The person behind the name
Justin Michael Murphy’s public record is that of a Republican candidate in a Democratic state: a Navy enlistment, one term on the Tabernacle Township Committee, a law practice, and four runs for federal office, of which the June 2, 2026 Senate primary was the first he won. [18][28][6][7][5][1]
He lives in Tabernacle, in the Pine Barrens of Burlington County; the address on the Division of Elections’ candidate lists and on the campaign’s own disclaimer is on Worrell Road there. He told InsiderNJ that “Being raised in the Pinelands of Southern New Jersey has been one of the greatest blessings of my life.” Neither the campaign website nor the reporting reviewed here describes a spouse or children, and this profile makes no claim about his family. [2][13][18]
InsiderNJ’s February 2026 profile, which reproduces his written Senate pledge and lists his education and book, states that he enlisted in the Navy at 17, served four years aboard the destroyer USS Comte De Grasse (DD 974), including six months in the Persian Gulf during the Iran–Iraq war, and was honorably discharged; the New Jersey Globe and The Hill describe him as a Navy veteran. Service records were not part of this review. [18][21][40]
Education and professional preparation
The education list published with InsiderNJ’s profile gives a bachelor’s degree in political science from Rowan University, a law degree from Widener University School of Law in Wilmington, Delaware, a master’s program in political science at Villanova University that he did not complete, and an LL.M. in energy and natural resources from the University of Oklahoma School of Law; his Federal Election Commission registration carries the “LL.M.” suffix. The same profile describes him as a practicing attorney since 2006 in estate, real-estate, contract, energy-consulting and EB-5 economic-development work, and lists him as the author of “The Silent Crisis – How Judicial Activism Denigrates America’s Constitutional Republic”, published in February 2021. The campaign website describes him as self-employed. Degree years, bar records and a catalog record for the book were not part of this review. [18][9][13]
Township committee, county politics and three lost primaries
He was elected to the Tabernacle Township Committee in November 2000, unseating an incumbent, Frances Brooks, by about 250 votes according to the New Jersey Globe; he served one three-year term, was deputy mayor, and did not seek re-election in 2003. InsiderNJ’s profile adds earlier party posts: vice-president of the Burlington County Young Republicans from 1994 to 1997, Burlington County co-chairman of the 1996 Dole–Kemp campaign, county committee member from 1996 to 2000 and president of the Tabernacle Republican organization from 1998 to 2000. The official primary returns then record three defeats: third of three in the 2008 Republican primary in the Third Congressional District, with 6,494 votes, 37 behind the second-place finisher; second of two in 2010, with 11,304 votes to Jon Runyan’s 17,250; and, after he entered the race on January 26, 2024, third of four in that June’s U.S. Senate primary, with 35,954 votes. [21][18][23][6][7][39][5]
He kicked off a second Senate campaign in Medford in December 2025, filed his statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission on January 2, 2026, and in the June 2, 2026 primary received 82,272 votes: 33.4 percent of the 246,650 cast in the four-way Republican contest, computed from the official results, and 10,357 more than Richard Tabor. The Associated Press called the race at 11:25 p.m. Senator Cory Booker, unopposed in the Democratic primary, received 587,980 votes. The Secretary of State’s July 27, 2026 lists certify both as candidates in the November 3 general election, and the Division of Elections’ candidate e-mail list carries the campaign’s contact address. [23][9][1][35][2][3][4]
A note on sourcing. No official biography exists for a candidate who holds no office. The personal history above rests on InsiderNJ’s February 2026 profile, published together with his own written pledge and not independently verified, and on the New Jersey Globe’s reporting, and is stated at that level; the primary returns, the certifications and the FEC filings are the primary documents. [18][23]
Life & public service
From a township committee seat in the Pine Barrens to the top of the Republican ticket, the documented milestones show a record built at the ballot box rather than in a legislature.
County Republican politics
Active in Republican politics since 1988, per the biography InsiderNJ published; vice-president of the Burlington County Young Republicans from 1994 to 1997 and Burlington County co-chairman of the 1996 Dole–Kemp campaign. [18]
Law practice
A practicing attorney since 2006, per the biography InsiderNJ published, in estate, real-estate and contract matters. [18]
A book
Listed by InsiderNJ as the author of “The Silent Crisis – How Judicial Activism Denigrates America’s Constitutional Republic”, published in February 2021; two Open Library searches returned no catalog record. [18]
A first Senate campaign
Disclosed plans for a Senate run in December 2023 and entered the race on January 26, 2024; recommended by New Jersey Right to Life in May 2024; third of four in the June 4, 2024 Republican primary with 35,954 votes, 11.3 percent computed from the official results. [21][39][22][5]
A second Senate campaign
Kicked off the 2026 campaign in Medford in December 2025, at that point the only declared Republican in the race, per the Globe. [23]
The fall campaign
Endorsed the administration’s effort to restrict mail-in voting at a Morris County town hall in August, where he also restated the flat tax and expressed support for Ukraine; the one scheduled debate with Booker is October 8. [31]
Accomplishments, in the record
Election returns, Federal Election Commission filings and the reporting of the state’s political press establish the following work. Outcomes are described at the level those records support, with the candidate’s own account labeled as such where no primary document was available.
