NJ Early Voting Opens Saturday: Key Races to Watch

The midterms are almost here for New Jersey voters across the river. Early in-person voting in the Garden State starts Saturday, Oct. 24, and runs through Nov. 1. Vote-by-mail has been open for several weeks and stays available until Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, when polls open statewide from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Gotham reports that at least one New Jersey race could help decide which party holds the House and Senate for the rest of President Donald Trump’s term. The marquee contest is in the 7th Congressional District, where Rep. Tom Kean Jr., the two-term Republican incumbent, faces first-time Democratic nominee Rebecca Bennett. Kean comes from one of the state’s best-known political families; his father served two terms as governor in the 1980s. Bennett is a former Navy helicopter pilot with 15 years of military service and a healthcare executive, and her center-left profile has drawn comparisons to Gov. Mikie Sherrill.

Republicans hold roughly a 19,000-voter advantage in the district, which runs from the eastern edge of Central Jersey to the Pennsylvania border, yet pollsters and political watchdogs have called the race a toss-up that could lean Democratic. Kean missed 116 days of Congress earlier this year, and more than 100 votes, while being treated for depression. Since returning to the campaign trail at the end of June, he has tried to paint Bennett as too liberal for the district while contending with Trump’s slumping numbers in New Jersey. Bennett has centered her pitch on affordability, including healthcare and childcare costs. A proposed ICE facility in the district and Kean’s stock trading while in office have also come up on the trail.

Elsewhere, the races look less competitive, but margins and turnout could still tell a story. In South Jersey’s 2nd District, Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew faces Democrat Zack Mullock. Cook Political Report rates the seat solid Republican, though Seton Hall politics professor Matt Hale told Gotham that Van Drew could be at risk if a Democratic wave becomes a tsunami. Sherrill flipped several red counties in his district during the 2025 governor’s race.

In North Jersey, progressive Democratic Rep. Analilia Mejia is seeking her first full term against Republican Joe Hathaway, whom she beat by 21 points in April’s special election. The district covers six counties, including Maplewood and Montclair, and Cook Political Report and Decision Desk HQ both rate it safe for Democrats. Dr. Adam Hamawy, another first-time progressive, is expected to win the heavily Democratic 12th District near Trenton. For Democrats, the story there is the size of the wins and what strong turnout says about the party’s progressive wing.

In the 9th District, Democratic Rep. Nellie Pou takes on Rosie Pino, a Republican councilmember from Clifton. The district takes in much of Passaic County, where nearly half the population is Latino. Trump carried the county in 2024 on strong Latino turnout, but Pou beat Republican Billy Prempeh by about 5 points that year. Democrats hope another solid Pou win signals Latino voters are drifting back to the party, at least for now.

Atop the ballot, Sen. Cory Booker is seeking his fourth statewide win. No Republican has won a Senate seat in New Jersey since 1972. Booker’s campaign has raised $35 million to Republican Justin Murphy’s $75,000, and prediction markets give Booker a 97% chance of winning, per Gotham. There is no public polling in the race. Speculation about a 2028 presidential run means his showing in the state’s more conservative areas will be watched closely.

North Jersey voters will also pick county commissioners on Nov. 3. Commissioners oversee roads, law enforcement, parks and services like SNAP and Medicaid, with county budgets that can reach $900 million.