good with the ladies. Hung around some sketchy people, and did some sketchy things, but in the end played a big hand in straightening out the galaxy for good. Not the hero, but a huge reason why The Hero won.

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

Beau Forte (G)

"Fish and Whistle" by John Prine

James Tosone (L)

“We're Not Gonna Take It, the closing track from the Rock Opera “Tommy” by The Who. In that song Tommy sets himself up as prophet, telling others exactly how to live their lives. They reject him, choosing instead to create their own, individual identities.

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

Beau Forte (G)

Reading and comprehending what I read. I never really knew why until I was a young adult. I am dyslexic, and I have been told by educators when I was young that I have ADD and ED. It was never easy for me to sit and read, and then comprehend what I read. I would have to exhaustingly focus and read sentences over and over to comprehend them. I still have trouble to this day. Text books and instruction manuals are the worst for me to try to tackle and get information from. Finding music with a message, and later audiobooks were a godsend for me. Spending years worth of time on the road as a traveling salesman, audiobooks opened up a world of literature to me that I never thought possible.

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

Beau Forte (G)

It is the heart of The American Machine. Everything this nation does must in some way be approved by Congress. It has the power to make and end wars, it has the power to legislate laws, and it has the power to impeach presidents.

James Tosone (L)

Its strength is that it is elected by the people every two years. But over the years, it has continued to unconstitutionally relinquish its power and responsibilities to the President and the Regulatory Agencies.

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

Beau Forte (G)

No. I think that coming in completely untarnished by politics can be a very good thing.

James Tosone (L)

It depends on the person. Some of our current problems are caused by members with lots of experience and others are caused by members with no previous experience.

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

Beau Forte (G)

Climate change, the wealth gap, and healthcare. These three issues must be tackled before the decade is over, with a precise comprehensive plan moving forward. Expansion of Congress will help us solve these issues, as it will bring different views and solutions to the table that aren't as corporate/dark money sponsored as they are now.

James Tosone (L)

The Fed printing money out of thin air, which enables Congress to spend more than it takes in. The resulting debt burden will be borne by our children and grandchildren. If lenders become concerned about our ability/willingness to pay our debts, bond yields and inflation will skyrocket, and the days of the dollar as the reserve currency of the world are numbered.

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

Beau Forte (G)

Yes.

James Tosone (L)

Yes.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

Beau Forte (G)

I personally would not want to hold a single office for more than 4-8 years. That said, I'm not sure that term limits are democratic. If the people want someone to represent them for a long period of time, they should not be limited by laws that don't allow it. I believe that expansion of Congress would deal with this in a more democratic way. If you have a smaller electorate, you have less interest from big money donors to keep you in your place for decades.

James Tosone (L)

I believe there are benefits and drawbacks to term limits and have not seen actual evidence that they would improve our current situation. Term limits focus on treating the symptoms, rather than the root causes, of our governmental problems.

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

Beau Forte (G)

Thaddeus Stevens - Though I am not nearly as smart, I would love to be as committed, cunning, and unwavering in my views while still being able to make sometimes unpopular decisions that I know will assist my constituency long term.

James Tosone (L)

Justen Amash, the U.S. representative from Michigan's 3rd Congressional district (2011-2021). Amash became an independent in 2019 and joined the Libertarian Party in 2021, as the only Libertarian to serve in Congress.

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?

Beau Forte (G)

Their are numerous stories that I have been told about the nightmares of our healthcare system, from inconsistent billing practices to the nightmare of private facilities who put profit over care, these stories hit me the hardest, because I lived it.

Tell us your favorite joke.

Beau Forte (G)

Can't do that in this forum.

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

Beau Forte (G)

Yes, absolutely. But, that compromise can not be made when the facts are either not present or not correct on the opposing side.

James Tosone (L)

It depends on the situation. I am willing to support policies that move us in the direction of enhancing and protecting our personal, civil, and economic liberties, even if they are not my ideal policy preferences.

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?

Beau Forte (G)

I would use this power to ensure that the wealthy pay their fair share. I would use this power to ensure Americans have the same freedoms that most other countries do, like universal healthcare, and universal education through adulthood. If we are "raising revenue", we must ensure it is for the good of the majority of Americans.

James Tosone (L)

I would oppose any spending bills that do not have the revenue needed to pay for them. I would oppose the back-door maneuvering that has been used in recent years to allow revenue bills that originate in the Senate to pass.

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

Beau Forte (G)

Justly, non-politically, and in ways that serves the majority of Americans. We must ensure that people are safe, while also ensuring that government never oversteps personal privacy.

James Tosone (L)

The House investigative powers should focus on wrongdoing by government officials. The Justice Department should be the investigator for any suspected violation of Federal law by companies and individuals

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Beau Forte (G)

Ceasefire Coalition Candidates

James Tosone (L)

Chase Oliver/Mike Ter Maat, the Libertarian Party candidates for President & Vice President. (www.chaseoliver.com). New Jersey Libertarian Party. (www.njlp.org)

What committees interest you?