One term on the Tabernacle Township Committee
The New Jersey Globe records that Murphy was elected to the Tabernacle Township Committee in 2000, ousting incumbent Frances Brooks by about 250 votes, that he served as deputy mayor and as the township’s Republican municipal chairman, and that he did not seek re-election in 2003; InsiderNJ’s profile gives the election as November 2000 and the term as three years. Tabernacle is a largely rural Pine Barrens town in Burlington County. [21][23][18]
That is the whole of his record in public office. Township minutes and votes from the term were not reviewed, and neither outlet attributes any specific municipal measure to him; the seat is documented, the work in it is not. One Globe report, in January 2024, called him a former Tabernacle mayor; the Globe’s other reports and InsiderNJ say deputy mayor or committeeman, and the township’s own records of who held which office were not reviewed. [23][18][39][21]
Three primaries lost, in the official returns
The Division of Elections’ official candidate returns for the June 2008 primary show the Third District Republican contest as Chris Myers 12,694, John P. Kelly 6,531 and Justin Michael Murphy 6,494, running under the slogan Traditional Republicans For Reform And Accountability: third of three, 37 votes behind second place, 25.2 percent computed from the returns. In June 2010 the same office’s returns record Jon Runyan 17,250 and Murphy 11,304, 39.6 percent, in a two-way primary. [6][7]
In the June 4, 2024 Republican primary for U.S. Senate, the official results record Curtis Bashaw 144,869, Christine Serrano Glassner 121,986, Murphy 35,954 and Albert Harshaw 15,064; Murphy’s share was 11.3 percent, computed from the results, under the slogan “American Conservative Republican” in all 21 counties. New Jersey Right to Life had recommended him to primary voters that May. [5][22]
How the nomination was won
The official results of the June 2, 2026 primary record 82,272 votes for Murphy, 71,915 for Richard Tabor, 66,183 for Alex Zdan and 26,280 for Robert S. Lebovics. Computed from those figures, Murphy received 33.4 percent of the 246,650 Republican ballots and led Tabor by 10,357 votes. He ran under county-organization slogans in Camden, Gloucester and Mercer and as “American Conservative Republican” in the other 18 counties, and carried nine counties, computed from the county tallies: Burlington, Camden, Essex, Gloucester, Hudson, Mercer, Morris, Passaic and Union. Tabor carried five, including Ocean with 15,175 votes; Zdan carried seven, including Monmouth with 16,037. [1]
Party backing was divided. The Globe’s March 1 account gave Tabor the Atlantic, Union, Hudson and Hunterdon organizations and Zdan Burlington and Passaic, and on the official results Tabor’s slogans in Middlesex, Ocean and Somerset also name the county organization, as do Zdan’s in Bergen, Cape May, Cumberland, Essex, Monmouth and Warren, with Regular Republican Party in Salem; in Hudson, Hunterdon, Somerset and Union both Tabor and Zdan ran under slogans that name a county Republican body or claim official endorsement. Murphy won Mercer’s convention 66 to 38 over Tabor, Gloucester’s by acclamation after his only rival withdrew, and Camden’s, and finished third at Burlington with 17 votes. The Globe’s primary-night account describes a low-information campaign in which none of the four consolidated the party, and its analysis eleven days later notes that county endorsements no longer physically reshape ballots but still award a slogan, and that ballot positions are now awarded at random. [24][1][25][28][37]
A campaign run on $27,315.52
The Federal Election Commission’s summary for his principal committee, The Committee to Elect Justin Murphy 2024, covers January 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026: total receipts of $27,315.52, of which $21,483.56 came from individuals ($14,243.96 itemized and $7,239.60 unitemized), $150.00 from a party committee, $500.00 from other committees and $4,931.96 in loans from the candidate; total disbursements of $26,296.95, including $18,196.95 in operating expenditures and $1,000.00 in refunds; cash on hand of $122.51; and $8,781.96 in debts owed by the committee. His statement of candidacy for 2026 was filed on January 2, 2026. [9][11]
The same committee’s 2024 cycle shows receipts of $12,028.82, of which $7,578.82 came from individuals and $3,850.00 was lent by the candidate, against $12,924.88 in disbursements. Earlier 2026 reports showed less: the Globe read $9,709 raised on the first-quarter filing in April, and both the Globe and The Hill reported that his most recent filing at the time of the primary showed a cash balance of negative $24. Independent expenditures were not checked; the FEC page loads those tables separately and they were not retrieved for this review. [10][9][38][37][40]
County organizations, a radio host and a former rival
Before the primary the Camden, Gloucester and Mercer County Republican organizations endorsed him; NJ 101.5 host Bill Spadea endorsed him on May 14, 2026, calling him a “thoughtful, dedicated patriot who is willing to give up his personal time to help the cause” and noting that he “actually was the only candidate to attend the New Jersey Right to Life annual banquet”; and on May 21 the New Jersey Right to Life PAC recommended both Murphy and Tabor. [24][25][26][27]
After the primary, State Senator Mike Testa, who chairs the Cumberland County Republican Organization and had backed Zdan, said on June 11 that Republicans must unite behind the nominee: “You’ve got to get behind the Republican candidate.” Murphy’s July strategy memo proposed using Tabor, the runner-up, as a statewide surrogate and suggested that the campaign or the county organizations retain him as a paid consultant. Endorsements establish political support; they are not evaluations of the record above. [29][30]
Service and profession, as published
InsiderNJ’s February 2026 profile, printed with his own written pledge and a list of his education and book, states: enlistment in the Navy at 17, four years aboard USS Comte De Grasse (DD 974) including six months in the Persian Gulf during the Iran–Iraq war, an honorable discharge, a law practice since 2006 in estate, real-estate, contract, energy-consulting and EB-5 economic-development matters, and a February 2021 book on judicial activism; InsiderNJ’s primary-night report repeated the same biography. The Globe describes him as an attorney, author and Navy veteran, The Hill as a Navy veteran, InsiderNJ as an attorney and military veteran, Newsweek as an attorney and former local official, and WHYY as an attorney; WHYY reported before the primary that he described himself as self-employed, as the campaign website does. [18][19][21][30][40][36][35][34][13]
