U.S. Senate · New Jersey

Incumbent: Cory Booker (Democratic) · Incumbent renominated
General election Tuesday, Nov 3, 2026

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The candidates

Cory Booker

Democratic · Incumbent

Incumbent U.S. senator (2013–present).

Background via Wikipedia race page · its cited source: docquery.fec.gov

Justin Murphy

Republican

Former Deputy Mayor of Tabernacle Township and perennial candidate.

Background via Wikipedia race page · its cited source: newjerseyglobe.com

Veronica Fernandez

Independent

Perennial candidate.

Background via Wikipedia race page · its cited source: newjerseyglobe.com

Joanne Kuniansky

Socialist Workers

No sourced background yet

Candidates checked against the official list: state election office source. Candidate list compiled from the Wikipedia race page and the sources on each profile. Check your official sample ballot before voting.

Where they stand: Booker vs. Murphy

Topic rows are grouped by Vote Book; the headings and quoted words are each candidate’s own, with the source under each one. “As reported” means a news outlet’s description, not an exact quote. A yellow tag means no public position was found on that topic.

Abortion
Booker

What is your stance on access to abortion and other reproductive healthcare? And what roles should the federal government and the states each play on reproductive healthcare?

The Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade defied nearly half a century of legal precedent and stripped Americans of the fundamental right to control what happens to their own bodies. It was an outrageous attack on our Constitution and our freedom—and it cannot stand. Republican politicians' coordinated attack on reproductive rights demands a coordinated response. We must pass the Women's Health Protection Act to establish federal protections for patients and providers, and safeguard access to abortion care. We must protect access to contraception and IVF. And we must guarantee high-quality maternal care across the country. Congress cannot stand idly by while the Supreme Court and state legislatures dismantle Americans' core constitutional rights. Every American—wherever they live—must be free to make their own reproductive health care decisions, free from the interference of politicians.
Candidate's own answer to the League of Women Voters, via VOTE411
Murphy

Abortion

I am pro-life; I believe life begins at conception.

Summary via OnTheIssues (secondary compiler), not a direct quote
Guns
BookerNo public position foundMurphy

Guns

I will oppose all attempts to suppress 2A rights.

Summary via OnTheIssues (secondary compiler), not a direct quote
Immigration & border
Booker

What is your position on immigration reform? What do you think the relationship between federal immigration enforcement and state or local government institutions should be?

The Trump administration's immigration policies are unconstitutional and a moral stain on our nation. ICE is snatching people off the streets, raiding homes without warrants, separating children from their parents, and detaining American citizens. The most immediate task before us is to restore lawfulness to a reckless, out-of-control system. We are also long overdue for comprehensive, structural reforms. That means creating real pathways to citizenship for families who have built their lives here, protecting DREAMers, and modernizing our antiquated visa processing systems so people aren't waiting years for their cases to be resolved. We are a nation of immigrants—our diversity is a source of strength—and our policies must reflect that, with an immigration system that is safe, humane, lawful, orderly, and fair.
Candidate's own answer to the League of Women Voters, via VOTE411

Immigration

I'm not going to approve another dollar to a reckless, dangerous, out-of-control agency that is hurting people in my state and hurting our economy and hurting our safety.
Quoted by New Jersey Monthly, 2026
Murphy

Immigration

You cannot have an immigration system where you have an open border, with millions of people coming in who we don't know and can't track.
Health care
Booker

What changes would you support to make healthcare and mental health services more affordable, accessible, and easier to navigate?

The United States is the only wealthy, industrialized nation that does not guarantee affordable health care to its citizens—the only one where millions risk financial ruin simply for getting sick. That is a moral outrage. We must immediately undo the damage of the past year. Restore the premium tax credits Republicans let expire. Reverse the nearly $1 trillion in cuts they made to Medicaid and rural hospitals. Reverse Trump Administration policies that keep medical debt on Americans' credit reports. Then we must go further. Expand drug price negotiation. Lower out-of-pocket caps for more Americans. Extend Medicare coverage for vision, hearing, and dental. Expand access to mental health care. And invest in what keeps people healthy—clean water, clean air, safe food, and preventive care. We are the wealthiest nation on Earth. We can build a system where prescriptions are affordable, everyone is covered, and no one goes bankrupt simply for getting sick.
Candidate's own answer to the League of Women Voters, via VOTE411

Health care

New Jerseyans are facing a twin tsunami of healthcare cuts: first from Trump's cuts to the Affordable Care Act, and then from a second round of looming Medicaid cuts.
MurphyNo public position found
Energy & environment
Booker

What actions would you support to strengthen climate resilience and protect infrastructure and neighborhoods from the impact of extreme weather?

