The Ballot Brief
2026 U.S. House

New Jersey's 9th Congressional District — 2026 Candidates

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U.S. House · NJ-9
Primary: Tuesday, June 2, 2026 General: Tuesday, November 3, 2026

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2026 candidates we're tracking in NJ-9

Nelida Pou

Nelida Pou

DemocraticIncumbent

Top priorities

From the campaign site

  • Lowering housing, grocery, child care, and health costs, including extending ACA tax credits
  • Protecting health care, including the ACA, Medicaid, and drug costs
  • Community safety, including police funding and 2026 World Cup security at MetLife
About Nelida Pou

Nelida 'Nellie' Pou is the sitting U.S. Representative for this district, sworn in January 2025 as the first Latina from New Jersey in Congress, serving on Transportation and Infrastructure and Homeland Security, per her official House biography. She served as a state senator for the 35th District from 2012 after entering the Assembly in 1997, and spent over 40 years working for the City of Paterson, including as Business Administrator.

Rosie Pino

Rosie Pino

Republican

Top priorities

From the campaign site

  • Economy and affordability, including tax cuts and energy independence
  • Health care price transparency and protecting pre-existing conditions and Medicare
  • Fully funding law enforcement
About Rosie Pino

Rosie Pino is a Clifton city councilwoman, educator, and former U.S. Treasury bank examiner who served two terms on the Clifton Board of Education before winning a council seat in 2018 as the first minority elected to Clifton's council, per her campaign site. Born in the Bronx to Ecuadorian immigrant parents, she earned a GED and a Rutgers finance degree while raising a family. She won the June nomination by 366 votes, per the New Jersey Globe.

Terrisa Bukovinac

Independent

Terrisa Bukovinac is an anti-abortion activist on the certified list with the slogan Save Our Babies; her certified address is in Tennessee, per the New Jersey Globe.

About this race

New Jersey's 9th Congressional District elects one member of the U.S. House of Representatives to a two-year term. Every House seat in the country is on the ballot in 2026. The New Jersey primary is Tuesday, June 2, 2026, and the general election is Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

New Jersey primary details →  ·  New Jersey voter guide →