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2026 United States Senate election in New Jersey

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2026 United States Senate election in New Jersey
← 2020
November 3, 2026
2032 →
Reporting
95%
as of November 4, 2026, 1:55 PM ET
 
Nominee Cory Booker Justin Murphy
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 1,781,879 1,013,938
Percentage 62.1% 35.3%
County results
Booker:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
Mehta:      40–50%      50–60%
U.S. senator before election

Cory Booker
Democratic

 Elected U.S. senator

Cory Booker
Democratic

The 2026 United States Senate election in New Jersey will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of New Jersey. Democratic incumbent Cory Booker was re-elected to a third full term, defeating Republican former Tabernacle deputy mayor Justin Murphy.[1]

Primary elections were held on June 2. Booker ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination. In the Republican primary, Murphy won the nomination with 33.3% of the vote over state trooper Richard Tabor and journalist Alex Zdan.

Democratic primary

[edit]

Candidates

[edit]

Nominee

[edit]

Withdrawn

[edit]

Endorsements

[edit]

County convention results

[edit]
County convention results
Hunterdon County Democratic Convention[13]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Cory Booker (incumbent) 146 79.3%
Democratic Chris Fields 30 16.3%
Democratic Lisa McCormick 8 4.3%
Total votes 184 100.0%
Sussex County Democratic Convention[20]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Cory Booker (incumbent) 132 82.5%
Democratic Chris Fields 28 17.5%
Total votes 160 100.0%

Fundraising

[edit]
Campaign finance reports as of March 31, 2026
Candidate Raised Spent Cash on hand
Cory Booker (D) $31,443,196 $15,158,732 $22,171,570
Source: Federal Election Commission[38]

Results

[edit]
Democratic primary results[39]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Cory Booker (incumbent) 587,980 100.0
Total votes 587,980 100.0

Republican primary

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Candidates

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Nominee

[edit]

Eliminated in primary

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Withdrawn

[edit]
  • Natalie Rivera, activist and independent candidate for U.S. Senate in 2018 and Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in 2020[42][2]

Declined

[edit]

Endorsements

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Robert Lebovics
State legislators
Organizations
Justin Murphy
Individuals
Political parties
Organizations
Richard Tabor
Political parties
Organizations
Alex Zdan
State legislators
Local officials
Individuals
Political parties
Declined to endorse
Political parties

Fundraising

[edit]
Campaign finance reports as of May 13, 2026
Candidate Raised Spent Cash on hand
Robert Lebovics (R) $101,260 $77,955 $23,304
Justin Murphy (R) $15,453 $14,581 $0
Richard Tabor (R) $10,615 $3,826 $6,788
Alex Zdan (R) $7,378 $1,552 $5,826
Source: Federal Election Commission[69]

County conventions

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County convention results
Atlantic County Republican Convention[42]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Richard Tabor 644 71.8%
Republican Alex Zdan 208 23.2%
Republican Justin Murphy 23 2.6%
Republican Natalie Rivera 22 2.5%
Total votes 897 100.0%
Hunterdon County Republican Convention[56]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Richard Tabor 57 53.8%
Republican Alex Zdan 43 40.6%
Republican Justin Murphy 6 5.7%
Total votes 106 100.0%
Burlington County Republican Convention[63]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Alex Zdan 40 51.2%
Republican Richard Tabor 21 26.9%
Republican Justin Murphy 17 21.8%
Republican Natalie Rivera 0 0.0%
Total votes 78 100.0%
Mercer County Republican Convention[54]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Justin Murphy 66 63.5%
Republican Richard Tabor 38 36.5%
Total votes 104 100.0%
Cumberland County Republican Convention[65]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Alex Zdan 48 67.6%
Republican Richard Tabor 14 19.7%
Republican Natalie Rivera 6 8.5%
Republican Justin Murphy 3 4.2%
Total votes 71 100.0%
Salem County Republican Convention[65]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Alex Zdan 31 59.6%
Republican Justin Murphy 21 40.4%
Total votes 52 100.0%
Bergen County Republican Convention[62]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Alex Zdan 246 74.8%
Republican Justin Murphy 65 19.8%
Republican Natalie Rivera 18 5.5%
Total votes 329 100.0%
Ocean County Republican Convention[58]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Richard Tabor 167 88.4%
Republican Justin Murphy 17 9.0%
Republican Alex Zdan 5 2.6%
Total votes 189 100.0%
Somerset County Republican Convention[59]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Richard Tabor 65 57.5%
Republican Alex Zdan 38 33.6%
Republican Robert Lebovics 10 8.8%
Total votes 113 100.0%
Middlesex County Republican Convention[57]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Richard Tabor 81 90.0%
Republican Justin Murphy 6 6.7%
Republican Alex Zdan 3 33.3%
Total votes 90 100.0%