None of these facts was verified against a service record, a bar registry or a library catalog for this review, and they are recorded here as the published biography states them rather than as established fact. [18]
Twenty-one counties, unscripted questions
On July 2, 2026 the Globe reported a strategy memo Murphy sent to Republican State Chair Christine Hanlon and the county chairs, proposing one livestreamed town hall in each of the 21 counties before Halloween, with unscripted audience questions and only a moderator: “I adamantly believe we need to develop a substantive dialogue with the voter, develop a narrative and conversation with them.” The campaign’s own figure for a primary-season town hall at the Long Branch Public Library was about 30 in the room and more than 100,000 online viewers; that count is the campaign’s and this review did not measure it. [30]
InsiderNJ counted about 70 people at the South Brunswick American Legion on July 10, the second stop, where he said “My opponent is taking the campaign for granted”; the Globe reported the Morris County stop in August, hosted by the county Republican committee. [20][30][31]
Family & community
Neither the campaign website nor the reporting reviewed describes a spouse or children, and this profile makes no claim about his family. The campaign’s own statement of place is that the New Jersey Pinelands are his home, and he told InsiderNJ that “Being raised in the Pinelands of Southern New Jersey has been one of the greatest blessings of my life.” [13][18]
His community roles, as the record states them, are the township committee seat and deputy mayoralty in Tabernacle, the party posts in Burlington County and Tabernacle from 1994 to 2000, and volunteer work for Bret Schundler’s property-tax effort from 2002 to 2005 and his 2005 campaign for governor. The campaign dedicates itself to the men and women of the armed forces, as it did in 2024. [18][25][13]
His Senate pledge calls the American military “the greatest force for good in our world, save religious institutions,” and its closing statement, as published by InsiderNJ, says “I run with the belief that America is the most Blessed gift God gave our world.” Neither the campaign website nor the biography InsiderNJ published states a religious affiliation, and this profile makes no claim about one. [13][18]
Mission & priorities
“I have a two-word answer as to why I am running for U.S. Senate: I care.” {13}
The following summarizes the eleven-point “Senate Pledge” and the issue pages on Murphy’s campaign website. These are proposed priorities, not completed accomplishments. [13][14][15][16][17]
01Abolish the IRS; a flat income tax
“Abolish the IRS and Internal Revenue Code and implement a Flat Income Tax.” The pledge proposes a rate of 10 to 12 percent and the abolition of the capital-gains tax, estate taxes and the alternative minimum tax; he restated the flat tax at the Morris County town hall in August 2026. No revenue estimate accompanies the proposal, and as a candidate who has never held state or federal office he has no votes on tax law. [13][31]
02Parental rights and the Department of Education
“Parental Rights are the civil rights issues of our time.” The pledge states “I advocate the complete abolition of the Federal Department of Education” and would divide what it puts at approximately 100 billion dollars of that department’s budget among local school boards for public-school funding and vouchers, which he presents as relief for New Jersey’s reliance on property taxes. The budget figure is the campaign’s. [13]
03Immigration, the border and crime
“I believe we should conclude construction of the southern border wall started by the Trump Administration.” The pledge and the immigration page add a military presence on both borders, e-verify, a revived Remain in Mexico policy, support for section 287(g) agreements, withholding federal aid from sanctuary jurisdictions and deporting criminal aliens; the drugs page opposes marijuana legalization. He repeated the sanctuary-city penalty at a July town hall. [13][17][15][20]
04Life
“I am pro-life; I believe life begins at conception, and there is inherent value in each individual life.” His stated exceptions are the life of the mother and rape or incest; he opposes tax funding of abortion and supports parental notification and the ban on partial-birth abortion. New Jersey Right to Life recommended him in the 2024 primary and its PAC recommended him, jointly with Tabor, in 2026. [13][22][27]
05Health care and medical freedom
The pledge favors universal coverage but opposes government-run health care and mandates: a health savings account for every American, a national market allowing purchase of insurance across state lines, and a Medicare and Medicaid fraud unit whose recoveries would be recycled into Social Security and Medicare. The fraud estimate the pledge cites, approximately 100 billion dollars a year, is the campaign’s. [13][18]
06Energy and the Shore
“I strongly support the expansion of nuclear power in the U.S.” The energy page calls for expedited federal leasing and permitting and production on federal lands, and the pledge’s statement of purpose wants “the Jersey Shore kept pollution and windmill free.” The pledge’s statement that America holds three times Saudi Arabia’s proven oil reserves in shale is the campaign’s figure. [13][16]
07China
“Engage the communist government of China from a position of strength, politically and economically.” The China page lists tariffs on Chinese-made goods, a larger military presence in the South China Sea, expelling Chinese diplomats and closing consulates, withholding federal aid from universities that take Chinese money, and removing ambiguity on the defense of Taiwan. [14]
08Election integrity
At a Morris County town hall in August 2026 he endorsed the administration’s effort to restrict mail-in voting (“Chain of custody is what we need to worry about”) and reaffirmed support for the SAVE Act’s documentary proof of citizenship for registration, adding “I don’t want a system that favors Republicans; I don’t want a system that favors Democrats.” He also said DOGE should become permanent and supports a balanced-budget amendment. At the same Morris County town hall he expressed support for Ukraine and said he believes its war with Russia will end soon. [31][20][13]
How to assess a proposal. A campaign plan states an intention. Enactment, implementation costs, replacement revenue, and measured results are separate questions. These priorities should be read alongside the legislative and voting history above.
The fuller record
A useful profile includes the limits of a claim, the odds a record faces and the candidate’s response where he has given one.
