Here’s who won New Jersey congressional primaries on Tuesday

Central Jersey Democrats have chosen a nominee to take on a Republican incumbent who hasn’t been seen in the congressional district or on Capitol Hill for months, and Republicans selected the candidate they believe offers their best shot at defeating a well-funded sitting Senator, Cory Booker.

The candidates selected in Tuesday’s primary will help determine control of Congress midway through President Donald Trump’s second term in office.

Though Democrats control nine of the 12 House seats representing New Jersey, they could grow their number given national headwinds against Republicans, as polls continue to show Trump sinking in popularity.

But New Jersey Republicans still believe they can hold their ground. Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew will defend his South Jersey seat against Cape Mayor Mayor Zack Mullock in the fall after Mullock prevailed in a four-way primary.

Here is a look at other results across the Garden State.

Republican Justin Murphy beat three GOP primary opponents — Robert S. Lebovics, Richard Tabor, and Alex Zdan — for his party’s nomination to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Cory Booker in November.

Murphy, an attorney from Burlington County, ran for Senate in 2024 and came in third during the Republican primary. (Democrat Andy Kim went on to win the seat that year.)

This time around, Murphy managed to edge out his opponents and capture the nomination, despite limited fundraising.

Murphy’s roughly $15,000 raised is a tiny fraction compared to the more than $32 million Booker has raised this election cycle for what is expected to be an easy reelection campaign.

On Tuesday, Murphy watched the results in his sweat pants from his home in Burlington County.

“I followed the numbers, and I wound up not going anywhere. We didn’t know how things would turn out, but obviously we had quite a night,” he said.

His campaign will hold a victory party Saturday in Shamong.

“We’re honored and privileged to be our party’s nominee for United States Senate,” he said. “New Jersey has not elected a Republican to serve in the U.S. Senate since 1972, and that’s been too long of a drought. We’re going to change that this November.”

Attorney and Naval reservist Michael McGuire will be on the ballot for 3rd Congressional District Republicans this fall after beating out fellow GOP candidates Jason Cullen and Justin Barbera.

McGuire, of Freehold, is slated to face off against Democrat incumbent U.S. Rep. Herb Conaway in November. Conaway, the first Black person to represent the 3rd Congressional District, was elected to the office in 2024, taking over the seat vacated by Sen. Andy Kim’s.

McGuire is a Marine Corps veteran and serves in the Naval Reserve. He also works as a family and divorce lawyer in Freehold and describes himself as “not a politician” on his campaign website.

Former Navy pilot Rebecca Bennett will serve as the Democratic candidate for the 7th Congressional District this fall, when she will challenge Republican incumbent Rep. Thomas Kean Jr.

Bennett, of Bridgewater, defeated fellow Democrats Michael Roth, Tina Shah, and Brian Varela in Tuesday’s primary. Her win came amid concerns over the health of her Republican opponent, who has been out of the public eye for months due to an undisclosed health condition.

Kean, who first won the district in 2022, released a statement Tuesday evening ahead of the election results, in part saying he would reveal the reason for his absence soon.

“Right now I am focused on my recovery and under the advice of healthcare professionals, I will transition from virtual work to in person work within a matter of weeks. At that time, I will be completely transparent as to the nature of my medical condition,” he wrote in the statement.”

Bennett, who works as a healthcare executive, touted her time in the military during her campaign, noting in campaign materials that she served for more than 15 years in roles including helicopter pilot and experimental test pilot. She has focused on affordability and healthcare costs, among other issues, along the campaign trail.

U.S. Rep. Analilia Mejia successfully defended her seat against a trio of Democratic primary challengers in Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s former congressional district, the Associated Press projected.

The 11th Congressional District includes parts of Essex, Morris, and Passaic Counties in North Jersey. Mejia, 48, a longtime progressive organizer, won the seat in an April special election.

She warded off challenges Tuesday from former Morristown Mayor Donald Cresitello, who presented himself as a moderate; Joseph Lewis, who works in tech and was vocal about his support for Israel; and Justin Strickland, a Chatham council member who came in sixth in the special primary.

She heads on to a November rematch with Republican Joe Hathaway, a member of the Randolph Township council whom Mejia defeated in April by more than 18 percentage points.

Mejia, the daughter of Colombian and Dominican immigrants who supports abolishing ICE, won the crowded February special primary to succeed Sherrill by a razor-thin margin against former U.S. Rep. Tom Malinowski.

A super PAC funded by American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a pro-Israel national lobbying group, had attacked Malinowski on unrelated issues because it was unsatisfied with Malinowski’s support of the country. The strategy backfired and may have helped Mejia, a candidate who has been much more critical of Israel.

Mejia has worked for many progressive causes, including the New Jersey Working Families Party and Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign.

Adam Hamawy is poised to take over the seat in the 12th Congressional District of retiring U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman after coming out on first of a dozen active candidates.

Watson Coleman last year announced that she would not seek reelection for the seat she had held since 2014. She was the first Black woman to represent New Jersey in Congress, after having been the first Black woman to become majority leader in the New Jersey General Assembly, where she served eight terms.

“Now is the time to pass the torch to the next leader who will continue leading this charge,” Watson Coleman said in announcing her retirement.

News of Watson Coleman’s retirement quickly brought announcements from a number of Democrats who said they would seek to succeed her, and the race topped more than a dozen candidates ahead of primary day.

Hamawy’s candidacy was supported by Pennsylvania State Rep. Chris Rabb, a democratic socialist who won last month’s Democratic primary victory to represent half of Philadelphia in Congress . He appeared at a rally with Hamawy ahead of Tuesday.

Hamawy will face Republican Gregg Mele, who ran unopposed in the GOP primary, in November.

The 12th District leans Democratic, with about 42% of registered voters in that party, compared to only 18% registered as Republican, according to state data.