Cory Booker

We now know the Republican nominee who’s earned the tall task of facing Democratic U.S. Sen. Cory Booker this fall.

Justin Murphy, a former committeeman and deputy mayor in Tabernacle making his second straight Senate run, won Tuesday night’s GOP primary for the chance to challenge Booker for his seat in November.

The Associated Press called the relatively close, four-candidate primary for Murphy around 11:30 p.m. He defeated Robert Lebovics, a physician; Richard Tabor, a State Police trooper; and Alex Zdan, a former TV news reporter.

Murphy was leading with 33% of the vote with about 90% of ballots counted, followed by Tabor with 29.4%, Zdan with 26.9%, and Lebovics with 10.7%.

Booker ran unopposed in the Democratic primary as he seeks a third term in Congress’ upper house during President Donald Trump’s closely watched congressional midterms.

The senator said in a social media post Tuesday night that “this is a moral moment in America.”

“This November, I am running not just for Democrats, but to represent all of New Jersey and fight for Americans regardless of party,” Booker wrote. “I know that the issues that divide us today are not about left vs. right, they’re about right vs. wrong. The chaos, corruption, and cruelty from Trump’s Washington demands an answer at the ballot box, and I know that millions of you are ready to stand up and speak out.”

Booker’s seat isn’t likely to play a role in whether Republicans keep or expand their control of the Senate in the midterms.

Murphy faces an an uphill battle against Booker, a well-funded, nationally well-known Democrat who is also widely expected to launch a second presidential campaign in 2028.

A Republican hasn’t won a U.S. Senate seat in blue-leaning New Jersey since 1972 — the year President Richard Nixon made his famous visit to China. That’s 54 years ago.

Plus, Trump’s poll numbers in New Jersey haven’t been stellar of late, which throws another obstacle at the GOP.

Murphy and Zdan both ran unsuccessfully for Republican nod in New Jersey’s last Senate race, when the party aimed to flip indicted Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez’s seat in 2024. Murphy finished third in that primary, Zdan dropped out before the primary, and Democratic Rep. Andy Kim ultimately won the seat.

This year’s primary was relatively difficult to predict since none of the candidates had widespread name recognition or massive fundraising hauls. Traditionally influential county parties also split their endorsements across Murphy, Tabor, and Zdan.

All 12 of New Jersey’s seats in the U.S. House of Representatives were also on the ballot in this year’s midterms — as Republicans are trying to hang on to their majority in the lower chamber of Congress, as well.

There were a handful of notable House primaries in the state Tuesday. Here are the results:

2nd District

Zack Mullock, the mayor of Cape May, won the four-way primary for the Republican nomination to take Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew in South Jersey’s 2nd District.

Van Drew is a former Democrat who is now one of Trump’s top GOP allies, and his seat could be in play this fall if there’s a blue wave.

7th District

Rebecca Bennett, a health care executive and former Navy helicopter pilot, soundly won the four-way race for the Democratic nomination to challenge Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. in North and Central Jersey’s critical swing 7th District. It’s considered one of the hottest congressional races in the country this year.

Four years after Kean flipped the district red, Democrats see this seat as one of their strongest potential pickups as they try to regain control of Congress. And for Republicans, losing the seat and the House majority would make it all the more challenging to push through Trump’s agenda.

Kean, a two-term congressman who is running unopposed in the primary, has been the subject of heavy scrutiny lately. He has not voted or been seen in public since March 5 with what he and staffer call a “personal health issue” they won’t disclose. But Kean Jr. insists he is still running for a third term.

On Monday night, Trump endorsed Kean in a post on social media, saying the congressman is “working tirelessly” on policy. “HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!” Trump added.

Kean said in a statement Tuesday that he is “focused on my recovery and under the advice of healthcare professionals” will “transition from virtual work to in person work within a matter of weeks.”

“At that time I will be completely transparent as to the nature of my medical condition,” he added.

The Cook Political Report labels the district “a tossup” this fall.

Bennett led the Democratic field in fundraising and polls — and was the subject of several attack ads, which she said was a sign Republicans were most afraid to face her. She won the primary in a mold similar to Gov. Mikie Sherrill, also a relatively moderate Democrat, former Navy helicopter pilot, and mother who scored a landslide victory in last year’s gubernatorial race.

8th District

Democratic Rep. Rob Menendez easily rebuffed a primary challenge from Mussab Ali, a member of the Jersey City board of education. He will now vie for a third term in the blue North Jersey district.

9th District

A tense two-way Republican primary for the nom to battle Democratic Rep. Nellie Pou in North Jersey’s 9th Distrct was too close to call Tuesday.

The race pits Tiffany Burress, a workers compensation attorney and the wife of former New York Giants star Plaxico Burress, against Rosie Pino, a Clifton councilwoman.

Republicans have been hoping to flip the district after Pou won the seat by a surprisingly slim margin two years ago.

11th District

Less than two months after scoring a dark-horse victory in a special election last month to take over Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s former seat in North Jersey’s 11th District, Democratic Rep. Analilia Mejia defeated three primary challengers in another primary. This time, she’s running for a full two-year term in the seat.

A longtime progressive advocate, Mejia has been successful in the largely suburban, affluent, formerly red district despite leaning further to the left than her opponents.

She now heads to a November rematch with Republican Joe Hathaway, the former Randolph mayor whom she beat in the special election. Hathaway ran unopposed in Tuesday’s GOP primary.

12th District

Adam Hamaway, a plastic surgeon and Army veteran, emerged from the massive, 13-candidate primary for the Democratic nod to succeed retiring Democratic Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman in Central Jersey’s 12th District.

Hamawy — a progressive Democrat who had the backing of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — is considered the easy favorite in November against Republican Gregg Mele. That’s because the district leans blue.

Brad Cohen, the longtime East Brunswick mayor and an OB-GYN, finished second.

Part of the reason for the large number of candidates — and uncertainty over the outcomes — in some of the hotter races is because these are New Jersey’s first congressional primaries since the demise of the “county line.” The decades-old but controversial system grouped party-endorsed candidates and gave their prime placement on the ballot, which critics said favored incumbents, discouraged primary challenges, and kept party bosses in power.