Results

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Murphy

  30–40%
  40–50%
  50–60%
  70–80%

Tabor

  30–40%
  40–50%
  50–60%
  60–70%

Zdan

  30–40%
  40–50%
  50–60%

Murphy

  20–30%
  30–40%
  40–50%
  50–60%
  60–70%
  70–80%
  80–90%
  90–100%

Tabor

  20–30%
  30–40%
  40–50%
  50–60%
  60–70%
  70–80%
  80–90%
  90–100%

Zdan

  20–30%
  30–40%
  40–50%
  50–60%
  60–70%
  70–80%
  80–90%
  90–100%

Lebovics

  20–30%
  30–40%
  40–50%
  50–60%
  60–70%
  90–100%

Other

  20–30% Tie
  30–40% Tie
  40–50% Tie
  50% Tie
  No Votes
Republican primary results[70]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Justin Murphy 82,272 33.4
Republican Richard Tabor 71,915 29.2
Republican Alex Zdan 66,183 26.8
Republican Robert Lebovics 26,280 10.7
Total votes 246,650 100.0

Third-party and independent candidates

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Candidates

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Declared

Did not qualify

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  • Nicholas Carducci, software engineer and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2024[73]
  • Michael Estrada[74]

Withdrawn

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  • Natalie Lynn Rivera (Together for NJ), activist and independent candidate for U.S. Senate in 2018 and Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in 2020[72][75]

General election

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Predictions

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Source Ranking As of
The Cook Political Report[76] Solid D November 2, 2026
Decision Desk HQ[77] Safe D November 2, 2026
The Economist[78][b] Safe D November 2, 2026
FiftyPlusOne[79] Safe D November 2, 2026
Fox News[80] Solid D November 1, 2026
Inside Elections[81] Solid D October 29, 2026
MS NOW[82][83] Safe D October 29, 2026
NBC News[84] Solid D November 2, 2026
RealClearPolitics[85] Solid D November 2, 2026
Sabato's Crystal Ball[86] Safe D November 2, 2026
Silver Bulletin[87] Solid D November 2, 2026
Split Ticket[88] Safe D November 2, 2026

Post-primary endorsements

[edit]
Justin Murphy (R)
State legislators
Individuals

Fundraising

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Campaign finance reports as of October 14, 2026
Candidate Raised Spent Cash on hand
Cory Booker (D) $35,910,076 $18,897,772 $22,899,411
Justin Murphy (R) $68,189 $57,102 $10,191
Source: Federal Election Commission[69]

Debates

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2026 United States Senate election in New Jersey debates
No. Date Host Moderators Link Participants
 P  Participant   A  Absent   N  Non-invitee   I  Invitee   W  Withdrawn
Cory Booker Justin Murphy
1 October 8, 2026 New Jersey Globe/Rider University David Wildstein and Micah Rasmussen New Jersey Globe P P

Results

[edit]
2026 United States Senate election in New Jersey
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Cory Booker (incumbent)
Republican Justin Murphy
End the Corruption! Veronica Fernandez
Socialist Workers Joanne Kuniansky
Write-in Eduardo Castillo
Total votes 100.0

Notes

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  1. ↑
  2. ↑ The Economist's prediction model uses unconventional terminology. For the purpose of equivalency, their "Very Likely" ratings are formatted as a "Likely" rating while "Likely" ratings are formatted as a "Lean" rating.

