In Tuesday's primary election for New Jersey's 3rd District of the U.S., five Democrats and four Republicans ran in their parties' respective contests. Herb Conaway, a longtime Assemblyman and physician from Bordentown, was declared the winner of the Democratic race. Rajesh Mohan, a cardiologist from Holmdel, won the Republican primary.
The race for New Jersey's 3rd District is wide open with incumbent Democrat Andy Kim running for U.S. Senate.
Polls closed at 8 p.m. and results in both races will be updated below as they become available. All results are unofficial until they have been confirmed by election officials.
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The 3rd District covers nearly all of Burlington County and parts of Mercer and Monmouth counties. Kim is currently in his third term since he was elected in 2018. He was preceded by two-term Republican Congressman Tom MacArthur.
Democrats
Herb Conaway has served New Jersey's 7th legislative district in Burlington Count for 26 years. His legislative efforts at the state level include helping developing the state's health insurance marketplace, revamping the state's school funding formula and improving nutritional standards in public schools. Conaway has said the biggest issue in the election is protecting democracy against authoritarianism. He plans to push for codifying abortion rights federally and take action on climate change by incentivizing the development of infrastructure for more planet-friendly technologies.
Joe Cohn is a civil rights attorney from Lumberton who has worked on behalf of people with HIV/AIDs, seniors and people experiencing workplace discrimination. In his campaign for Congress, Cohn said too many of the nation's problems are caused by political polarization. He stressed the importance of uniting around bipartisan collaboration. Cohn's platform called for eliminating age restrictions for Medicare and making health care more affordable, in part by expanding price negotiation for prescription medications. He supports abortion rights and advocates for addressing climate change by prioritizing energy efficiency.
Carol Murphy is an Assemblywoman in New Jersey's 7th legislative district, where she was elected in 2017. She said she chose to run for Congress to uplift middle class families by dealing with issues such as rising health care costs, high property taxes, political extremism and women's reproductive rights. In her campaign, Murphy said the most important goal should be using federal resources to make New Jersey a more affordable place to live.
Sarah Schoengood is a small business owner from Manalapan who co-owns a company that supplies crabmeat and other seafood from the Mediterranean Sea. Schoengood said she was running for Congress to break the mold of career politicians in Washington, D.C. who aren't in touch with the needs of regular people. She said the most important issue in this year's election is protecting women's reproductive rights. She also supports developing infrastructure for green energy initiatives and providing the industry with a mix of incentives and research dollars.
Brian Schkeeper is a public school teacher and union member who launched his campaign to fight for more affordable health care and education. He said his priority would be to ensure that Social Security can remain a viable retirement plan and that women's reproductive rights are protected.
Republicans
Rajesh Mohan decided to run for Congress to apply his clinical approach in medicine to improving government. Mohan's campaign calls for stronger border protection, ensuring the longevity of Medicare and Social Security, and investing in domestic manufacturing and small business growth. He also seeks to increase investments in mental health care and reduce out-of-pocket costs for medical care by reforming the Affordable Care Act.
Gregory Sobicinski is a business consultant from Southampton who decided to run for Congress to combat rising inflation, underperforming schools and crime in New Jersey communities. He said the biggest problem facing the country is out-of-control government at all levels creating too much interference in personal decision-making. He is an advocate for expanding nuclear energy to create a cleaner economy instead of wind and solar power. In foreign policy, Sobicinski called for the U.S. to intervene only where strategic interests are at stake.
Shirley Maia-Cusick is the CEO of a legal services firm and views herself as an independent conservative. As an immigrant from Brazil, Maia-Cusick said she's ran for Congress to restore the country she discovered when she moved to the United States 30 years ago. She opposes abortion and wants the U.S. to scale back its involvement in foreign conflicts to reduce the national debt.
Michael Francis Faccone is a Jersey City native who said he hoped to serve in Congress to simplify the way legislation gets crafted. He views collaboration across party lines as an essential part of the democratic process and considers transparency and accountability the most important principles for public service. Faccone said he would advocate for policies to reduce crime and taxes, lower economic inequality and seek to improve racial inequality in criminal justice, education and business.
