New Jersey election 2026: What to know about the 3rd Congressional District race

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives are elected to two-year terms. The number of representatives in each state is proportional to the state’s population. Legislators in the House introduce and vote on legislation, serve on committees, represent their districts and provide oversight to the executive branch, among other duties.

• Burlington County (part)
  • Bass River
  • Beverly
  • Bordentown city
  • Bordentown Twp.
  • Burlington city
  • Burlington Twp.
  • Chesterfield
  • Cinnaminson
  • Delanco
  • Delran
  • Eastampton
  • Edgewater Park
  • Evesham
  • Fieldsboro
  • Florence
  • Hainesport
  • Lumberton
  • Mansfield
  • Medford Twp.
  • Medford Lakes
  • Moorestown
  • Mount Holly
  • Mount Laurel
  • North Hanover
  • Pemberton borough
  • Pemberton Twp.
  • Riverton
  • Shamong
  • Southampton
  • Springfield
  • Tabernacle
  • Washington Twp.
  • Westampton
  • Willingboro
  • Woodland Twp.
  • Wrightstown
• Mercer County (part)
  • East Windsor
  • Hamilton
  • Hightstown
  • Lawrence
  • Robbinsville
• Monmouth County (part)
  • Allentown
  • Englishtown
  • Freehold Borough
  • Freehold Twp.
  • Holmdel
  • Manalapan
  • Marlboro
  • Millstone
  • Roosevelt
  • Upper Freehold

Conaway has introduced 15 bills. One proposal would establish a temporary tax credit for expenses related to establishing and operating a family child care provider. Another bill would create grants to encourage local governments to provide paid internships for secondary school students and college undergraduates. None of the bills have been considered by the committees they were referred to.

Conaway said his top priorities are the economy. Health care and preserving democracy.

Conaway said Americans deserve leadership that will put an end to “corrupt tariffs” and “war overseas driving up gas prices.”

“During this administration, we have seen the largest transfer of wealth from the poorest Americans to the richest billionaires in the nation’s history,” he said. “[It’s] a betrayal to the American people and they are feeling it more and more every day.”

Conaway has called the conflict in Iran “senseless and illegal.”

“It is a war that we are not prepared for, and the American people nor Congress approved of,” he said, noting that he supported a resolution to remove troops from the region.

Conaway has called a partnership between the United States and Israel “essential for their safety, as well as enriching our resources.”

“However, there needs to be a solution to stop them from the inhumane and reckless acts we are seeing in the Middle East,” he said, referring to Israel.

• American Federation of Government Employees
• Clean Water Action
• Communication Workers of America District 1
• Communication Workers of America Local 1036
• Garden State Equality
• National Education Association
• National Organization for Women Political Action Committee
• National Organization for Women New Jersey Political Action Committee
• New Jersey Education Association
• Sierra Club New Jersey Chapter

McGuire’s priorities for his campaign include affordability in the suburbs, noting that families and seniors have borne the brunt of sustained inflation across groceries, utilities bills and housing.

“My focus is restoring fiscal sanity,” he said. “Auditing federal programs to eliminate bureaucratic waste, lifting the cap on the State and Local Tax [SALT] deduction to stop double-taxing New Jersey homeowners, expanding the Child Tax Credit, and boosting domestic energy production to bring down  household utility bills.”

Drawing upon his background as a police officer, McGuire said he views public safety as “the baseline requirement” for communities. He wants local police departments to have funding, mental health support and modern training. He also said the federal government must secure the border “to dismantle international trafficking networks and stop the deadly influx of illicit fentanyl into our towns.”

Government accountability and veterans support rounds out McGuire’s campaign priorities. He supports a ban on Congress members trading stocks and enacting term limits. He also wants administrative backlogs within the Department of Veterans Affairs fixed “so veterans receive the mental and physical healthcare they earned.”

McGuire’s platform also includes “safeguarding the strategic and economic mission” of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, which is located within the district.

McGuire’s economic strategy focuses on three pillars: targeted middle-class relief, fiscal auditing and spending discipline, and energy pragmatism.

He wants the federal cap on deductions for SALT repealed. McGuire also wants federal agencies audited, redundant bureaucracies closed and deficit spending curbed. He also wants the expansion of balanced, domestic energy production to lower transportation and utility expenses, while modernizing the regional power grid to handle long-term demands.

