NJ's primary is June 2. These races could shape congressional power

New Jersey's primary election will be held Tuesday, June 2. All 12 of New Jersey's seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are on the ballot, as is one seat in the U.S. Senate.

And while there are several contested races, only three involve incumbents. The two most watched races don’t have one.

New Jersey's 7th and 12th congressional districts each include multiple Democrats, four and 13 respectively, fighting for the chance to represent their party on the ballot this fall and be sent to Washington for the first time.

Who's running in NJ's 7th Congressional District?

The race in the 7th District has four Democrats — Rebecca Bennett, Michael Roth, Tina Shah and Brian Varela — vying for the chance to challenge Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr., the two-term incumbent, who has been missing in action for more than two months.

Kean has not voted in the House of Representatives since March 5, but his staff has reiterated for more than a month that he is “handling a personal health matter” and “will be totally fine and returning to a full schedule soon.”

The congressman’s absence was one of the many topics discussed at a debate this month. All four of the Democrats criticized the lack of transparency about his illness and whereabouts.

The Cook Political Report, which assesses all of the races nationally, called New Jersey's 7th Congressional District race a toss-up.

It is a race that Democrats have been focused on as a potential seat to flip in their effort to regain control of the House of Representatives.

In terms of fundraising, Bennett has a significant edge, based on the last filings due with the Federal Election Commission before the primary next week.

She has more than Shah, Varela and Roth combined. A Navy pilot, Bennett has taken a page out of Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s campaign playbook in running ads that feature her with a helicopter.

Who's running in New Jersey's 12th Congressional District?

In the 12th District, there are 13 Democratic candidates hoping to succeed Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman as the representative for 32 towns across Mercer, Somerset, Union and Middlesex counties.

Watson Coleman announced in November 2025 that she planned to retire at the end of this term. She was first elected in 2014 and took office in 2015.

The 13 candidates are:

• Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson.
• Brad Cohen.
• Squire Servance.
• Samuel Wang.
• Sue Altman.
• Sujit Singh.
• Adrian Mapp.
• Adam Hamawy.
• Elijah Dixon.
• Kyle Little.
• Jay Vaingankar.
• Matt Adams.
• Shanel Robinson.

The district is considered solidly Democratic, and the winner of this crowded primary is expected to win the general election this fall.

Adam Hamawy has a fundraising lead. He also has racked up endorsements from U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a playbook that worked well for Rep. Analilia Mejia during her special election in New Jersey's 11th Congressional District earlier this spring.

Hamawy isn’t the only one garnering attention, though. The Working Families Party has spoken out in support of Altman, and the local Communications Workers of America union has endorsed Reynolds-Jackson.

Who is running against Cory Booker for the U.S. Senate?

The U.S. Senate race in the general election will pit Democratic Sen. Cory Booker against one of four Republicans.

The Republican hopefuls are Richard Tabor, Justin Murphy, Alex Zdan and Robert Lebovics.

Where else are there contested primaries?

There also are several contested races that include incumbents:

• New Jersey's 6th Congressional District: Rep. Frank Pallone faces off against Katie Bansil and John Hsu.
• New Jersey's 8th Congressional District: Rep. Rob Menendez faces a challenge from Mussab Ali.
• New Jersey's 10th Congressional District: Rep. LaMonica McIver faces a challenge from Lawrence Poster.
• New Jersey's 11th Congressional District: Rep. Analilia Mejia faces a challenge from Donald Cresitello, Joseph Lewis and Justin Strickland.

Katie Sobko covers the New Jersey Statehouse. Email: [email protected]