Who's In the Race

Incumbent Rob Menendez, the Democratic nominee, faces three other candidates in the general election for New Jersey's 8th U.S. House District on Nov. 3.

What They Stand For

Rob Menendez's campaign says he supports strengthening and expanding access to health care and making life more affordable for working people.

Ari Eliopoulos's campaign says he is focused on strengthening the economy and supporting education reform.

Craig Honts and the Socialist Workers Party have called for immigrant rights and jobs with wages, hours, and working conditions that allow workers to keep up with the rising cost of living.

Da'Shone Hughey's campaign proposes making the 8th District a hub for artificial intelligence, robotics, cybersecurity, financial technology, and startup growth. His platform also calls for investments in affordable housing, climate-ready infrastructure including flood resilience and waterfront protection, expanded workforce development and STEM education with bilingual career pathways and registered apprenticeships, and broader access to health care.

The Money Behind the Race

Outside spending in the NJ-8 race totals $926,611, all of it in support of candidates, with no opposition spending recorded as of Oct. 1. Of that total, $912,515 is tied to Democratic candidates in the race.

Think Big leads all outside spenders with $638,280. Protect Progress follows with $262,965. The National Association of Realtors and its political action committee together account for roughly $25,356, split across two separate committee entries. Sierra Club Independent Action rounds out the top five with $10.

Race Outlook: Ratings and Betting Markets

Cook Political Report rated the race Solid Democratic as of Sept. 25; Sabato, Inside Elections, and the consensus rating all carried the same label, with the consensus and Sabato ratings current as of Sept. 29 and Inside Elections as of Sept. 17.

On Kalshi, the prediction market gave the Democratic candidate a 98.89 percent chance of winning as of Oct. 1, with the Republican at 1.11 percent.

The district's own history reinforces that picture: a Democrat won with about 74 percent of the vote in 2022 and with about 59 percent in 2024.

Statewide in New Jersey, Democrats won nine federal congressional races, and Republicans won three in the indexed 2022 results. In the 2024 presidential race, Democrat Kamala Harris carried New Jersey with about 52 percent of the vote.

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