The 2018 United States Senate election in New Jersey took place on November 6, 2018, in order to elect a member of the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

to represent the state of

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Bob Menendez won reelection to a third term over Republican businessman

Bob Hugin Robert John Hugin (born July 23, 1954) is an American businessman who was formerly the executive chairman of Celgene, a biopharmaceutical company. Hugin was the Republican nominee in the 2018 United States Senate election in New Jersey, where he ...

. The candidate filing deadline was April 2, 2018, for Democratic and Republican candidates, and the primary election was held on June 5, 2018. The deadline for independent candidates was June 5, 2018. Despite the race being rated as a tossup by some political pundits, including ''

The Cook Political Report ''The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter'' is an American online newsletter that analyzes elections and campaigns for the U.S. Presidency, the United States Senate, the United States House of Representatives, and U.S. governors' offices. Sel ...

'', Menendez was reelected by an 11.2% margin. However, Hugin was the first Republican Senate candidate to carry

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

and

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

counties since

Clifford Case Clifford Philip Case Jr. (April 16, 1904March 5, 1982), was an American lawyer and politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a U.S. Representative (1945–1953) and a U.S. Senator (1955–1979) from New Jersey. He is currentl ...

's landslide victory in

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using mean solar tim ...

Democratic primary

While he never lost support from any major New Jersey officials, after a mistrial was declared in Senator Menendez's corruption trial, party figures across New Jersey lined up with public endorsements of his reelection bid, including the "full support" of Governor

Phil Murphy Philip Dunton Murphy (born August 16, 1957) is an American financier, diplomat, and politician serving as the 56th governor of New Jersey since January 2018. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the United States ambassador to Germa ...

. He formally declared his intention to run for reelection on March 28, 2018, alongside Governor Murphy and Senator

Cory Booker Cory Anthony Booker (born April 27, 1969) is an American politician and attorney who has served as the junior United States senator from New Jersey since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, Booker is the first African-American U.S. se ...

Candidates

Nominee

* Bob Menendez, incumbent U.S. Senator

Eliminated in Primary

* Lisa McCormick, activist and candidate for Union County Clerk in 2010

Withdrew

* Michael Starr Hopkins, attorney

Declined

Rob Andrews Robert Ernest Andrews (born August 4, 1957) is an American politician who served as a U.S. representative for from 1990 to 2014. The district included most of Camden County and parts of Burlington County and Gloucester County. Early life, ...

, former U.S. Representative * Richard Codey, State Senator and former governor * Rush D. Holt Jr., former U.S. Representative *

Donald Norcross Donald W. Norcross (born December 13, 1958) is an American politician and labor leader who is the U.S. representative for in South Jersey. A member of the Democratic Party, Norcross was first elected to this congressional seat in 2014, follow ...

, U.S. Representative *

Frank Pallone Frank Joseph Pallone Jr. (; born October 30, 1951) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for , serving since 1988. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district, numbered as the 3rd district from 1988 to ...

, U.S. Representative * Stephen M. Sweeney, President of the State Senate *

Robert Torricelli Robert Guy Torricelli (born August 27, 1951), is an American attorney and former politician. A Democrat, Torricelli served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Jersey's 9th district from 1983 to 1997 and as a United States s ...

, former U.S. Senator

Results

Republican primary

Bob Hugin launched his primary campaign on February 13 in Springfield. He began advertising on television two weeks later, attacking Menendez on the airwaves, and was soon considered the presumptive nominee. His opponent, Brian Goldberg, attempted to connect himself to President Donald Trump and his supporters by inserting the President's abbreviated slogan, "MAGA", into his ballot slogans and aligning himself with other pro-Trump, anti-establishment candidates. Goldberg also attacked Hugin's running mates, urging Republicans to write in the deceased Charlton Heston in primary races where a Republican congressional candidate was running unopposed. Ultimately, Hugin won overwhelmingly with a majority of votes in each of the state's 21 counties.

