Booker holds New Jersey Senate seat against Murphy in 2026 contest
The AP called the race for the Democrat at 8:01 p.m. Tuesday, confirming his victory over Republican Justin Murphy in a state with a large Democratic registration base.
By Connor Murphy ·
U.S. Sen. Cory Booker secured his third full term in the New Jersey Senate on Tuesday, defeating Republican challenger Justin Murphy. The Associated Press called the race for Booker at 8:01 p.m. local time. Murphy, a former Tabernacle Township Committeeman and attorney, ran against Booker along with independent candidate Veronica Fernandez and Socialist Workers Party candidate Joanne Kuniansky.
New Jersey’s voter registration data provides context for the outcome. The state counts 2,572,254 registered Democrats, while 1,686,614 are registered Republicans. Booker ran unopposed in the June Democratic primary, clearing the way for a general election contest against the Republican field.
The two main candidates diverged on foreign policy and economic management during an Oct. 8 debate. Booker opposed the Iran war, arguing that military force should remain a last resort after diplomacy fails. He cited the closure of the Strait of Hormuz as a driver of a cost-of-living crisis. Murphy supported the conflict, stating that Iran would likely use a nuclear weapon if it possessed one. On the domestic front, Murphy praised President Donald Trump’s economic record, noting that the poverty rate fell to 10.2% last year, the lowest level since the U.S. Census Bureau began tracking the statistic in 1959.
During the campaign, Booker told WHYY News that providing financial relief to residents struggling to make ends meet was a top priority. He said he would continue to stand up to the Trump administration and “put a check on their agenda of chaos, corruption and cruelty.”
Booker has not ruled out a presidential run in 2028. In April, he delivered the longest continuous speech in U.S. Senate history, lasting 25 hours and 5 minutes, to criticize actions taken by the Trump administration. He currently lives in Newark with his wife.
Booker first won a special election in 2013 to fill the seat vacated by the death of Sen. Frank Lautenberg. He was reelected to a full six-year term in 2014 and again in November 2020.
The next step in the legislative calendar involves the new Senate session convening as the incoming member takes office. No further official statements regarding the election results have been issued by the candidates as of the AP call.
