Sen. Cory Booker, several other Democratic candidates, and members of the Hunterdon County Democratic Committee laughed at a speaker at a get-out-the-vote rally at the Stangl Factory in Flemington on Oct. 26, 2026, one week before Election Day.
Booker, who is seeking a third full term in the U.S. Senate next week against Republican Justin Murphy, urged the crowd to work over the next week to get Democrats elected. “I want you to leave here walking out with some Jersey swagger. I want you to walk out of here saying, ‘What I do for these next eight days matter,'” he said. “When you stand up for what is just and right, no one stands in vain. And so we take back the House. We take back the Senate. The pathway to that goes right through our state.”
Over in Morris Township, Rep. Analilia Mejia (D) made a similarly grave pitch to voters as she debated Republican opponent Joe Hathaway at St. Elizabeth University. “I urge you to make a decision that not only takes into account the now, but think about future generations and how we ensure that we have a nation that is free and just,” Mejia said.
Booker’s seat and all 12 New Jersey House seats are up for grabs on Nov. 3. Early returns look good for Democrats and have worried Republicans, who are seeking to retain majorities in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives despite plunging job approval ratings for their leader, President Donald Trump.
The marquee race here is in the 7th Congressional District, where Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R) is seeking a third term against Democrat Rebecca Bennett. Bennett, appearing in Rahway on Saturday on the first day of early in-person voting, said her focus if elected would be tackling the cost-of-living crisis, taking on D.C. corruption, and “putting country over party to move our country forward.” Kean’s campaign has dinged Bennett, a healthcare executive and former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot, as an out-of-touch millionaire. Bennett said Kean went negative because his own record is “abysmal.” “He has voted to take healthcare away from tens of thousands of people in our district. He did nothing when Donald Trump pulled the funding for the Gateway tunnel. You know, he’s voted three times now for the war in Iran. And time and time again, he has chosen to side with Donald Trump and his administration instead of what we need in this district. And so instead of trying to run on his record, he’s trying to drag me down into the mud, and I think people can see through that,” she said.
Kean campaign spokesman Harrison Nealy, asked to respond, called Bennett a liar who has abandoned her principles and integrity “in an effort to win power.” “Here are the undeniable facts: she made hundreds of thousands in corporate healthcare while partnering with companies accused of putting profits over patients, then repeatedly refused to state her net worth even though her own disclosure shows assets of up to $1.8 million,” Nealy said, adding, “Tom Kean Jr. has the record of an independent leader who is consistently delivering for his district on taxes, SALT relief, and Gateway funding.”