Climate change is driving more frequent and destructive storms, threatening New Jersey's environment, infrastructure, and economy. We have seen the damage firsthand: flooding that has become a regular reality for too many communities, coastlines under threat, and extreme weather events that were once rare arriving season after season. I'm proud to have delivered substantial federal relief to New Jersey homeowners and municipalities following major storms. But we cannot rely on post-storm recovery alone. We need to invest in resilience—flood control, stormwater upgrades, and shoreline protection—to protect residents and reduce long-term costs. We must also restore the clean energy tax credits that Republicans recklessly repealed, reinvest in climate science, and accelerate the transition to a clean energy economy that creates good-paying jobs and protects our environment. The costs of inaction are too high. New Jersey—and the country—cannot afford leaders who look away.
Candidate's own answer to the League of Women Voters, via VOTE411
MurphyNo public position found
Taxes & spending
BookerNo public position foundMurphy

Taxes

I would remove the 70,000-page Internal Revenue Code and implement a flat tax.
Jobs, wages & cost of living
Booker

What policies would you support to ease the cost of living and strengthen long-term economic stability for families in this district?

The costs of basic necessities are soaring—rent, groceries, utilities, child care, elder care, and more. Trump and congressional Republicans promised to lower costs. Instead, they've made things worse. I'm fighting for affordability on every front. I've introduced legislation to exempt the first $75,000 of household income from federal taxes. I'm co-leading legislation to take on the energy grid operators driving up our electricity bills. I've led legislation to crack down on agriculture monopolies that are pushing up grocery prices. I've been one of the Senate's leading champions for expanding the child tax credit. And I'm pushing to build more homes so that homeownership is a reality for more New Jerseyans. Daily life is too expensive for too many in our state. We need to be relentlessly focused on bringing down costs, putting more money in people's pockets, and making sure the economy works for working families, not just those at the top.
Candidate's own answer to the League of Women Voters, via VOTE411

Tariffs

The Trump administration's tariffs have been devastating for New Jersey's businesses and consumers.

1 more on profile →

MurphyNo public position found
Elections, ethics & government
Booker

What are the most important challenges facing our country, and how do you propose to address them?

Costs are soaring, corruption is rampant, and our democracy is hanging in the balance. We need an economy that works for all New Jerseyans, not just the ultra-wealthy. I've introduced legislation to exempt the first $75,000 of household income from federal taxes—and I'll keep fighting the powerful interests driving up the cost of food, energy, and healthcare. There is something deeply wrong with an administration that spends billions on an illegal war abroad while gutting Americans' healthcare here at home. Fixing this requires getting money out of politics. Our system drowns out citizens and hands power to the highest bidder. We must overturn Citizens United, ban congressional stock trading, reject special interest and corporate PAC money, and return government to the people it's supposed to serve. And we must reassert the rule of law, restore checks and balances, and hold to account those who subvert our Constitution. These are not normal times—and they cannot be treated as such.
Candidate's own answer to the League of Women Voters, via VOTE411

What measures do you support to expand voter access and restore trust in our elections?

There is an active effort in Washington to make it harder for New Jerseyans to vote. It's called the SAVE America Act, and it's one of the most dangerous attacks on voting rights I've seen in my lifetime. Among other troubling provisions, it would impose major burdens on voting by mail, make it harder for people who've changed their names to cast a ballot, and add new restrictive requirements for registering to vote. Defeating this bill is the first order of business. But there's more we need to do. We should pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, expand vote by mail, institute automatic and same-day registration, and restore funding to agencies like CISA where career professionals work to defend against foreign interference. We must also reject politicians who undermine trust in our elections with baseless claims of voter fraud. Elections should be easy to participate in and hard to manipulate. Republicans in Washington have those priorities exactly backwards.
Candidate's own answer to the League of Women Voters, via VOTE411
MurphyNo public position found

Other candidates on the ballot

Veronica Fernandez (Independent)

What are the most important challenges facing our country, and how do you propose to address them?

