Who's In the Race

Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) faces Republican Justin Murphy, Socialist Workers Party candidate Joanne Kuniansky and End the Corruption! candidate Veronica Fernandez in the November 3 general election in New Jersey's U.S. Senate race. ​

Booker has represented New Jersey in the U.S. Senate since 2013, previously serving as mayor of Newark from 2006 to 2013. He studied at Stanford, Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, and Yale Law School.

Murphy is an attorney who served in the U.S. Navy, enlisting at age 17, and studied at Rowan University and Widener University School of Law; he lives in Tabernacle Township and says he was raised in South Jersey's Pinelands.

Booker ran unopposed in the June 2 Democratic primary, while Murphy won the June 2 Republican primary with about 33% of the vote over runner-up Richard Tabor.

Kuniansky is a union activist and former refinery operator.

Fernandez co-owns a small commercial electrical contracting business.

What They Stand For

Booker has proposed making the first $75,000 of household income tax-free for most filers through legislation he calls the "Keep Your Pay Act," according to a WHYY voter guide. He's also supported:

  • Health care as a human right, with access to quality, affordable care,
  • Ending mass incarceration, reforming sentencing laws and supporting reintegration of people with criminal records,
  • Clean water, clean air and a healthy environment; and
  • A two-state solution and lasting peace in the Middle East, and opposition to the Iran war, according to WHYY.

Murphy has proposed abolishing the IRS and replacing the federal tax code with a flat tax, according to his campaign website. He's also supported:

  • Parental rights, school choice and abolishing the federal Department of Education,
  • Increasing domestic energy production and expanding nuclear power,
  • Securing the borders, completing the southern border wall and increasing immigration enforcement; and
  • A U.S. military capable of fighting and winning two wars simultaneously.

Kuniansky has supported building union solidarity and a public-works jobs program paying union-scale wages, according to WHYY.

Fernandez has supported Medicare for All and a constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, according to her campaign website.

Race Outlook: Ratings and Betting Markets

Every major race-rating service calls this contest a safe hold for Democrats. Cook Political Report rated the race "Solid Democratic" as of Oct. 12; Sabato's Crystal Ball rated it "Solid Democratic" as of Oct. 9; and Inside Elections rated it "Solid Democratic" as of Oct. 2. Kalshi traders gave Democrats, whose nominee is Booker, a 95.94% chance of winning as of Oct. 15, based on a market with $102,972 in volume.

The broader political landscape in New Jersey reinforces that picture. Democrats won nine of the state's 12 U.S. House seats in both 2022 and 2024, with Republicans winning three each cycle. In the state's other Senate seat, Democrat Andy Kim won the 2024 race with about 54% of the vote. Democrat Kamala Harris carried New Jersey in the 2024 presidential race with about 52% of the vote.

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