A plurality in a low-turnout primary
Murphy’s 82,272 votes were 33.4 percent of the 246,650 Republican ballots, computed from the official results; Tabor and Zdan together received 138,098, computed from the same results. Newsweek described the win as “built on plurality, not dominance,” and InsiderNJ noted that fewer than 250,000 voters took part. The Globe called State Senator Mike Testa’s support an early indication that Republicans who had backed other candidates were beginning to rally to him, and Murphy proposed keeping Tabor visible as a surrogate. [1][36][20][29][30]
Slogans and ballot position
The Globe’s analysis of June 13, 2026 credits part of the win to the ballot itself. The county line no longer exists, but the Camden, Gloucester and Mercer endorsements let him appear under organization slogans, and he won all three counties; by the Globe’s count his name was drawn first on the ballot in eight counties and second in seven, he carried six of the eight where he was listed first, and in Gloucester, the one county where he was both first and endorsed, he took 74 percent, which the official returns bear out at 7,919 of 10,668 Republican votes. The same analysis notes that he narrowly won Morris, where the county party was neutral and he was listed last, and that Tabor and Zdan also did better where they held slogans or top positions. The Globe describes a Republican electorate that was not sure whom to vote for; it does not attribute the result to the ballot alone. [37][1]
Money: $122.51 against $23,060,940.12
Through June 30, 2026 his committee reported $27,315.52 raised and $122.51 on hand, with $8,781.96 in debts; Senator Booker’s committee reported $33,504,255.00 raised since January 1, 2021 and $23,060,940.12 on hand. The Globe reported in July that he had spent less than $15,000 as of mid-May. [9][12][30]
The structural odds
No Republican has won a U.S. Senate election in New Jersey since 1972, as the campaign itself says and the Globe and The Hill confirm. The official 2020 canvass records Booker 2,541,239 to Rikin Mehta 1,817,091, or 57.2 percent to 40.9 percent computed from the returns; WHYY cited registration figures of 2,535,718 Democrats and 1,677,041 Republicans in June 2026; Newsweek reported prediction markets giving Booker roughly a 95 percent chance, and The Hill reported that the Cook Political Report rated the race solid Democrat. The only public poll located for this review sampled 498 likely voters in the Seventh Congressional District, not the state, in September 2026: Booker 49 percent to Murphy 43, with 73 percent expressing no opinion of Murphy. [13][29][40][8][35][36][33][32]
Mail-in voting and the SAVE Act
His endorsement of the administration’s executive order restricting mail-in voting, after the Supreme Court let parts of it proceed, is his own position: “I support anything that makes the system better.” The figure he cited, roughly 6,600 people who indicated they were not citizens but were added to New Jersey’s rolls between June 2023 and June 2024, is as the Globe reported him stating it and was not checked against state records here. Booker is seeking a third full term. [31]
What the résumé rests on
The Navy service, the law practice since 2006, the degrees and the 2021 book come from InsiderNJ’s profile, published with his own written pledge; the Globe independently calls him an attorney, author and Navy veteran, The Hill a Navy veteran, and his FEC registration carries the “LL.M.” suffix, but no service record, bar registry or library catalog confirms them in the sources cited here. The campaign site’s self-description, which WHYY also reported, is “self-employed.” [18][21][30][40][9][13][34]
Questions & answers
Who is Justin Murphy?
Justin Michael Murphy’s public record is that of a Republican candidate in a Democratic state: a Navy enlistment, one term on the Tabernacle Township Committee, a law practice, and four runs for federal office, of which the June 2, 2026 Senate primary was the first he won. [18][28][6][7][5][1] He lives in Tabernacle, in the Pine Barrens of Burlington County; the address on the Division of Elections’ candidate lists and on the campaign’s own disclaimer is on Worrell Road there. He told InsiderNJ that “Being raised in the Pinelands of Southern New Jersey has been one of the greatest blessings of my life.” Neither the campaign website nor the reporting reviewed here describes a spouse or children, and this profile makes no claim about his family. [2][13][18]
What office is Justin Murphy running for in 2026?
Who is Justin Murphy running against?
He kicked off a second Senate campaign in Medford in December 2025, filed his statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission on January 2, 2026, and in the June 2, 2026 primary received 82,272 votes: 33.4 percent of the 246,650 cast in the four-way Republican contest, computed from the official results, and 10,357 more than Richard Tabor. The Associated Press called the race at 11:25 p.m. Senator Cory Booker, unopposed in the Democratic primary, received 587,980 votes. The Secretary of State’s July 27, 2026 lists certify both as candidates in the November 3 general election, and the Division of Elections’ candidate e-mail list carries the campaign’s contact address. [23][9][1][35][2][3][4]
What are Justin Murphy's stated priorities?
The following summarizes the eleven-point “Senate Pledge” and the issue pages on Murphy’s campaign website. These are proposed priorities, not completed accomplishments. [13][14][15][16][17] The campaign lists: Abolish the IRS; a flat income tax; Parental rights and the Department of Education; Immigration, the border and crime; Life; Health care and medical freedom; Energy and the Shore; China; Election integrity.
What does the public record show?
Election returns, Federal Election Commission filings and the reporting of the state’s political press establish the following work. Outcomes are described at the level those records support, with the candidate’s own account labeled as such where no primary document was available. The New Jersey Globe records that Murphy was elected to the Tabernacle Township Committee in 2000, ousting incumbent Frances Brooks by about 250 votes, that he served as deputy mayor and as the township’s Republican municipal chairman, and that he did not seek re-election in 2003; InsiderNJ’s profile gives the election as November 2000 and the term as three years. Tabernacle is a largely rural Pine Barrens town in Burlington County. [21][23][18]
How was this profile researched?
