While New Jersey might not be considered among the nation's swing states, there is at least one congressional race that is bound to garner attention.
There aren't any state level races on the ballot but all except one federal seat representing the Garden State will be up for grabs this November.
The midterm election – known as such because its halfway through the presidential term – will feature all 12 seats in the House of Representatives as well as one of the state's two U.S. Senate seats.
The race drawing the most attention this year, as it has in previous cycles, is in Congressional District 7 where incumbent Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. faces off against Democratic newcomer Rebecca Bennett.
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.
Kean, the incumbent, made headlines earlier this year when he was absent from Congress for nearly four months.
Speaking on Tuesday, June 30, on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives at the Capitol in Washington, Kean said he had been diagnosed with depression. The two-term Republican congressman had not been seen at the Capitol since early March.
Kean's team had issued statements saying he was dealing with a personal medical issue but was "expected to be totally fine."
Kean, who had served as minority leader in the New Jersey Senate, ousted incumbent Democratic Rep. Tom Malinowski in 2022 and held the seat against challenger Sue Altman in 2024. He has come under fire in recent months because many say he has not stood up to the Trump administration regarding the immigration detention facility that was planned in Roxbury.
President Donald Trump carried the 7th Congressional District in 2024, but Gov. Mikie Sherrill won it in her 2025 race for governor.
Bennett, like Sherrill before her, has leaned into her military background on the trail. Both served as helicopter pilots in the U.S. Navy.
Like the rest of the country, New Jersey is in the midst of an affordability crisis. Housing, healthcare and energy costs are soaring and there doesn't seem to be an end in site.
Electricity rates ended up being one of the most talked about topics during last year's gubernatorial election and Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed two executive orders within her first hour in office to tell the state's Board of Public Utilities to "pause or modify utility actions that could further increase bills" and to declare an emergency under the state's Civilian Defense and Disaster Control Act to call for the creation and expansion of state programs to develop new power generation.
Though Sherrill might have implemented some safeguards, the problem persists and New Jersey ratepayers are the ones suffering as a result.
The immigrant jail at Delaney Hall in Newark has drawn attention. Two people have died at the facility and a third was being processed when he got sick and died in a nearby hospital. Democratic lawmakers have been sounding the alarm about the treatment those inside are facing.
Rep. LaMonica McIver will stand trial on federal assault charges for allegedly shoving an immigration enforcement agent during a chaotic scene near the gates of the jail in May 2025.
The idea of an immigrant detention center in Roxbury is also a hot button issue. The federal government was pursuing a plan to put a facility in a warehouse there. Both sides of the aisle came together when Roxbury and the state of New Jersey joined forced to sue, citing amongst other things the impact such a facility would have on the local infrastructure.
The plan was canceled by the Trump administration but may not be gone for good.
Voter registration made headlines recently when it was revealed that the state's Motor Vehicle Commission allowed for 6,600 non-citizens to register to vote.
Since the announcement, 5,100 registered voters have been cleared from the rolls and another 1,650 are under review by county election officials.
The Sherrill administration has said they are being contentious because they don't want to disenfranchise eligible voters but the Trump administration has continued to assert that there are actually more than 35,000 noncitizens voting in the state. They have not presented any evidence to support this.
The state's senior senator is also on the ballot this year. Democratic Sen. Cory Booker will face off against Republican Justin Murphy.
The sitting senator is the clear favorite in this race and had more than $23 million in cash on hand at the end of June compared to just $122 for Murphy.
Booker made history last year with a marathon speech on the Senate floor, railing against the Trump administration's actions, policies and plans for more than 25 hours.
The senator has faced criticism in the aftermath of his speech, with Republicans calling it a political stunt. Though he has not mentioned the 2028 election, Booker has had presidential ambitions in the past. He entered the 2020 primary in early 2019 before dropping out a year later and endorsing President Joe Biden.
Here's a look at who is representing each party on the ballot this fall.
Democratic Sen. Cory Booker, 57, has been serving in the U.S. Senate since 2013. He'll face off against Republican Justin Murphy, 58, whose previous experience includes serving as the deputy mayor of Tabernacle.
District 1 - Democratic Rep. Donald Norcross, 67, was first elected in 2014 and served in the state Legislature before that. He's up against Republican Damon Galdo, 44, who works in construction and hasn't held elected office before.
District 2 - Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew, 73, has served since 2019 and will see a challenge from Democrat Zack Mullock, 40, who previously served as mayor of Cape May.
District 3 - Democratic Rep. Herb Conaway, 63, is wrapping up his first term. He'll see a challenge from Republican Michael McGuire, 47, an attorney who is in the U.S. Navy reserves and hasn't held elected office before.
District 4 - Republican Rep. Chris Smith, 73, has been in Congress since 1981 and will face off against Democrat Rachel Peace, 33, a marketing consultant who hasn't held elected office before.
District 5 - Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer, 51, was first elected in 2016. He'll see a challenge from Republican Sean Kirrane, 49, who founded an AI company and hasn't held elected office before.
District 6 - Democratic Rep. Frank Pallone, 74, has served since 1988. He's being challenged by Republican Hillary Herzig, 37, who has worked for multiple federal agencies but hasn't held elected office before.
District 7 - Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr., 57, was first elected in 2022 after years in the state Legislature. He'll face off against Democrat Rebecca Bennett, 39, a former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot who also worked in the healthcare industry but hasn't held elected office before.
District 8 - Democratic Rep. Rob Menendez, 41, was first elected in 2022. There is no Republican challenger.
District 9 - Democratic Rep. Nellie Pou, 70, is finishing his first term. She'll face off against Republican Rosie Pino, 47, who is on the Clifton city council.
District 10 - Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver, 40, first started serving in 2024. She'll see a challenge from Republican Carmen Bucco, 51, a business owner who previously served on the Belleville Board of Education.
District 11 - Democratic Rep. Analilia Mejia, 49, who won a special election earlier this year to fill the vacancy Sherrill's election to governor created, will square off again with Republican Joe Hathaway, 39, who previously served in multiple roles for Randolph.
District 12 - Democrat Adam Hamawy, 57, a combat physician and plastic surgeon will face Republican Gregg Mele, 61, a college professor of law, finance and technology courses to see who will succeed Rep. Bonnie Watson-Coleman who is retiring at the end of this term.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: New Jersey voter guide for November's midterm elections