The Winner
If you live in New Jersey's 5th U.S. House District, you will continue to be represented in Congress by Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), who has been declared the winner of the 2026 congressional race, according to the Associated Press.
Official votes are still being counted, but the seat stays in Democratic hands. Gottheimer, the Democratic incumbent, won the race, which drew six candidates in the general election.
The Race
Republican Sean Kirrane won the June 2 Republican primary. Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, and Sabato's Crystal Ball each rated the seat Solid Democratic heading into Election Day.
New Jersey's 5th Congressional District has a total population of about 778,400, a median household income of about $132,900 and a median age of about 43, according to geographic data for the district.
About 55 percent of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. The district's population is about 59.7 percent white, 5.7 percent Black, 17.4 percent Hispanic and 16.4 percent Asian, with an unemployment rate of about 5.6 percent and about 5.7 percent of residents living below the poverty line.
The district covers parts of Bergen, Passaic and Sussex counties, stretching from the George Washington Bridge in the east to the Pennsylvania border in the west, according to the U.S. House of Representatives district profile.
The district includes 65 towns in total and encompasses a portion of the Appalachian Trail and the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.
What's Next
Gottheimer is set to take office on Jan. 3, 2027. Gottheimer said he wants Congress to take on artificial-intelligence policy in the first 100 days of its next term, including establishing industry safety standards, according to NorthJersey.com, which reported his comments on Nov. 3.
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