Reviewed September 17, 2026. This is a documented overview of publicly available biography, election history, campaign-finance filings and stated priorities for a candidate who has not held state or federal office; there is no legislative voting record to review, and no official biography exists. Navy service records, bar records, degree years and Tabernacle township minutes from 2001 to 2003 were not part of this review, and an Open Library search returned no record for the 2021 book; those facts rest on InsiderNJ’s profile of the candidate, published with his own written pledge, and on the New Jersey Globe’s reporting, and are labeled as such. Primary and general-election percentages were computed from the Division of Elections’ official returns. Ballotpedia, the New Jersey Monitor, the Naval Vessel Register and the race-rating pages of the Cook Political Report, Sabato’s Crystal Ball and Inside Elections could not be retrieved for this review and are not cited; the Cook rating is cited as The Hill reported it, and The Hill’s article was reached through its AMP address. The independent-expenditure tables on the FEC candidate page load separately and were not retrieved. A second, independent fact-check on September 17, 2026 verified every claim against the cited documents, corrected wording where the record supported less, and added four documents. Filings and campaign pages may change after this review.
Sources & methodology
Government records anchor the profile: the New Jersey Division of Elections’ official primary returns for each of his four primaries, its canvass of Booker’s last election, the Secretary of State’s certifications, and the Federal Election Commission’s candidate and committee summaries. Reporting by the New Jersey Globe, InsiderNJ, WHYY, Newsweek and The Hill supplies the biography, the endorsements, the race rating and the candidate’s responses; campaign materials are used for his own priorities and claims.
- 01Official Primary Election Results: U.S. Senate (June 2, 2026 primary)New Jersey Division of Elections · July 27, 2026
County-by-county official tallies: Murphy 82,272; Tabor 71,915; Zdan 66,183; Lebovics 26,280; Booker 587,980. Slogans and county lines. Percentages and county winners in this profile were computed from these figures.Government record - 02Official General Election Candidates: U.S. Senate (November 3, 2026)New Jersey Division of Elections · July 27, 2026
Booker (Democratic), Murphy (Republican), Fernandez and Kuniansky; Murphy’s Tabernacle address.Government record - 03Certification of General Election Nominees: U.S. Senate & U.S. House of RepresentativesNew Jersey Secretary of State, Division of Elections · July 27, 2026
The Secretary of State’s certification of the November 3, 2026 nominees, with the candidate lists; the signature page is scanned.Government record - 04Unofficial General Election Candidates Email Addresses: U.S. SenateNew Jersey Division of Elections · July 27, 2026
The campaign e-mail addresses filed by each Senate candidate, including jerseyjustin4senate@gmail.com and bookerteam@corybooker.com.Government record - 05Official Primary Election Results: U.S. Senate (June 4, 2024 primary)New Jersey Division of Elections · July 2, 2024
Republican primary: Bashaw 144,869; Serrano Glassner 121,986; Murphy 35,954; Harshaw 15,064. Murphy’s 11.3 percent was computed from these figures.Government record - 06Candidate Returns for House of Representatives, June 2008 Primary ElectionNew Jersey Division of Elections · July 11, 2008
Third District Republican primary: Myers 12,694; Kelly 6,531; Justin Michael Murphy 6,494, under the slogan Traditional Republicans For Reform And Accountability.Government record - 07Candidate Returns for House of Representatives, June 2010 Primary ElectionNew Jersey Division of Elections · July 12, 2010
Third District Republican primary: Runyan 17,250; Murphy 11,304. Percentages computed from these figures.Government record - 08Official General Election Results: U.S. Senate (November 3, 2020)New Jersey Division of Elections · October 14, 2021
Booker 2,541,239; Mehta 1,817,091; three other candidates 38,288, 32,290 and 11,632. Percentages computed from these figures.Government record - 09MURPHY, JUSTIN MICHAEL LL.M. — Candidate overview, 2026 cycle (S4NJ00532)Federal Election Commission · Accessed September 17, 2026
Financial summary for January 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026: receipts $27,315.52; disbursements $26,296.95; cash on hand $122.51; debts $8,781.96; candidate loans $4,931.96. Statement of candidacy FEC-1930527 filed January 2, 2026; no independent expenditures listed.Government record - 10MURPHY, JUSTIN MICHAEL LL.M. — Candidate overview, 2024 cycle (S4NJ00532)Federal Election Commission · Accessed September 17, 2026
The 2024 cycle: receipts $12,028.82; individual contributions $7,578.82; candidate loans $3,850.00; disbursements $12,924.88.Government record - 11THE COMMITTEE TO ELECT JUSTIN MURPHY 2024 — Committee overview (C00865808)Federal Election Commission · Accessed September 17, 2026
The principal campaign committee’s registered name and its 2025–2026 summary, matching the candidate page.Government record - 12BOOKER, CORY A. — Candidate overview, 2026 cycle (S4NJ00185)Federal Election Commission · Accessed September 17, 2026
