Who is on the ballot in 08879?

Frank Pallone Jr. is the sitting U.S. Representative for this district, serving in the House since January 1989 (from the 3rd District until the 1992 redistricting) and in this district since January 1993, per the chamber's membership roster and pallone.house.gov. A lawyer by training born in Long Branch, he is the top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, per his official House site.

Hillary Herzig is an Oceanport resident, mother of three, military spouse, and civil servant making her first run for office, per the New Jersey Globe. She has worked with the Key West Police Department, U.S. Army intelligence and security operations, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, per the New Jersey Globe and her campaign site.

Cory Booker is New Jersey's sitting U.S. senator, serving since 2013, per the campaign site. He attended Stanford University on a football scholarship, studied at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar and graduated from Yale Law School in 1997, per the campaign site. He lived in Newark's Central Ward and later served as a tenant lawyer, city councilman and mayor of Newark, per the campaign site. The campaign site says he helped write and pass the First Step Act in 2018. The campaign site lists no issues as of October 15, 2026.

Justin Murphy is a self-employed small business owner from Tabernacle in Burlington County's Pine Barrens, per his campaign site and the New Jersey Globe. He served four years in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Comte De Grasse, including six months in the Persian Gulf, per WHYY, and served one term on the Tabernacle Township Committee after his 2000 election, per the New Jersey Globe.

Veronica Fernandez is an independent candidate for U.S. Senate from New Jersey, running under the slogan "End the Corruption." A lifelong New Jersey resident, Fernandez co-owns a small commercial electrical contracting business with her husband, according to the campaign site. Fernandez's platform centers on campaign finance reform, affordability and answering to constituents rather than party leadership.

Joanne Kuniansky is the Socialist Workers Party nominee for U.S. Senate from New Jersey. Kuniansky joined the Socialist Workers Party in 1977 and has worked in oil refineries, railroads, meatpacking and as a Walmart deli worker, according to Insider NJ. No campaign website was found as of October 20, 2026.

Claribel Cortes serves as Middlesex County Surrogate, the countywide office that oversees probate of wills, estates, and guardianships. A North Brunswick resident, she is the first Latina elected to a countywide constitutional office in Middlesex County and is seeking a new five-year term. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Claribel Cortes.

Harold V. Kane Jr. is running for Middlesex County Surrogate on the Middlesex County Republican Organization slate in the November 2026 election. The Surrogate oversees probate of wills, estates, adoptions, and guardianships for county residents. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Harold V. Kane Jr.

Charles E. Tomaro of Edison has served on the Middlesex County Board of County Commissioners since 2014, with a county portfolio focused on infrastructure and engineering. He previously spent sixteen years on the Edison Township Council. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026.

Leslie Koppel of Monroe Township has served on the Middlesex County Board of County Commissioners since 2017 and is a former Monroe Township council president. Commissioners set the county budget and oversee county services for 25 municipalities. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Leslie Koppel.

John "Jack" Mikolajczyk is running for Middlesex County Commissioner on the Middlesex County Republican Organization slate in the November 2026 election. The seven-member board sets the county budget and oversees county departments. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for John "Jack" Mikolajczyk.

Andrew Zaborney is running for Middlesex County Commissioner on the Middlesex County Republican Organization slate in the November 2026 election. The seven-member board sets the county budget and oversees county departments. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Andrew Zaborney.

Frank DellaPietro III is a sitting member of the Woodbridge Township Board of Education, whose term ends in 2026, and chairs its Personnel and Safety & Security committees, per the district's board page. He is a firefighter, EMT and fire prevention official with the Fords Fire Department (since 1991) and a fire service instructor at the Middlesex County Fire Academy, per the slate profile Patch published in September 2023. The ballot slogan filed with the county clerk is "Improving Our Schools." No campaign website was found as of October 1, 2026.

Marie Anderson is a sitting member of the Woodbridge Township Board of Education, whose term ends in 2026, per the district's board page. She is director of diversity, equity and inclusion at Hackensack Meridian Health and a former school business administrator, with a bachelor's degree from Florida A&M University and a master's in healthcare administration from Seton Hall University, per the slate profile Patch published in September 2023. The ballot slogan filed with the county clerk is "Improving Our Schools." No campaign website was found as of October 1, 2026.

Nazam Mohammed is a sitting member of the Woodbridge Township Board of Education, whose term ends in 2026, per the district's board page. He is a CPA and auditor who owns NZM Accounting & Consulting Services, an adjunct professor at Hudson County Community College and an assistant director in Rutgers University's Office for Research, per the slate profile Patch published in September 2023. The ballot slogan filed with the county clerk is "Improving Our Schools." No campaign website was found as of October 1, 2026.