McGuire supports Israel’s right to defend itself. He said, “long-term peace, regional integration and stability are achieved through moral clarity, deterrence and steady diplomatic leadership alongside our allies.”

“Israel is America’s closest democratic partner in the Middle East,” he said. “The United States must maintain steady security cooperation, ironclad intelligence sharing, and weapons systems support like the Iron Dome.”

Drawing upon his military background, McGuire said he would advocate for a foreign policy rooted in “peace through strength” that would use “credible deterrence, aggressive sanctions enforcement and diplomatic pressure to prevent conflict, rather than stumbling into open-ended wars.”

He said Iran’s attacks on international maritime trade “require decisive, targeted deterrence, but not another protracted, trillions-dollar intervention.”

“Any commitment of American military force must meet strict standards,” McGuire said, “vital national security interests at stake, clearly defined and attainable objectives, robust congressional oversight, and a focus on keeping our service members out of unnecessary harm.”

• Burlington County Federated Republican Women
• National Women’s Prayer and Voting Army
• New Jersey Right to Life Political Action Committee
• Mercer Garden State Federated Republican Women

Welzer’s priorities are fostering reform of the electoral system, countering hyper-militarism and addressing climate disruption.

He noted that a significant number of Americans feel that neither major political party properly represents them.

“The status quo parties have systemically concentrated power in the hands of their wealthy donors, locking out the people from their rightful place at the decision-making table,” he said, while calling for ranked-choice voting, proportional representation and full public financing of elections. “We need to revive our democracy with a full spectrum of electoral system reforms.”

Welzer said military spending takes away from many domestic needs. He noted that the Pentagon’s budget consumes nearly half of discretionary federal spending.

“If we cut the military budget by 50% our country would still be spending twice as much as any other country in the world,” Welzer said, while calling for a new foreign policy based on diplomacy, international law and human rights.

Welzer said the Green Party advocates for an “Ecosocialist Green New Deal,” which encompasses an Economic Bill of Rights and a Green Economy Reconstruction Program. He calls it the solution for “a worsening global climate crisis that threatens habitat and ecological balances.

“Implementing the Green New Deal will require ecosocialism — social ownership in key sectors in order to democratically plan the coordinated reconstruction of all economic sectors,” Welzer said.

On Middle East issues, Welzer said it would take international pressure to move Israel toward a resolution where Palestinians are granted a viable state or equality within an Israel-Palestine bi-national state. He is also calling for the removal of troops from the Persian Gulf region.

“The United States attacked Iran without provocation,” said Welzer.

Steven Welzer has no endorsements to note at this time.

Kelly’s priorities are focused on affordability, health care and government accountability.

Kelly said he wants to make the government more responsive to the people it serves.

“If elected, the people of NJ-03 are my bosses, and constituent service will be a major priority in my office,” he said.

Kelly said economic policy “should be judged by whether ordinary people can afford to live, work, raise a family, and retire with economic security.”

In addition to supporting lowering health care and subscription costs, expanding affordable housing and stronger oversight of federal spending, Kelly also wants to address student debt and invest in infrastructure.

“Fiscal responsibility should mean making sure tax payers receive value for their money and eliminating waste wherever it occurs,” Kelly said, adding that includes “scrutinizing enormous military expenditures.

Kelly believes Israelis and Palestinians both have a right to live in peace, adding that the focus should be toward a future in which they can live with security, dignity, human rights and political freedom.

“I unequivocally oppose antisemitism, terrorism and violence against civilians,” he said.

However, Kelly is critical of the Israeli government’s conduct in Gaza, blaming it for “catastrophic civilian suffering.”

“The United States should not provide a blank check for military actions that violate international or humanitarian law,” Kelly added.

Kelly is opposed to the U.S. war with Iran. He wants Congress to reclaim its constitutional role on war powers and insist on transparency.

“The United States has the right to defend itself from imminent attack,” he said. “But that is different from allowing a president to conduct an open-ended war without meaningful congressional authorization and oversight.”

Iran’s government should be held accountable for threats, attacks, human rights abuses and actions that endanger people in the region, Kelly said, adding that “opposing this war does not require ignoring the conduct of the Iranian government.”

“I want this war brought to an end through diplomacy,” he said. “American military force should be reserved for the actual defense of our country and our people, not used as the default instrument of foreign policy.”

Ryan Michael Kelly has no endorsements to note at this time.