Senator Booker’s six-year summary, January 1, 2021 to June 30, 2026: receipts $33,504,255.00; disbursements $16,330,421.17; cash on hand $23,060,940.12.Government record - 13Murphy for U.S. Senate 2026 — home page and “My Senate Pledge”Jersey Justin for Senate (campaign) · Accessed September 17, 2026
The eleven-point pledge and closing statement quoted in this profile; the committee disclaimer, treasurer, contact details and social-media links. Self-descriptions and proposals, not record.Campaign or advocacy material - 14Issue: ChinaJersey Justin for Senate (campaign) · Accessed September 17, 2026
The China position and policy list. Proposals, not record.Campaign or advocacy material - 15Issue: DrugsJersey Justin for Senate (campaign) · Accessed September 17, 2026
Opposition to marijuana legalization. Proposals, not record.Campaign or advocacy material - 16Issue: EnergyJersey Justin for Senate (campaign) · Accessed September 17, 2026
Federal leasing, permitting and production on federal lands. Proposals, not record.Campaign or advocacy material - 17Issue: ImmigrationJersey Justin for Senate (campaign) · Accessed September 17, 2026
Border wall, military deployment, e-verify, Title 42, sanctuary-aid suspension, Remain in Mexico. Proposals, not record.Campaign or advocacy material - 18Proud Son of the Pinelands Murphy Wants to Take on BookerInsiderNJ (Max Pizarro) · February 4, 2026
The candidate’s own biography as published: Navy enlistment at 17 and service aboard USS Comte De Grasse (DD 974); Township Committee from November 2000; party posts 1988–2005; attorney since 2006; degrees; the 2021 book; the full pledge text. His account, not independently verified.Independent reporting - 19Murphy Wins Republican Primary for U.S. SenateInsiderNJ (Max Pizarro) · June 2, 2026
Primary-night report describing him as an attorney, military veteran and former Tabernacle committeeman, with the same biography.Independent reporting - 20Murphy: ‘My Opponent is Taking the Campaign for Granted’InsiderNJ (Fred Snowflack) · July 11, 2026
The South Brunswick town hall: about 70 attendees; the primary drew fewer than 250,000 voters; sanctuary-city penalties, the SAVE Act and his self-description as a pro-life Reagan Republican.Independent reporting - 21Justin Michael Murphy planning to enter GOP U.S. Senate race in N.J.New Jersey Globe (David Wildstein) · December 20, 2023
Attorney and Navy veteran; the 2000 win over incumbent Frances Brooks by about 250 votes; Tabernacle GOP municipal chairman; 2008 off the line with Schundler’s endorsement; 2010 Tea Party backing.Independent reporting - 22N.J. Right to Life recommends Justin Murphy for U.S. SenateNew Jersey Globe (David Wildstein) · May 15, 2024
The 2024 primary recommendation; former Tabernacle deputy mayor.Independent reporting - 23Former Tabernacle committeeman will run for U.S. Senate againNew Jersey Globe (Joey Fox) · December 18, 2025
The Medford kickoff; elected to the township committee in 2000 and did not seek re-election in 2003; the 2008, 2010 and 2024 primary losses; the only declared Republican at the time.Independent reporting - 24Gloucester GOP endorses Justin Murphy for U.S. SenateNew Jersey Globe (David Wildstein) · March 1, 2026
Gloucester endorsement by acclamation after Natalie Rivera withdrew; the Camden endorsement; third at Burlington with 17 votes; the county-organization map at that date.Independent reporting - 25Mercer goes for Murphy in Senate raceNew Jersey Globe (David Wildstein) · March 3, 2026
Mercer County Republican convention: Murphy 66, Tabor 38; former Tabernacle Deputy Mayor Justin Michael Murphy.Independent reporting - 26Spadea endorses Murphy for U.S. SenateNew Jersey Globe (David Wildstein) · May 14, 2026
Bill Spadea’s endorsement and his statements about the other three candidates.Independent reporting - 27N.J. Right to Life PAC announces 2026 endorsements, including Pino in NJ-9New Jersey Globe (Joey Fox) · May 21, 2026
The PAC’s Senate recommendation went to two candidates, Murphy and Tabor.Independent reporting - 28Justin Murphy gets Senate nod to challenge Cory Booker, lead GOP ticketNew Jersey Globe (Joey Fox) · June 2, 2026
Primary-night projection: 33 percent, about 9,000 votes ahead of Tabor with nearly all votes counted; party support in Camden, Gloucester and Mercer; the fractured convention season; his 2008, 2010 and 2024 losses.Independent reporting - 29Testa ready to help Murphy take on BookerNew Jersey Globe (Joe Seewald) · June 12, 2026
Senator Mike Testa’s post-primary support after backing Zdan; no Republican Senate win since 1972; Booker’s 16-point 2020 margin.Independent reporting - 30Murphy launches 21-county town hall tour in Senate bid against BookerNew Jersey Globe (David Wildstein) · July 2, 2026
The strategy memo to the state and county chairs; the town-hall format; the Long Branch figures as the campaign gave them; Tabor as surrogate; less than $15,000 spent as of mid-May.Independent reporting - 31Murphy backs Trump effort to limit mail-in votingNew Jersey Globe (Joe Seewald) · August 28, 2026
The Morris County town hall: mail-in voting, the SAVE Act, a flat tax, Ukraine; the October 8 debate sponsored by the Globe and Rider University.Independent reporting - 32Poll: NJ-7 race is too close to callNew Jersey Globe (David Wildstein) · September 14, 2026
The Globe’s account of the InsiderNJ/StimSight Seventh District poll, including Booker 49 percent to Murphy 43 in that district and the poll sponsor’s political contributions.Independent reporting - 33Insider NJ – NJ07 General Election Poll, September 2026 (toplines)StimSight Research for InsiderNJ · September 8–12, 2026
