Pallone will face Democratic primary challenge in 2026
Newcomer Katie Bansil launches NJ-6 campaign against longtime congressman
The United States Congress that was elected in the 2024 elections was only sworn in last week, but the first primary campaign of the 2026 cycle is already beginning.
Katie Bansil, an investment analyst and a political newcomer, has launched a Democratic primary campaign against longtime Rep. Frank Pallone (D-Long Branch) in the 6th congressional district, which covers a diverse section of Central Jersey in Monmouth and Middlesex Counties. Pallone, first elected in 1988, plans on running for re-election to a 20th term next year – and Bansil hopes to deny it to him.
“The last election really sparked something in me,” Bansil told the New Jersey Globe. “There’s this red wave that’s coming through the state, and I think it’s because we’re losing faith in the Democratic Party… There’s so much that we can do, and so much that can be done, in uplifting the working class again, and the youth, and people who are scared to …