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 "FILING FEC-1766350". FEC. March 27, 2024. Retrieved April 6, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "NJ DOS - Division of Elections - 2026 Election Information and Results". www.nj.gov. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  3. ↑ "FEC Form 2 for Report FEC-1924185". docquery.fec.gov. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
  4. ↑ Fox, Joey (January 14, 2026). "Booker will face challenge from the left in this year's Senate primary". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
  5. ↑ "New Jersey Politics". Politics1. Retrieved January 19, 2026.
  6. ↑ Fox, Joey (February 20, 2026). "What Sunday's Hunterdon convention does – and doesn't – mean for the NJ-7 primary". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved February 22, 2026.
  7. ↑ Fox, Joey (November 21, 2025). "Sherrill will support all N.J. congressional Dems for re-election". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
  8. ↑ Fox, Joey (March 8, 2026). "Alexander narrowly beats Winder for Atlantic Dem endorsement". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved March 8, 2026.
  9. ↑ "2026 Endorsed Candidates". bergendemocrats.com. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  10. ↑ Wildstein, David (February 28, 2026). "Chebra easily beats Moustakas for Burlington County Commissioner endorsement". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
  11. ↑ Fox, Joey (March 9, 2026). "Mullock gets home-county endorsement from Cape May Dems". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  12. ↑ "2026 ENDORSED CANDIDATES". essexdems.org. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  13. 1 2 Blackburn, Zach (March 1, 2026). "Hunterdon Dems endorse Bennett in NJ-7 primary". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved March 1, 2026.
  14. ↑ Fox, Joey (March 11, 2026). "Cohen easily wins Middlesex Dem endorsement for NJ-12". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved March 11, 2026.
  15. ↑ Fox, Joey (February 7, 2026). "Monmouth Dems endorse Rachel Peace for NJ-4 at 2026's first county convention". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  16. ↑ "Morris County Democrats Announce Convention Results for June 2026 Primary Election". morrisdems.org. March 23, 2026. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  17. ↑ Fox, Joey (March 16, 2026). "Alexander, Peace get Ocean Dem endorsement for GOP-held House seats". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  18. ↑ Fox, Joey (February 15, 2026). "Passaic Dems endorse Mejia for full term; Way doesn't screen for endorsement". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  19. ↑ Wildstein, David (March 14, 2026). "In race to challenge Van Drew, Alexander wins Salem Dem endorsement in NJ-2". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved March 14, 2026.
  20. 1 2 Wildstein, David (March 14, 2026). "Brian Varela wins Sussex Dem convention in NJ-7 race". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved March 14, 2026.
  21. ↑ Wildstein, David (February 8, 2026). "Union County Democrats back Mapp for Watson Coleman's House seat". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  22. ↑ "Warren County Democrats Endorse Cory Booker and Brian Varela". warrencountydems.com. March 22, 2026. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Official Democratic Team for 2026". piscatawaydemocrats. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  24. ↑ Wildstein, David (April 23, 2026). "SEIU backs Booker, eight House incumbents". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved April 26, 2026.
  25. ↑ "Endorsed Candidates". AAPI Victory Fund. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
  26. ↑ "- AIPAC Political Portal". candidates.aipacpac.org. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
  27. ↑ "Keep Blue". feministmajoritypac.org. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  28. ↑ "GIFFORDS endorses Cory Booker for reelection to U.S. Senate in New Jersey". giffords.org. August 29, 2025. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  29. ↑ "New Jersey". humaneaction.org. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  30. ↑ "Jewish Dems Endorsed Candidates". Jewish Democratic Council of America. Retrieved October 28, 2025.
  31. ↑ "Candidates". Joint Action Committee for Political Affairs. Archived from the original on November 21, 2025. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  32. ↑ "2025–2026 Endorsements". League of Conservation Voters. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