498 likely voters in the Seventh Congressional District, margin of error 4.7 points: Senate ballot Booker 49, Murphy 43, other 2, undecided 6; Murphy’s favorability 8 very and 7 somewhat favorable, 3 and 10 unfavorable, 73 percent no opinion. A district sample, not a statewide poll.Independent analysis or rating - 34New Jersey election 2026: These 4 Republicans hope to unseat U.S. Sen. Cory BookerWHYY (David Matthau) · April 18, 2026
Pre-primary profiles of the four Republicans; Murphy as a self-described self-employed former committeeman; the field’s stated priorities.Independent reporting - 35Justin Murphy wins New Jersey’s Republican Senate primary. He’ll face Cory Booker in NovemberWHYY (David Matthau) · June 3, 2026
The Associated Press call at 11:25 p.m.; Murphy described as an attorney; statewide registration of 2,535,718 Democrats and 1,677,041 Republicans among 6,679,849 voters.Independent reporting - 36Justin Murphy’s Chances Against Cory Booker In NJ Senate RaceNewsweek (Sam Stevenson) · June 3, 2026
The plurality framing of the primary result; prediction markets giving Booker roughly a 95 percent chance; Booker’s campaign statements.Independent reporting - 37How party slogans and ballot draws defined many of New Jersey’s primary contestsNew Jersey Globe (Joey Fox) · June 13, 2026
The Globe’s post-primary analysis: the county line no longer exists, but endorsement slogans and randomly drawn ballot position shaped the Senate primary; Murphy first on the ballot in eight counties, 74 percent in Gloucester, a narrow win in neutral Morris; roughly $15,000 raised.Independent reporting - 38In Senate race to beat Booker, GOP donors aren’t opening their walletsNew Jersey Globe (Joey Fox) · April 16, 2026
First-quarter 2026 reports as the Globe read them: Murphy $9,709 raised, Zdan $7,379, Lebovics $101,260 including $100,000 of his own money; Booker’s $22,171,570 on hand.Independent reporting - 39Justin Murphy announces bid for U.S. Senate in N.J. GOP primaryNew Jersey Globe (David Wildstein) · January 27, 2024
The January 26, 2024 entry into the 2024 Senate primary, with the “I care” line; this report alone calls him a former Tabernacle mayor, where the Globe’s other reports say deputy mayor; 58-year-old attorney and Navy veteran; the 2008 and 2010 primaries.Independent reporting - 40GOP Senate candidate Justin Murphy to face New Jersey Democrat Cory Booker in NovemberThe Hill (Finya Swai) · June 3, 2026
Murphy as a Navy veteran; negative $24 cash on hand on the pre-primary FEC report; Booker’s more than $22 million; the Cook Political Report rating of the race as solid Democrat; no Republican Senate win since 1972. Retrieved through the article’s AMP address; the main address blocks automated retrieval.Independent reporting
No matching sources. Try “Clerk,” “Senate,” or “campaign.”
Scope & method. Reviewed September 17, 2026. This is a documented overview of publicly available biography, election history, campaign-finance filings and stated priorities for a candidate who has not held state or federal office; there is no legislative voting record to review, and no official biography exists. Navy service records, bar records, degree years and Tabernacle township minutes from 2001 to 2003 were not part of this review, and an Open Library search returned no record for the 2021 book; those facts rest on InsiderNJ’s profile of the candidate, published with his own written pledge, and on the New Jersey Globe’s reporting, and are labeled as such. Primary and general-election percentages were computed from the Division of Elections’ official returns. Ballotpedia, the New Jersey Monitor, the Naval Vessel Register and the race-rating pages of the Cook Political Report, Sabato’s Crystal Ball and Inside Elections could not be retrieved for this review and are not cited; the Cook rating is cited as The Hill reported it, and The Hill’s article was reached through its AMP address. The independent-expenditure tables on the FEC candidate page load separately and were not retrieved. A second, independent fact-check on September 17, 2026 verified every claim against the cited documents, corrected wording where the record supported less, and added four documents. Filings and campaign pages may change after this review.
Images. The candidate portrait is a campaign photograph published on the Murphy campaign’s website (jerseyjustin4senate.org), used as a last resort because no government portrait exists for a candidate who holds no office and no freely licensed photograph of him could be located on Wikimedia Commons; it is flagged for the owner’s decision and will be replaced if the campaign objects or a licensed image becomes available. Inclusion does not imply campaign authorization or endorsement of this publication.
Where to find the candidate
Every link below was read from the campaign’s own website or the candidate’s official government page. A follower count is printed only where it was measured; otherwise the link is published and the number is left blank rather than guessed at.
Voting in New Jersey: official dates, deadlines and rules
The general election is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. The dates and rules below were read from the New Jersey Department of State, Division of Elections; the authority's own page, linked beside each one, is the final word.
