June 02, 2026
Michael Candelori/for PhillyVoice
In Tuesday's primary in New Jersey, attorney Justin Murphy won the Republican nomination in the U.S. Senate race and will try to unseat incumbent Democrat Cory Booker in November.
Burlington County attorney Justin Murphy is the projected winner of New Jersey's Republican primary for U.S. Senate, according to the Associated Press. Murphy's win sets up a contest in November with incumbent Democrat Cory Booker, who has held the seat since 2013.
Murphy defeated former New Jersey state trooper Richard Tabor, broadcaster Alex Zdan and surgeon Robert Lebovics in Tuesday's primary. Booker ran unopposed in the Democratic primary.
The GOP faces long odds in November's midterms in a state that has not elected a Republican to the Senate since 1972. The last time a Republican held the office in New Jersey was in 1982, following the resignation of a Democrat.
Murphy, 60, of Tabernacle, campaigned on reducing the nation's foreign energy dependence and promoting the expansion of energy projects on federal lands. He also called for military presence along the U.S. border, aggressive deportation of criminals and a 1980s-style campaign against drug use.
Before entering politics and starting his law career, Murphy served in the U.S. Navy and operated a gym in Medford. He also served as a Tabernacle Township Committeeman and Deputy Mayor. Murphy won Tuesday despite raising only about $15,000 for his campaign as of mid-May, according to campaign finance activity tracked by NJ Spotlight News. Lebovics led the GOP field with more than $149,000 raised, followed by Zdan with about $40,500 and Tabor with about $10,600. Meanwhile, Booker had raised over $32 million at that time.
The AP declared Murphy the winner at 11:25 p.m. with about 90% of the vote counted. He led with 33% of the vote, beating out Tabor with 29.4%, Zdan with 27% and Lebovics with 10.7%. All results are unofficial until certified by election officials.
Republicans have been optimistic about building support in New Jersey, where President Donald Trump cut his margin of defeat from 16 percentage points in 2020 to six points in the 2024 presidential election. State records show about 36% of voters — roughly 2.4 million people — are unaffiliated with a political party and could be swayed to vote Republican, depending on the race.
In national and statewide races, recent trends in New Jersey do not bode well for Republicans.
Two years ago, U.S. Sen. Andy Kim (D) defeated his Republican opponent, Curtis Bashaw, by a margin of nearly 10 points to claim the seat of longtime Sen. Robert Menendez, who had resigned after his conviction on bribery and extortion charges.
In last November's gubernatorial race, Democrat Mikie Sherrill cruised to victory over Republican Jack Ciattarelli by a margin of more than 14 points. Four years earlier, Ciattarelli lost a close race by a margin just over three points to incumbent Democrat Phil Murphy.
In November, Justin Murphy will need to contend with Trump's sinking approval rating, which sits under 40% in most national polls. In New Jersey, a Rutgers-Eagleton poll in March found just 26% of survey takers had a favorable impression of the president.
Booker will enter the November election with strong momentum as one of the Democrats' most outspoken critics of Trump, including his record-setting marathon speech on the Senate floor last year in protest of the administration's policies.
On the Democratic side, Cape May Mayor Zack Mullock is projected to win Tuesday's primary in the 2nd Congressional District, according to the Associated Press. He will challenge Republican Jeff Van Drew in November.
The 2nd District covers all of Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland and Salem counties along with parts of Gloucester and Ocean counties. Van Drew was first elected as a Democrat in 2018, but he switched parties the following year after refusing to vote to impeach Trump during his first term.
Mullock defeated Tim Alexander, a civil rights attorney and former law enforcement officer; Terri Reese, who worked for the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development; and Bayly Winder, a former official for the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Van Drew is now in his fourth term in Congress and ran unopposed in the Republican primary, but Democrats believe they have a shot at defeating him in the general election as they aim to flip the House. Republicans currently hold a 217-212 edge in the lower chamber, plus an independent also caucuses with the GOP. It's the most narrowly divided House majority since the Great Depression.
The AP declared Mullock the winner at 9:28 p.m. with about 65% of the vote counted. Mullock led the field of four with 40.5% of the vote, followed by Tim Alexander with 27.1%, Bayly Winder with 22.1% and Terri Reese with 10.3%. All results are unofficial until certified by election officials.
Mullock, 40, campaigned in the Democratic primary as an independent voice for South Jersey. His campaign centered on supporting small businesses, expanding Medicare, promoting affordable housing development and improving services for veterans.
Before entering politics, Mullock worked as a PGA golf professional and helped lead the initiative to build Cape May's Harriet Tubman Museum. He previously served on Cape May's Historic Preservation Commission and on City Council. He also served as vice president of the Cape May National Golf Club.
All six counties in the 2nd District voted for Trump in the 2024 election, but three of them (Atlantic, Cumberland and Gloucester) turned blue and supported Sherrill in the Democrats' landslide gubernatorial victory last November. Alexander faced Van Drew for the seat in 2022 and lost by a wide margin. Van Drew easily defeated attorney Joe Salerno in 2024.
1st Congressional District (all of Camden County, most of Gloucester County and part of Burlington County)
Democrat: Donald Norcross (uncontested incumbent)
Republican: Damon Galdo (uncontested)
2nd Congressional District (all of Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland and Salem counties and parts of Gloucester and Ocean counties)
Democrat: Zack Mullock defeated Terri Reese, Bayly Winder and Tim Alexander
Republican: Jeff Van Drew (uncontested incumbent)
3rd Congressional District (parts of Burlington, Mercer and Monmouth counties)
Democrat: Herb Conaway (uncontested incumbent)
Republican: Michael McGuire defeated Justin Barbera and Jason Cullen
4th Congressional District (parts of Ocean and Monmouth counties)
Democrat: Rachel Peace defeated John Blake
Republican: Christopher Smith (uncontested incumbent)
For results on primary races for local and state positions, visit the official New Jersey election website.
