New Jersey election 2026: What to know about the 12th Congressional District race

• Mercer County (part)
  • Ewing Twp.
  • Hopewell
  • Hopewell Twp.
  • Pennington
  • Princeton
  • Trenton
  • West Windsor
• Middlesex County (part)
  • Cranbury
  • Dunellen
  • East Brunswick
  • Helmetta
  • Jamesburg
  • Middlesex
  • Milltown
  • Monroe Twp.
  • North Brunswick
  • Old Bridge Twp. (part)
  • Plainsboro Twp.
  • South Brunswick
  • South River
  • Spotswood
• Somerset County (part)
  • Bound Brook
  • Bridgewater (part)
  • Hillsborough (part)
  • Franklin Twp.
  • Manville
  • Millstone
  • Montgomery
  • North Plainfield
  • Rocky Hill
  • South Bound Brook
• Union County (part)
  • Plainfield

Hamawy said he is running for Congress to expand health care. He said that if elected, he will work to abolish the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and to expand economic opportunities for working people, not just those at the top.

Hamawy said the economy works great for corporations and billionaires, but not regular people. “Your average working family seems to be falling behind every year,” he said. “We need to start fighting for working families, not just the very rich; these are choices that Congress can make.”

He said he sees the current support for Israel and what is happening in Gaza as a problem. “I personally was in Gaza and witnessed the genocide first-hand,” he said. “We should be consistent with our values, and consistent with applying our laws. We should not be supplying arms to any country that is violating international human rights laws. Israel clearly is.”

Hamawy said he is also concerned that the U.S. is turning its back on allies around the world, including Ukraine and Canada, and he opposes the war with Iran.

“It’s an illegal and immoral war that is not making us any safer,” he said. “It has raised gas prices, and really the price of everything. We are now in a more dangerous position than we were before it started.”

Jinete said that one of his top priorities, if elected to Congress, is to create a “renters bill of rights.”

He said housing is a human right and, “We also promote a Housing First approach that seeks to rapidly house homeless families and individuals in order to provide shelter and stability without prerequisites.”

He also supports universal health care, canceling all government-held student debt, reinstating and expanding tuition-free state and community colleges across the country, and capping administration-to-faculty pay ratios at 2.5%.

“Higher education used to be virtually free in many states,” he said. “We need to get back to that.”

Jinete said more must be done to support families as household debt soars. “We need bold economic programs that create social housing, stabilize rent, provide free health care and education, and generate the green jobs of the future,” he said.

Jinete said the Palestinian people are facing a slow genocide, and financial support for Israel by the U.S. must end. “When the money stops flowing, the genocide will stop,” he said. “We know what happened to Apartheid South Africa under sustained international pressure and when the U.S. pulled its support.”

Jinete opposes the war in Iran. “We need to stop the expansion of the military-industrial complex that profits from war and death,” he said. “We have no business having more than 700 military bases around the world but not 700 clinics in medical deserts, nor 700 free universities.”

Jordan’s priorities include implementing an American Economic Security Act that would offer a $50,000 minimum livable income guarantee, and a 50-year tax holiday for the bottom 99% of wage earners.

He also supports “Medicare for All” and wants to implement a 24/7 digital town hall.

“Every vote will be guided by district polling to ensure constituents have a direct say in governance, increasing transparency, accountability and representation in government,” he said.

Jordan said to improve the economy, it’s important to expand good-paying jobs, support small businesses and raise family incomes.

“Funding comes from wealth redistribution,” he said.

He said he supports the findings of international watchdog groups that classify the crisis in Gaza as genocide and ethnic cleansing.

“I unequivocally condemn antisemitism while equally condemning the genocide in Gaza,” he said.

Jordan opposes the war in Iran. “I advocate for direct diplomatic negotiations, de-escalation, and non-interventionism in the Middle East,” he said. “Any military action must require congressional approval as a last resort, and any decision to go to war with Iran should be subject to a national referendum giving the American people a direct vote.”

Mele said in an email that affordability is a major focus of his campaign. “Washington needs to restrain spending, reduce unnecessary regulation, support American energy production, strengthen small businesses, and pursue policies that allow wages and economic opportunity to grow,” he said.

Mele said another priority is public safety and a secure immigration policy. “We can welcome legal immigration while still enforcing our laws and securing our border,” he said. “Washington has a responsibility to protect American communities, combat drug trafficking and violent crime, and give law enforcement the resources necessary to do its job.”

Mele said he is committed to restoring accountability in government. “That includes making healthcare more affordable through competition, transparency, and patient choice; protecting parental involvement in education; and bringing greater fiscal discipline and accountability to the federal government,” he said in the email.

To strengthen the economy, Mele said wasteful federal spending must be cut, taxes lowered, and small businesses given more favorable treatment. “Too many families are questioning whether they can afford to stay here, [in New Jersey],” he said via email. “Economic policy should be judged by whether families can afford their homes, groceries, energy, healthcare, and other necessities, and whether their children can realistically build a future here.”

Mele described Israel as “an important ally” but said that the United States “should continue working toward greater stability and security in the region while recognizing the legitimate humanitarian concerns of innocent civilians caught in conflict [in Gaza].”

On the war in Iran, Mele said via email: “American military policy needs clear objectives, accountability, and a strategy for achieving an end state rather than allowing the United States to become trapped indefinitely in another costly conflict.”

He added that Iran poses a serious threat “through its nuclear ambitions, support for terrorist organizations and proxy forces, attacks on American interests, and threats against Israel and other U.S. allies.”

Mele unsuccessfully ran for New Jersey governor in 2021 as a libertarian candidate. He received about 0.2% of the votes. In 2024, he ran in the 6th District primary as a Republican and was defeated by Scott Fegler.