Rachel Peace defeats Blake in 4th District Democratic Primary and looks to unseat GOPer Chris Smith in November

Rachel Peace defeated John Blake in New Jersey’s 2026 Democratic primary election for the 4th Congressional District.

Peace will face Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Chris Smith in November’s general election. Smith, who was unopposed in his primary contest, has held the seat since 1981. The district represents voters in Monmouth and Ocean counties.

The Associated Press declared Peace the winner, calling the race at 8:23 p.m. Peace currently holds a total of 72 % of the votes.

Health care was at the center of Peace’s campaign. She described Smith as a career politician who “still believes in trickle-down economics,” a well-known economic policy of President Ronald Reagan.

John Blake, a Navy veteran and union electrician, has kept an active social media presence. Videos include him supporting protesters at Delaney Hall in Newark, calling for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to be abolished and speaking out against President Donald Trump’s proposed $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund aimed at compensating people who said they were targets of the Justice Department under the Biden administration.

Critics, including Blake, have described it as a “slush fund” for people convicted in their role during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.