Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) now has his general election opponent for the 2026 New Jersey Senate race: Republican Justin Murphy, whose cash-on-hand balance is currently in the red.
Murphy, an attorney, former local politician, and 2024 Senate candidate, has -$23.71 in cash on hand, according to Federal Election Commission data from May 13. After previously placing third in the 2024 Senate Republican primary, Murphy surged at the ballot box this year, earning 33% of the vote and besting his three primary opponents.
While Booker has served in the Senate for nearly 13 years and won his last election by over 16 percentage points, Murphy is confident his campaign can make inroads with younger voters.
“New Jersey has not elected a Republican to serve in the U.S. Senate since 1972, but I know the conservative principles that my campaign espouses and the broader Republican platform — worrying about the next generation, not the next election — will resonate with people and voters, especially our young voters, get people to the polls and retire Cory Booker,” Murphy said in a campaign video.
Although Murphy earned over 44,000 more votes than in the 2024 GOP Senate primary, Republican voter turnout was significantly lower this year, typical for a race without a presidential election on the ballot. In 2024, Murphy lost to GOP candidate Curtis Bashaw, who then earned nearly double the number of primary votes Murphy won in 2026. Bashaw fell to Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) in the 2024 general election by 9.6 percentage points.
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For a candidate lacking name recognition, Murphy has an uphill battle against the Democratic stalwart Booker. The incumbent boasts over $22.6 million in cash on hand, a striking contrast with Murphy’s negative cash balance.
In the most recent statewide race, popular Republican candidate Jack Ciattarelli fell to Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) by double digits despite his promising polling numbers. Ciattarelli, also a repeat GOP candidate, had much more statewide name recognition than Murphy. The Cook Political Report listed the race as a solidly Democratic seat, even after 2024 Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris‘s 6-point margin of victory against President Donald Trump.