Candidates

Nominee

, businessman and former executive chairman of

Celgene Corporation Celgene Corporation is a pharmaceutical company that makes cancer and immunology drugs. Its major product is Revlimid (lenalidomide), which is used in the treatment of multiple myeloma, and also in certain anemias. The company is incorporated in ...

Eliminated in Primary

* Brian D. Goldberg, businessman and candidate for the U.S. Senate in

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

Withdrew

* Rich Pezzullo, businessman (endorsed Bob Hugin, running for NJ-6) * Hirsh Singh, aerospace engineer and candidate for governor in 2017 ( running for NJ-2) * Dana Wefer, former chairwoman of the

Hoboken Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58,69 ...

Housing Authority and candidate for governor in 2017 (did not submit enough petition signatures)

Declined

Jon Bramnick Jon M. Bramnick (born February 24, 1953) is an American Republican Party politician, who has served in the New Jersey Senate since 2022, representing the 21st legislative district. He previously served in the New Jersey General Assembly, repres ...

, Minority Leader of the

New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 Session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts f ...

(endorsed Hugin) *

Jeffrey Chiesa Jeffrey Scott Chiesa ( ; born June 22, 1965) is an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Senator from New Jersey from June 10 to October 31, 2013. As a member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 59th Attor ...

, former U.S. Senator * Chris Christie, former Governor of New Jersey, governor * Jack Ciattarelli, former State Assemblyman and candidate for Governor in New Jersey gubernatorial election, 2017, 2017 * John Crowley (biotech executive), John Crowley, biotechnology executive * Michael J. Doherty, state senator * Kim Guadagno, former Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey, lieutenant governor and nominee for Governor in 2017 * Thomas Kean Jr., Minority Leader of the New Jersey Senate and nominee for the U.S. Senate in United States Senate election in New Jersey, 2006, 2006 * Joe Kyrillos, former state senator and nominee for the U.S. Senate in United States Senate election in New Jersey, 2012, 2012 * Tom MacArthur, U.S. Representative (endorsed Hugin) * Alison Littell McHose, former state assemblywoman * Bill Spadea, radio and TV show host; nominee for New Jersey's 12th congressional district, NJ-12 in United States House of Representatives elections, 2004#New Jersey, 2004 * Jerry Watson * Jay Webber, State Assemblyman and former Chairman of the New Jersey Republican State Committee (United States House of Representatives elections in New Jersey, 2018#District 11, running for NJ-11)

Endorsements

Results

Libertarian Party

Candidates

*Murray Sabrin, Ramapo College finance professor, Anisfield School of Business

Endorsements

Green Party

* Madelyn R. Hoffman, peace activist and New Jersey gubernatorial election, 1997, 1997 Green Party gubernatorial candidate

Independents

Candidates

* Tricia Flanagan (New Day NJ), consultant * Kevin Kimple (Make it Simple), small business owner * Natalie Rivera (For the People), social services coordinator * Hank Schroeder (Economic Growth), perennial candidate

Withdrew

*Muhammad Usman

General election

Debates

Complete video of debate
October 24, 2018

Fundraising

Predictions

^Highest rating given

Polling

;Kean vs. Andrews ;Codey vs. Kyrillos

Results

Results by county

;Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican *

(largest municipality: Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, Egg Harbor Township) *

(largest municipality: Washington Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey, Washington Township) * Salem County, New Jersey, Salem (largest municipality: Pennsville Township, New Jersey, Pennsville Township)

References

External links

Candidates
at Vote Smart
Candidates
at Ballotpedia
Campaign finance
at Federal Election Commission, FEC
Campaign finance
at OpenSecrets ;Official campaign websites
Tricia Flanagan (I) for SenateMadelyn Hoffman (G) for SenateBob Hugin (R) for SenateKevin Kimple (I) for SenateBob Menendez (D) for SenateMurray Sabrin (L) for Senate
{{2018 United States elections United States Senate elections in New Jersey, 2018 2018 United States Senate elections, New Jersey 2018 New Jersey elections, United States Senate