There were some hotly contested congressional primaries Tuesday as new challengers squared off against incumbents in a year when all 12 of New Jersey’s seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are up for grabs and the state’s Democratic primary ballot underwent a big change.
But in the end, the sitting lawmakers and party leader-backed candidates won.
That included the tough race for a freshman congressman whose father, U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, is facing federal corruption charges, a challenge to New Jersey’s oldest lawmaker and a seat that’s open because Rep. Andy Kim is running for Menendez’s spot in the Senate.
Here’s a look at who won:
Democratic primary: Rep. Rob Menendez defeated Ravi Bhalla
Menendez, a freshman member of Congress, held off a serious challenge by Bhalla, Hoboken’s mayor, to win the Democratic nomination for a second term in this North Jersey district.
He held a comfortable lead when the Associated Press called the race at 9:19 p.m.
The race was fought as the federal bribery trial of his father, Sen. Robert Menendez, continues in a Manhattan courthouse.
The younger Menendez tried to simultaneously convince voters to have faith in his family legacy while distancing himself from the bribery charges the elder Menendez faces.
The elder Menendez filed Monday to run for re-election to the Senate as an independent, having been abandoned by top Democrats.
Though top Democratic leaders have called on his father to resign, they stood by Menendez in this race.
Unlike in years past, those endorsements did not come with the benefit of the county line, the state’s unique system in which party-backed candidates get prime placement on the primary ballot — a setup eliminated in Democratic primaries this year because of a landmark legal decision. But the party backing was still enough to overcome the challenge from Bhalla, who became New Jersey’s first Sikh mayor after he was elected in 2017.
Menendez is now is now the heavy favorite in November’s general election because the North Jersey district is heavily Democratic. The district includes parts of Newark and Jersey City, the state’s two largest cities.
He will face Anthony Valdes, who won the Republican primary unopposed.
- MORE: Live election results: U.S. Senate, House races in N.J. primary elections 2024
Democratic primary: Herb Conaway defeated Carol Murphy
State Assemblyman Herb Conaway defeated his former running mate, Assemblywoman Carol Murphy, for the Democratic nomination for the House seat Kim is vacating.
Conaway, a physician by trade, is now the favorite in November because the district — which includes a swath of the central and southern regions of the state — leans Democratic. He would become the first Black person to represent South Jersey. Murphy was aiming to become the first woman to represent the area in Congress.
This was was another race where the elimination of the county line played a role. The system was stricken from this year’s Democratic primary because of a lawsuit filed by Kim.
Conaway had the support of the local county parties, which normally would have given him the line. But the judge’s decision gave Murphy a stronger chance. Another Democrat in the race, Sarah Schoengood, was a co-plaintiff in the lawsuit against the line.
No winner was called in the Republican primary as of 9:45 p.m. The favorite was Shirley Maia-Cusick, an immigration consultant who first planned to run for U.S. Senate, who faced Rajesh Mohan, a physician who ran for local office in Holmdel in 2022.
Democratic primary: Rep. Bill Pascrell defeated Mohamed Khairullah
Pascrell, a 27-year congressman, easily brushed aside a challenge from Khairullah, Prospect Park’s mayor, to win the Democratic nomination for another term, taking a primary in which the war in Gaza became a lightening rod.
New Jersey’s longest-serving Muslim mayor, Khairullah made news in 2023 when he was disinvited from the White House celebration for Muslim Americans for being on a watchlist he says discriminates against Muslims. He, along with side other civil rights organizations, launched a lawsuit.
Khairullah told the New Jersey Monitor that Pascrell had “turned his back” on Muslims after Pacrell, a supporter of Israel, called for a “conditional ceasefire” in March.
Pascrell, who has served in the House since 1997, ran into resistance due in part to a vocal Palestinian community in Paterson, which has the largest population of Palestinians per capita in the country. Pascrell served as mayor of Paterson, his hometown, from 1990 to 1997.
The congressman had the backing of most of the New Jersey Democratic establishment, including U.S. Sen. Cory Booker.
At 87, he is the second-oldest member of the House and will be the oldest next year if re-elected.
Pascrell is now the favorite to win in November in the heavily Democratic North Jersey district. He will square off in a second rematch with Billy Prempeh, who won the Republican nomination after losing to Pascrell in 2020 and 2022.
OTHER NOTABLE HOUSE RACES
All the other incumbents running for re-election won their primaries. November’s elections will determine the makeup of New Jersey’s House delegation, which Democrats currently control nine members to three.
This is what happened in the other primaries of note:
Republican primary: Rep. Tom Kean Jr. defeated Roger Bacon.
Kean easily won his primary challenge, formally setting up a November race that is one of the most high-profile House battles in the nation. He will trying to win a second term against Democratic challenger Sue Altman after flipping the purple district two years ago. Democrats are hoping to win it back as they aim to retake control of the House.
Democratic primary: Rep. Donald Payne Jr. won posthumously
Payne, a six-term congressman, died last month after suffering a heart attack. But Democrats did not have enough time to field a replacement on the primary ballot, so Payne took the uncontested primary posthumously.
It is now up to Democratic leaders in the vastly Democratic district to choose a replacement candidate on the November ballot. In the meantime, there will be a special election to fill the final few months of Payne’s term, with a July primary and a September general election.
Democratic primary: Rep. Mikie Sherrill defeated Mark De Lotto
Republican primary: Joe Belnome defeated Raafat Barsoom John Sauers
Sherrill, a likely candidate for governor next year, beat De Lotto, a real estate consultant, for the Democratic nod in the North Jersey district she has represented for three terms.
Now, she’s headed for a November race against Belnome, a property maintenance inspector for Belleville who won the Republican nom. Belnome, who had local party support, has gained attention for being photographed among the protesters at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, though he has never faced charges.
Thank you for relying on us to provide the local news you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription.
Jelani Gibson may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on X at @jelanigibson1 and on LinkedIn.
Brent Johnson may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on X at @johnsb01.