It's all important Everything from Healthcare, Immigration, Voting, to Education, Guns, Environment and everything in between. However, they are ALL rooted in ONE common challenge and that is money in politics. The SCOTUS ruling on Citizens United in 2010 was a disaster and allowed the flood gates of unknown and dark money to pour into our campaigns. As a result political spending is at an all time high and that is reflected in public policy which reflects the agenda of big donors and special interests. I propose to address this by supporting SJR25 which calls for a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United. We have not had in amendment in over 30 years and are way past due. We need structural change in this country and I can think of no better place to start than a 28th Amendment to clean up campaign finance reform. This is not as hard as you may think. The 26th amendment to lower the voting age to 18 was ratified in 100 days. Public policy CAN reflect public opinion again
Candidate's own answer to the League of Women Voters, via VOTE411

What policies would you support to ease the cost of living and strengthen long-term economic stability for families in this district?

As a former licensed underwriter (including Health) in our state, I can assure you that nothing would bring down the cost of living AND improve the quality of our lives more than the implementation of Medicare for All. We all hear M4A will raise taxes but that is not true. Taxes will go DOWN! Right now our local property taxes are loaded with billions in ins premiums that go to a handful of companies who provide NO medical products or services. They are completely unnecessary middlemen kept in business only because they donate millions every election cycle to both parties, thanks to Citizens United. Right now BOEs are cutting teachers & eliminating programs for our children so they can pay ever increasing premiums. The average teacher salary in our state is approx $81K, the family health plan, no dental or vision, is now over $60K per year and that is in our property taxes! This IS my WHEELHOUSE & I so want to fight for this, it's one of the reasons I fought so hard to make the ballot!
Candidate's own answer to the League of Women Voters, via VOTE411

5 more positions on profile →

Joanne Kuniansky (Socialist Workers)

What are the most important challenges facing our country, and how do you propose to address them?

Working people face assaults on our wages and conditions, growing uncertainty and preparations by the US and rival capitalist powers for more wars. Their spreading conflicts are fueling the march toward World War III. The road to prevent that is for the working class to replace capitalist rule with a government of our own and to run society for human need, not the bosses’ profits. The Socialist Workers Party is building a party capable of leading millions of workers to make that possible, as part of the fight for a socialist world. The US oil blockade and threats against Cuba are aimed at overthrowing the socialist revolution there. Working people in the US should stand with fellow workers in Cuba and demand US Hands Off Cuba! There are two wars in the Mideast. Washington’s war is for plunder and domination. Israel’s war is to prevent Tehran from carrying out another Holocaust. US troops out of the Middle East! Defend Israel's right to exist as a refuge from Jew-hatred and pogroms!
Candidate's own answer to the League of Women Voters, via VOTE411

What policies would you support to ease the cost of living and strengthen long-term economic stability for families in this district?

The Socialist Workers Party calls on fellow workers to join us at strike picket lines and to build solidarity with unions wherever workers are fighting the bosses’ attacks on our wages and conditions. Workers need a course that strengthens confidence in our own worth and our ability to fight and organize together. We call for a public works program to provide jobs at union-scale wages to build hospitals, childcare centers and other infrastructure. We call for a shorter workweek with no cut in pay, with regular hours. In the face of skyrocketing prices for food, electricity, rent we demand automatic cost-of-living increases in union contracts, pensions, and social security. Working people need to break from the bosses’ Democratic and Republican parties that uphold their profit system and their class rule. Workers have the capacities to run society to meet the needs of the great majority, but only if we unite in our millions to take power into our own hands.
Candidate's own answer to the League of Women Voters, via VOTE411

5 more positions on profile →

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Official voting records

The same nine Senate votes (or three House votes) are shown for every current member of Congress running, so records can be compared across races. Click a roll call for the official tally.

Cory Booker: key votes as U.S. Senator

MeasureBooker
Laken Riley Act (S. 5) — detain migrants charged with theft/violent crimesNay
GENIUS Act (S. 1582) — stablecoin regulationYea
One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1) — tax & spending reconciliationNay
Rescissions Act of 2025 (H.R. 4) — cancel foreign aid & public broadcasting fundsNay
FY2026 NDAA (S. 2296) — defense authorizationNay
Continuing appropriations to end the 2025 shutdown (H.R. 5371)Nay
FY2026 consolidated appropriations (H.R. 7148)Nay
Housing supply bill (H.R. 6644)Yea
2026 reconciliation bill (S. 2)Nay

Pulled from official roll-call records · Congress.gov profile & full record.

No congressional voting record for: Veronica Fernandez, Joanne Kuniansky, Justin Murphy. State legislative or local records are not yet compiled.