Dates and deadlines
- Voter registration deadlineOctober 13, 2026 (21 days before the election) is the voter registration deadline for the November 3, 2026 general election. The Division of Elections prints a single deadline: it gives no separate dates for online and paper applications and no time of day. Register online through the state's voter registration system, or mail or deliver a paper Voter Registration Application to the County Commissioner of Registration or Superintendent of Elections for your county. Read from: nj.gov/state/elections/voter-registration.shtml
- Registering in person on deadline dayOctober 13, 2026, until 9:00 p.m.: on the registration deadline (21 days before the election) the offices of the County Commissioners of Registration must offer evening voter registration from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.; evening registration is optional for municipal clerks. Read from: nj.gov/state/elections/assets/pdf/chrons/2026-chron-general-election-0109.pdf
- Mail-in ballots start going outSeptember 19, 2026 (45 days before the election): counties begin mailing mail-in ballots to voters for the general election; the Division of Elections notes that some counties begin before then. Read from: nj.gov/state/elections/vote-by-mail.shtml
- In-person early voting beginsOctober 24, 2026: in-person early voting begins for the general election. Every county designates in-person early voting locations; hours are Monday–Saturday, 10:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m., and Sunday, 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. No appointment is necessary. Read from: nj.gov/state/elections/vote-early-voting.shtml
- Last day of in-person early votingNovember 1, 2026: last day of in-person early voting for the general election. November 1, 2026 is a Sunday, when the printed hours are 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. Read from: nj.gov/state/elections/vote-early-voting.shtml
- Deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot by mailOctober 27, 2026 (not less than 7 days before the election): deadline to apply by mail for a mail-in ballot. The application goes to your County Clerk, and the Voters' Bill of Rights says a mailed application “needs to get there at least 7 days before the election.” After that date a voter may still apply in person at the County Clerk's office until 3:00 p.m. on November 2, 2026. Read from: nj.gov/state/elections/assets/pdf/chrons/2026-chron-general-election-0109.pdf
- Deadline to return a mail-in ballotNovember 3, 2026 (Election Day), 8:00 p.m. By mail: the ballot must be postmarked on or before 8:00 p.m. on November 3 and be received by your county's Board of Elections on or before November 9, 2026. In one of your county's secure ballot drop boxes, or in person at your county's Board of Elections office: by 8:00 p.m. on November 3. Mail-in ballots cannot be returned to an early voting site or a polling place. Read from: nj.gov/state/elections/assets/pdf/flyer-how-to-vote/2026-11-how-to-vote-english.pdf
- Poll hours on Election DayPolls are open from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Election Day, November 3, 2026. If you are in line to vote at the time the polls close, you must be allowed to vote. Read from: nj.gov/state/elections/assets/pdf/posters-bill-of-rights/2026-11-bill-of-rights-poster-english.pdf
Rules to know
- What to bringThe Voters' Bill of Rights for the November 3, 2026 general election says certain “Need ID” voters have to show ID at the polling place: a voter who registered by mail in the county after January 1, 2003, has never voted in a federal election in the county and did not provide identification before voting for the first time at the polling place; a voter who did not complete the ID-number section of the registration form and did not respond to a request for that information; and a mail-in registrant whose driver's license number or last four Social Security digits could not be verified. ID may be any valid and current photo ID (NJ driver's license, military or other government ID, student or job ID, store membership card) or any current document with your name and address on it (bank statement, car registration, sample ballot, utility bill, pay check, rent receipt, government check or document). A “Need ID” voter who shows no identification cannot vote on the voting machine and must vote with a provisional paper ballot; for that ballot to count, a copy of the ID must be submitted to the County Commissioner of Registration by close of business on the second day after the election. Read from: nj.gov/state/elections/assets/pdf/posters-bill-of-rights/2026-11-bill-of-rights-poster-english.pdf
- Voting by mailEvery active registered voter is eligible to request a mail-in ballot. Apply by completing the Application for Mail-in Ballot and returning it to your County Clerk; the Vote-By-Mail page also links an online request, which asks for your date of birth and a form of identification. To receive the ballot by mail you must request it not less than 7 days before the election (October 27, 2026); otherwise you must get it in person from your County Clerk by 3 p.m. the day before Election Day (November 2, 2026). A mail-in ballot requires the voter's signature but no witness or notary, and no copy of ID except under certain circumstances for first-time voters, who receive a notice with the ballot. Return it by mail, in one of your county's secure ballot drop boxes, or in person at your county's Board of Elections office by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day (a mailed ballot must be postmarked by then and received on or before 6 days after Election Day); it cannot be returned at an early voting location or an Election Day polling place. A voter registered to vote by mail must opt out, by contacting the County Clerk, in order to vote on a machine at an early voting location; one who goes to the polling place on Election Day will have to vote using a paper provisional ballot. Read from: nj.gov/state/elections/vote-by-mail.shtml
- In-person early votingEvery county offers in-person early voting for the general election from October 24, 2026 through November 1, 2026. Registered voters cast their ballot in person, using a voting machine, at an in-person early voting location designated by their county; the Division of Elections lists the locations county by county and tells voters to find the most convenient early voting site in their county. Hours are Monday–Saturday, 10:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m., and Sunday, 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m., and no appointment is necessary. A voter who has received a vote-by-mail ballot but has not voted it may only vote by paper provisional ballot at the polling place. Read from: nj.gov/state/elections/vote-early-voting.shtml
- Track your mail-in ballotVoters can track a mail-in ballot through the Division of Elections' Track My Ballot portal. Sign up for an account with your Voter ID, which you can find with the “Am I Registered” voter search tool. The tracker shows one of four statuses: N/A (the ballot has not yet been received by your county's Board of Elections), Received, Rejected or Accepted (the ballot has been counted). Each county updates the status of its own voters' ballots. Read from: nj.gov/state/elections/vote-track-my-ballot.shtml
- Fixing a signature problem (ballot cure)If your vote-by-mail ballot was missing your signature, or the County Board of Elections has determined that your signature does not match the signature in your voting record, your county Board of Elections will provide you an opportunity to certify that you did, in fact, cast that ballot. A missing or non-matching signature is the only reason, by law, that a ballot can be cured and then counted. The Division's timeline sets November 14, 2026 (within 11 days after the general election) as the deadline for county Boards of Election to receive the cure form. Read from: nj.gov/state/elections/vote-track-my-ballot.shtml
Read from: 2026 General Election Timeline · New Jersey Department of State - Division of Elections - NJ Voter Information Portal · NJ DOS - Division of Elections - Register to Vote! · NJ DOS - Division of Elections - Vote-By-Mail · NJ DOS - Division of Elections - In-Person Early Voting · 3 Ways to Vote in New Jersey — Rules and dates as of Sep 17, 2026
Ideas, questions, corrections
If something on this page is wrong, out of date, or missing, the fastest way to get it fixed is to send the document. Corrections that arrive with a source are applied. Suggestions for what the Ledger should cover next are welcome on the same address. jerseyjustin4senate@gmail.com
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