  33. ↑ "NRDC Action Fund Endorsements". nrdcactionfund.org. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  34. ↑ "2026 Planned Parenthood Action Fund Endorsed Candidates". www.plannedparenthoodaction.org. Planned Parenthood Action Fund. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
  35. ↑ "2026 Endorsements". Population Connection Action Fund. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
  36. ↑ "2026 Endorsements". Sierra Club Independent Action. Archived from the original on June 1, 2026. Retrieved January 18, 2026.
  37. ↑ "Our Candidates". collectivepac.org. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
  38. ↑ "CORY BOOKER FOR SENATE". fec.gov. Federal Election Commission. January 2019. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
  39. ↑ "NJ DOS - Division of Elections - 2026 Election Night Results". www.nj.gov. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  40. ↑ Fox, Joey (December 18, 2025). "Former Tabernacle committeeman will run for U.S. Senate again". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  41. ↑ Wildstein, David (March 3, 2026). "Physician will enter GOP race to challenge Booker for U.S. Senate". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
  42. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Wildstein, David (February 21, 2026). "Tabor defeats Zdan for U.S. Senate endorsement in Atlantic". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved March 1, 2026.
  43. ↑ Wildstein, David (February 12, 2026). "Alex Zdan will challenge Cory Booker for U.S. Senate". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
  44. ↑ Fox, Joey (December 16, 2025). "The GOP's big 2026 question: who will run against Cory Booker?". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
  45. ↑ Wildstein, David (January 12, 2026). "Bashaw will run for Cape May County Commissioner". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved January 12, 2026.
  46. ↑ Wildstein, David (March 3, 2026). "Vinnie Brand says no to U.S. Senate bid vs. Booker". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
  47. ↑ Han, Daniel (December 11, 2025). "Durr planning comeback to Trenton, won't challenge Booker". Politico. Retrieved December 12, 2025.
  48. ↑ Wildstein, David (February 12, 2026). "Testa passes on U.S. Senate bid against Booker". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
  49. 1 2 3 Seewald, Joe (June 12, 2026). "Testa ready to help Murphy take on Booker". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  50. ↑ Blackburn, Zach (May 29, 2026). "Auth backs Lebovics for Senate nomination". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
  51. ↑ "Lakewood Vaad backs Lebovics in GOP U.S. Senate Primary". The Save Jersey Blog. May 13, 2026. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
  52. ↑ Wildstein, David (May 14, 2026). "Spadea endorses Murphy for U.S. Senate". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
  53. 1 2 Wildstein, David (March 1, 2026). "Gloucester GOP endorses Justin Murphy for U.S. Senate". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved March 1, 2026.
  54. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Wildstein, David (March 3, 2026). "Mercer goes for Murphy in Senate race". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
  55. 1 2 Fox, Joey (May 21, 2026). "N.J. Right to Life PAC announces 2026 endorsements, including Pino in NJ-9". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
  56. 1 2 Wildstein, David (February 26, 2026). "Tabor beats Zdan for Hunterdon GOP U.S. Senate endorsement". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved March 1, 2026.
  57. 1 2 Wildstein, David (March 14, 2026). "Tabor wins big at Middlesex GOP convention". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved March 14, 2026.
  58. 1 2 Wildstein, David (March 9, 2026). "Tabor wins Ocean County Republican endorsement". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  59. 1 2 Wildstein, David (March 10, 2026). "In race to take on Booker, Tabor beats Zdan at Somerset GOP convention". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved March 11, 2026.
  60. ↑ Fox, Joey (March 2, 2026). "Steinhardt backs Zdan for Senate". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
  61. ↑ "ALEX ZDAN FOR U.S. SENATE ANNOUNCES MERCER COUNTY ENDORSEMENTS". InsiderNJ. March 3, 2026. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
