The New Jersey Primary is officially over, and we now know who will be facing off in November.
At the top of the ticket for U.S. Senate, Justin Murphy stunned former News 12 New Jersey anchor Alex Zdan and New Jersey State Trooper Richard Tabor to secure the GOP nod to take on Cory Booker in the fall. Murphy will have an extremely uphill battle against the incumbent Booker, who is rumored to be running for president in 2028. Murphy, who unsuccessfully ran for U.S. Senate two years ago, has now secured the GOP nomination. Murphy also held public office before, serving one three-year term on the Tabernacle Township Committee after being elected in November 2000. He also served as the town’s Deputy Mayor.
In one of the most competitive primary races of the year, Clifton Councilwoman Rosemary Pino defeated Attorney Tiffany Burress, the wife of former Giants Wide Receiver Plaxico Burress, despite losing her hometown of Clifton. Burress was fully backed by GOP party leaders, although she was not a resident of the 9th congressional district. Pino will be taking on Democratic Congresswoman Nellie Pou, whom she endorsed in 2024 over the Republican nominee Billy Prempeh. Prempeh endorsed Burress over Pino this year. The 9th district is being looked at by Republicans as a potential pickup, with the district having shifted much further to the right after redistricting.
Meanwhile, in the 7th congressional district, Navy Veteran Rebecca Bennett defeated a large pool of Democratic candidates to secure the nomination to take on incumbent Tom Kean Jr. in one of the most competitive districts in the country. Democrats have targeted this race as one of their top pickup opportunities this fall, with the national climate favoring them and with Kean being largely absent from public duties due to a medical condition that has lasted for months. While Kean’s absence stems from a legitimate issue, Democrats have criticized him for missing multiple voting sessions in Congress and have concerns about Kean trading stocks during that period.
In what should be an interesting election year, Republicans are looking to defend their slim House and Senate majorities and regain momentum after losing both the New Jersey and Virginia gubernatorial races last year by double digits. Democrats are looking to keep their momentum going into the fall and hope to capitalize on voter concerns regarding the economy and foreign policy.
Note: From now until Labor Day, NJO will be publishing on an every-other-week basis during the summer months. We will resume weekly coverage after Labor Day when the 2026 midterm elections start to heat up. Thank you for reading and for your ongoing support of NJO.
To learn more about my work, please visit my website.
Listen to The Anthony Miragliotta Show on Spotify - New Jersey’s #1 independently hosted politics podcast.
Follow New Jersey Outlook on X.
Follow Anthony Miragliotta on Facebook, Instagram, and X.