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2 candidates are tracked for Union County Clerk on the November 3, 2026 ballot: Tai Cooper and Jimmy Diaz, Jr.. Candidate information follows official Union County election filings; verify with the official election office linked below.
Following the July 16, 2026 death of longtime County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi, who served more than 30 years, Democrats nominated Tai Cooper and Republicans nominated Jimmy Diaz Jr. for the November 3, 2026 general election; no primary contest was held for this office, per Union County Life and the Union County Clerk's certified general-election candidate list. The winner will serve a full five-year term rather than complete Rajoppi's remaining term, per Union County Life.
Cooper is chief community development officer at the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, where she leads communications and policy engagement strategy, per the NJEDA's official biography. She previously served as deputy chief policy adviser to Governor Phil Murphy, chief policy adviser to Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, senior aide to U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg, and chief of staff to the mayor of Orange, per the NJEDA and Union County Life. A Fanwood resident, she holds a bachelor's degree in urban planning from Rutgers University and a master's in urban planning from NYU, per the NJEDA. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Tai Cooper.
Diaz, a Linden resident, won the Republican primary nomination for Linden mayor in June 2026 before withdrawing from that race, saying it was "in Linden's best interest to remove myself from the ballot," per Union County Life. His withdrawal from the mayoral race unified Republican support behind his county clerk candidacy, per New Jersey Globe. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Jimmy Diaz, Jr..