  62. 1 2 Wildstein, David (March 9, 2026). "Pino defeats Burress at Bergen GOP convention; Zdan endorsed for U.S. Senate". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  63. 1 2 Wildstein, David (February 28, 2026). "Zdan wins Burlington GOP endorsement in bid to challenge Booker". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved March 1, 2026.
  64. 1 2 Wildstein, David (March 6, 2026). "Cape May GOP goes for Alex Zdan". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved March 8, 2026.
  65. 1 2 3 4 Wildstein, David (March 7, 2026). "Zdan wins Cumberland, Salem endorsements for U.S. Senate". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved March 8, 2026.
  66. ↑ "Ewing GOP Endorses Alex Zdan for U.S. Senate". InsiderNJ. March 3, 2026. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
  67. ↑ Wildstein, David (February 11, 2026). "Alex Zdan will challenge Cory Booker for U.S. Senate". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  68. ↑ Wildstein, David (March 19, 2026). "Morris GOP won't endorse in U.S. Senate primary". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved March 19, 2026.
  69. 1 2 "New Jersey - Senate". fec.gov. Federal Election Commission. February 2026. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
  70. ↑ "New Jersey Senate Primary Results 2026". NBC News. June 2, 2026. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
  71. ↑ "Eduardo Castillo Announcement of Candidacy as Write-In for the U.S. Senate in New Jersey". Insider NJ. Retrieved August 24, 2026.
  72. 1 2 3 Fox, Joey (June 3, 2026). "Husband-and-wife duo from Tennessee will run as pro-life independents for competitive N.J. seats". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  73. ↑ "FILING FEC-1789817". FEC. June 17, 2024. Retrieved April 6, 2025.
  74. ↑ "ESTRADA, MICHAEL – Candidate overview". FEC.gov. January 1, 2019. Retrieved May 16, 2025.
  75. ↑ Wildstein, David (June 9, 2026). "Natalie Rivera ends U.S. Senate bid after falling short on signatures". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  76. ↑ "2026 CPR Senate Race Ratings". Cook Political Report. Retrieved November 2, 2026.
  77. ↑ "2026 Senate Ratings". Decision Desk HQ. Retrieved November 2, 2026.
  78. ↑ "2026 Senate Forecast". The Economist. Retrieved November 2, 2026.
  79. ↑ "2026 Congressional Forecast". FiftyPlusOne. Retrieved November 2, 2026.
  80. ↑ Numa, Rémy (November 1, 2026). "Fox News Power Rankings: Kansas moves to Toss-up, Nebraska moves to Lean R". Fox News. Retrieved November 1, 2026.
  81. ↑ "Senate Ratings". Inside Elections. Retrieved November 2, 2026.
  82. ↑ Khanna, Kabir; Thomas, Shawna (October 29, 2026) [August 19, 2026]. "2026 Senate ratings: MS NOW's races to watch". MS NOW. Retrieved November 2, 2026.
  83. ↑ MS NOW shifts Senate races in SC, MS. MS NOW. October 29, 2026. Retrieved November 2, 2026 – via YouTube.
  84. ↑ "The race for Congress: 2026 midterms". NBC News. Retrieved November 2, 2026.
  85. ↑ "Battle for the Senate 2026". RealClearPolitics. Retrieved November 2, 2026.
  86. ↑ "2026 Senate ratings". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved November 2, 2026.
  87. ↑ Silver, Nate; McKown-Dawson, Eli (November 2, 2026) [August 11, 2026]. "FLIPR 2026 midterm election forecast". Silver Bulletin. Retrieved November 2, 2026 – via Substack.
  88. ↑ "Split Ticket 2026 Midterms Model". The Argument. Retrieved November 2, 2026 – via Substack.
  89. ↑ Wildstein, David (June 17, 2026). "AFL-CIO endorses Rebecca Bennett over Tom Kean". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved June 21, 2026.
  90. ↑ "Our Recommended Candidates". NEA Education Votes. Retrieved October 28, 2026.
  91. ↑ "BUILDING TRADES RELEASE ENDORSEMENTS FOR 2026". InsiderNJ. June 11, 2026. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  92. ↑ "New Jersey Teamsters Endorse Bipartisan Slate of Pro-Union Candidates for Congress". International Brotherhood of Teamsters. August 19, 2026. Retrieved August 20, 2026.
  93. ↑ Wildstein, David (October 14, 2026). "Lakewood Vaad endorses Cory Booker, Chris Smith in November election". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved October 14, 2026.
  94. ↑ Wildstein, David (July 2, 2026). "Murphy launches 21-county town hall tour in Senate bid against Booker". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
[edit]

Official campaign websites

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