Beau Forte (G)

Education and The Workforce - As someone with dyslexia, and coming through the special education system, I have some knowledge of how a kid can be pushed aside due to disabilities, and eventually lose all interest in academics. I believe I would be a valuable addition to this committee.

Ethics - Coming into Congress as a working person, with no political experience at all, this would probably be a great committee for me. I would come into this committee untarnished, and unbought.

Foreign Affairs - we need more regular citizens debating and signing legislation that determines who receives aid, who we sign treaties with, who we trade with, etc.

James Tosone (L)

Ways & Means, Appropriations, Budget, Armed Services, Education &the Workforce

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Beau Forte (G)

I am for almost 100% transparency in our government. Citizens should have simple access to how their representatives vote, who donates to their campaigns, how much they donate, etc. I also believe that elected officials must give access to every one of their constituents. Monthly Town Hall meetings with unscreened questions, monthly zoom meetings that are the same. An elected member of Congress is the voice of the people that they represent, and must go out of their way to hear all voices.

James Tosone (L)

Except for legitimate national security issues, government finances should be transparent to citizens, while a citizen's finance should be protected from government view, absent a warrant. The court-created doctrine of full and qualified immunity, which protects prosecutors and police from even the most egregious violations of our rights, must be substantially scaled back.

Campaign finance

Name	Party	Receipts*	Disbursements**	Cash on hand	Date
Josh Gottheimer	Democratic Party	$10,246,424	$2,879,879	$20,712,493	As of December 31, 2024
Mary Jo Guinchard	Republican Party	$330,121	$328,206	$1,915	As of December 31, 2024
George Song	Republican Party	$13,208	$12,748	$460	As of December 31, 2024
Beau Forte	Green Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
James Tosone	Libertarian Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Aamir Arif	Peace Freedom Liberty Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2024. 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. *** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

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 5th Congressional District election, 2024
Race tracker	Race ratings
	November 5, 2024	October 29, 2024	October 22, 2024	October 15, 2024
The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter	Solid Democratic	Solid Democratic	Solid Democratic	Solid Democratic
Decision Desk HQ and The Hill	Safe Democratic	Safe Democratic	Safe Democratic	Safe Democratic
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 2024 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in New Jersey, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2024
State	Office	Party	Signatures required	Filing fee	Filing deadline	Source
New Jersey	U.S. House	Ballot-qualified party	200	N/A	3/25/2024	Source
New Jersey	U.S. House	Unaffiliated	100	N/A	6/4/2024	Source

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 2024 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 was the map in use at the time of the election. Click the map below to enlarge it.

See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2024

This section contains data on U.S. House primary election competitiveness in New Jersey.

New Jersey U.S. Senate competitiveness, 2014-2024
Office	Districts/ offices	Seats	Open seats	Candidates	Possible primaries	Contested Democratic primaries	Contested Republican primaries	% of contested primaries	Incumbents in contested primaries	% of incumbents in contested primaries
2024	1	1	0	7	2	1	1	100.0%	0	0.0%
2020	1	1	0	7	2	1	1	100.0%	1	100.0%
2018	1	1	0	4	2	1	1	100.0%	1	100.0%
2014	1	1	0	5	2	0	1	50.0%	0	0.0%

U.S. House

New Jersey U.S. House competitiveness, 2014-2024
Office	Districts/ offices	Seats	Open seats	Candidates	Possible primaries	Contested Democratic primaries	Contested Republican primaries	% of contested primaries	Incumbents in contested primaries	% of incumbents in contested primaries
2024	12	12	1	50	24	7	9	66.7%	7	63.6%
2022	12	12	1	56	24	6	9	62.5%	6	54.5%
2020	12	12	0	50	24	8	7	62.5%	8	66.7%
2018	12	12	2	49	24	8	4	50.0%	5	50.0%
2016	12	12	0	37	24	6	4	41.7%	7	58.3%
2014	12	12	3	45	24	7	5	50.0%	4	44.4%

Post-filing deadline analysis

The following analysis covers all U.S. House districts up for election in New Jersey in 2024. Information below was calculated on April 14, 2024, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.

Fifty candidates, including 25 Democrats and 25 Republicans, ran for New Jersey’s 12 U.S. House districts. That’s 4.17 candidates per district, less than the 4.67 candidates per district that ran in 2022 but the same as the 4.17 candidates per district that ran in 2020.

This was the first election to take place after U.S. District Judge Zahid Quraishi issued a preliminary injunction blocking the use of the county line primary ballot design in the Democratic Primary.

