Who's running in New Jersey's 9th congressional district
3 candidates are on the ballot. Below is what each one says they stand for, what they have actually done in office or in public life, and the arguments published for and against them — each quoted from a named source rather than summarised by us.
3 candidates · ballot order · Nellie Pou currently holds this seat
Medium confidenceMedium confidenceThe candidate's stated positions and basic record are documented, but coverage is thin — often little independent reporting, or criticism from only one side.What would raise it: More independent reporting, a documented voting record, or published criticism from a named opponent would raise this.
What they say they stand for
Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.
Federal funding for Passaic County schools and municipal services.
Health care access and prescription drug costs.
Abortion rights.
Gun safety legislation.
Immigrant and Latino community advocacy in a majority-Hispanic district.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
U.S. Representative for the 9th District since January 2025; elected in 2024 with 50.8% against Billy Prempeh.
First Latina to represent New Jersey in Congress.
New Jersey state senator from 2012 to 2024 and state assemblymember from 1997 to 2012.
Won the June 2, 2026 Democratic primary unopposed after Paterson mayor Andre Sayegh declined to run.
Has raised more than $2.2 million for this race, among the strongest fundraising totals in the state.
Arguments in favor
She has assembled an unusually broad coalition for a first-term member: Governor Mikie Sherrill, the Hudson and Passaic county Democratic committees and twenty-four municipal chairs, the state AFL-CIO, the Building Trades, the Teamsters, 32BJ SEIU, AFGE and CWA District 1.
— Endorsements from the officials, committees and unions named
The national issue groups have treated her as a priority: EMILYs List, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Reproductive Freedom for All, Giffords, End Citizens United, the League of Conservation Voters Action Fund and Latino Victory all endorsed her, and every forecaster rates the seat likely or solid Democratic despite its Trump margin.
— Endorsements from the organisations named; Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball and Decision Desk HQ ratings
Arguments against
The NRCC's case is that she votes further left than her district: its August 2026 report says she votes with the Squad nearly 90% of the time, and spokeswoman Maureen O'Toole says she "has repeatedly put criminals and illegal immigrants ahead of her constituents" and voted to make life more expensive for New Jerseyans.
— National Republican Congressional Committee, August 2026
The Daily Caller reported in February 2026 that she publicised federal funding for her district that came from a spending bill she had voted against — taking credit, in its framing, for money she opposed appropriating.
— The Daily Caller, February 2026
What we couldn’t verify
The NRCC also circulated to journalists a document presented as a leaked Democratic strategy memo — "Project 2026," describing open borders and government-mandated "wokeism" — that the committee had in fact written itself. New Jersey Globe reported the fabrication; the NRCC said it was obvious satire. That episode is recorded here rather than in either column, and it bears on how the committee's other claims about Pou should be read.
No verified 2026 campaign website was found; the domain matching her campaign name shows only a "coming soon" placeholder, and the site in directories is her official House office site.
Ending what she calls one-party control of the region's politics.
Opposition to abortion, reflected in her New Jersey Right to Life PAC endorsement.
Immigration enforcement.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Clifton city councilwoman.
A former Democrat who changed parties.
Won the June 2, 2026 Republican primary against attorney Tiffany Burress.
Endorsed by the National Republican Congressional Committee, the Bergen County Republican Organization, the Kearny Republican Committee and New Jersey Right to Life PAC.
In 2023 opposed adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism in Clifton, citing Arab-American community concerns and the Civil Rights Committee's remit; the council later passed a resolution condemning antisemitism after her committee took the issue up.
Has not held federal office.
Arguments in favor
She has national Republican backing in a district the party has targeted from the start of the cycle: the NRCC endorsed her, saying she "embodies the American Dream," and Trump carried the district by about a point in 2024.
— National Republican Congressional Committee
She won a contested primary against the candidate backed by three county chairs and the party's previous nominee, and carries the Bergen County Republican Organization, the Kearny Republican Committee and New Jersey Right to Life PAC.
— June 2026 primary results; endorsements from the organisations named
Arguments against
Jewish Insider reported questions about her record on antisemitism: she opposed adopting the IHRA working definition in Clifton in 2023, and attended a Palestinian flag-raising in the city at which speakers accused Israel of genocide and of manufacturing famine. She said she attends flag raisings to show she cares about the city's communities, "not as a political nor ideological statement," and that she condemns antisemitism in all forms.
— Jewish Insider, July 2025
Her own party's county chairs largely backed her primary opponent Tiffany Burress — three of them, along with Billy Prempeh, the party's nominee here in 2020, 2022 and 2024 — rather than her.
— County Republican chair endorsements of Tiffany Burress
What we couldn’t verify
No Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee material naming Pino was found, and no criticism of her from Nellie Pou or her campaign. The criticism above comes from Jewish Insider and from the primary endorsement record.
Her campaign site is behind a challenge page that blocks automated retrieval, so her published policy detail could not be read directly; the positions above come from her launch release and press coverage of her first advertisement.
No fundraising figures for her campaign were found.
A federal ban on abortion, the single organising purpose of her campaign.
Showing graphic images of abortion in campaign advertising, which federal broadcast rules give candidates latitude to air.
An anti-abortion position she frames as progressive rather than conservative.
Founding and leading secular anti-abortion organising outside the religious right.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Former president of Democrats for Life of America; founder of Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising.
Candidate for the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination; appeared on the New Jersey primary ballot.
Filed 459 nominating petition signatures against a 250 requirement; Rosie Pino's campaign challenged them and then dropped the challenge, leaving her on the ballot.
Lives in Ellendale, Tennessee, according to the state's certified candidate list, and is running with her husband, who filed as a pro-life independent in another New Jersey district.
Has not held elected office.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
No published criticism of Bukovinac by name in this race could be found beyond the withdrawn ballot challenge, and no published case for her beyond her own campaign material. Because no case against her exists on the record, none is presented for her either.
The address on New Jersey's certified candidate list is in Tennessee, and New Jersey Globe describes her and her husband as a Tennessee couple running as pro-life independents in competitive New Jersey seats. The Constitution requires House members to be inhabitants of the state when elected; how that applies here was not established from the sources found, and no opponent has raised it since the petition challenge was dropped.
No fundraising figures or endorsements for her campaign were found.
Positions and criticism are quoted from the named sources, not our assessments. This is built to help you start getting informed — confirm the official candidate list with your election authority before you vote.
New Jersey held its primary on June 2, 2026. Three candidates appear on the November ballot: Democratic incumbent Nellie Pou, Republican Rosie Pino and independent Terrisa Bukovinac under the slogan "Save Our Babies." The roster is confirmed against the New Jersey Division of Elections official general election candidate list dated September 4, 2026. The district takes in Clifton, Passaic and Paterson. Donald Trump carried it by about a point in 2024 while Pou won it by five, and it is one of the National Republican Congressional Committee's original 2026 target seats; every forecaster nonetheless rates it likely or solid Democratic.
This is one contest on a longer ballot
A New Jersey ballot also carries state legislative districts, county offices, judicial seats and often local questions — and which of them you vote on is decided by your street address, not your city or ZIP code.
Your ballot is determined by your election authority, not by us. Verify your registration, precinct, and sample ballot at New Jersey Division of Elections.