The 3rd Congressional District was the only open district, meaning no incumbents filed to run. That’s the same as in 2022, when one district was open. There were no open districts in 2020, two in 2018, none in 2016, and three in 2014.

Incumbent Andrew Kim (D-3rd) did not run for re-election to run for the U.S. Senate.

Nine candidates—five Democrats and four Republicans—ran for the open 3rd Congressional District, the most candidates that ran for a seat in New Jersey in 2024.

Sixteen primaries—seven Democratic and nine Republican—were contested in 2024, the most this decade. Fifteen primaries were contested in 2022 and 2020, respectively. There were 12 contested primaries in 2018, 10 contested primaries in 2016, and 12 in 2014.

Seven incumbents—five Democrats and two Republicans—faced primary challengers in 2024. That’s one more than in 2022, when six incumbents faced primary challengers, but less than in 2020, when eight faced primary challengers.

Candidates filed to run in the Republican and Democratic primaries in all twelve districts, meaning no seats were guaranteed to either party.

Partisan Voter Index

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

Heading into the 2024 elections, based on results from the 2020 and 2016 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was D+4. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 4 percentage points more Democratic than the national average. This made New Jersey's 5th the 177th most Democratic district nationally.

2020 presidential election results

The table below shows what the vote in the 2020 presidential election would have been in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by Daily Kos.

2020 presidential results in New Jersey's 5th based on 2024 district lines
Joe Biden	Donald Trump
55.6%	43.2%

Inside Elections Baselines

See also: Inside Elections

Inside Elections' Baseline is a figure that analyzes all federal and statewide election results from the district over the past four election cycles. The results are combined in an index estimating the strength of a typical Democratic or Republican candidate in the congressional district. The table below displays the Baseline data for this district.

Inside Elections Baseline for 2024
Democratic Baseline	Republican Baseline	Difference
53.3	44.6	R+8.7

Presidential voting history

See also: Presidential election in New Jersey, 2020

New Jersey presidential election results (1900-2020)

• 15 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
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

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 May 2024.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from New Jersey
Party	U.S. Senate	U.S. House	Total
Democratic	2	9	11
Republican	0	3	3
Independent	0	0	0
Vacancies	0	0	0
Total	2	12	14

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in New Jersey's top four state executive offices as of May 2024.

State executive officials in New Jersey, May 2024
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 February 2024
	Democratic Party	25
	Republican Party	15
	Other	0
	Vacancies	0
Total		40

New Jersey General Assembly

Party		As of February 2024
	Democratic Party	52
	Republican Party	28
	Other	0
	Vacancies	0
Total		80

Trifecta control

The table below shows the state's trifecta status from 1992 until the 2024 election.

New Jersey Party Control: 1992-2024
Thirteen 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
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
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
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

District history

The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2018.

2022

See also: New Jersey's 5th Congressional District election, 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
	Submit photo	Jeremy Marcus (L)	0.4	1,193
		Trevor Ferrigno (Together We Stand)	0.3	700
		Louis Vellucci (American Values)	0.2	618

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 265,943
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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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

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 31,142
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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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
	Submit photo	Nick De Gregorio	45.6	14,560
	Submit photo	Sab Skenderi	2.2	712
	Submit photo	Fred Schneiderman (Unofficially withdrew)	2.0	629

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 31,922
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Nicholas D'Agostino (R)
• Richard Franolich (R)

2020

See also: New Jersey's 5th Congressional District election, 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

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	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.
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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

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 78,824
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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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
	Submit photo	James Baldini	10.3	5,126
		Hector Castillo	5.6	2,814

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 49,994
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Dana DiRisio (R)
• Paul Duggan (R)
• Robert Auth (R)
• Mike Ghassali (R)
• Jon Dalrymple Jr. (R)

2018

See also: New Jersey's 5th Congressional District election, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. House New Jersey District 5

Incumbent Josh Gottheimer defeated John McCann, James Tosone, and Wendy Goetz in the general election for U.S. House New Jersey District 5 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Josh Gottheimer (D)	56.2	169,546
		John McCann (R)	42.5	128,255
		James Tosone (L)	0.7	2,115
	Submit photo	Wendy Goetz (Trade, Health, Environment Party)	0.6	1,907

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 301,823
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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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 5, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Josh Gottheimer	100.0	27,486

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 27,486
= 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

John McCann defeated Steve Lonegan in the Republican primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 5 on June 5, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		John McCann	53.0	16,685
		Steve Lonegan	47.0	14,767

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 31,452
= 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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See also

New Jersey	2024 primaries	2024 U.S. Congress elections
New Jersey congressional delegation Voting in New Jersey New Jersey elections: 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

• Search Google News for this topic

Footnotes

[show]

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

Mikie Sherrill (D)

District 12

Bonnie Coleman (D)

Democratic Party (11)

Republican Party (3)

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