Race To Replace Senator Booker: See Who Is Running

Election Day is approaching, and three official candidates are looking to replace Senator Cory Booker after he's held onto the position for more than 12 years.

In the primaries, self-employed attorney Justin Murphy beat out three other candidates for the GOP nomination, setting himself up as Booker's main opponent. Booker seized the Democratic nomination after running unopposed.

Also running are two third-party candidates, Veronica Fernandez and Joanne Kuniansky.

Learn more about all four official candidates below:

Incumbent Sen. Cory Booker

Cory Booker is seeking another six-year term representing New Jersey in the U.S. Senate in the general election. The Democrat, who previously served as mayor of Newark, has represented New Jersey in the Senate since 2013, when he won a special election to fill the seat left vacant by the death of Sen. Frank Lautenberg.

Booker was subsequently elected to full terms in 2014 and 2020. He ran unopposed in the 2026 Democratic primary and will face Republican Justin Murphy, along with two third-party candidates, in November.

Booker's legislative priorities include expanding tax relief for working families, protecting access to health care, reforming the criminal justice system and changing federal immigration policies.

In 2026, he introduced legislation that would eliminate federal income taxes on the first $75,000 of income for married couples filing jointly, while increasing taxes on wealthy individuals and corporations to offset the cost. He has also advocated for federal marijuana legalization and legislation restricting the use of privately operated immigration detention facilities.

Related: Senator Cory Booker Slams ICE Activity In Morris County

Booker has been an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump's administration. In April 2025, he delivered a record-setting 25-hour, five-minute speech on the Senate floor criticizing the administration's policies on health care, education, immigration, and federal spending. The speech drew national attention and preceded a surge in campaign fundraising.

Learn more about Booker here.

Justin Murphy

Murphy, other than being an attorney, is a veteran of the Navy who previously served as the Deputy Mayor of Tabernacle in Burlington County.

His platform highlights parental rights, “medical freedom,” conservative cultural issues, protecting the Pinelands and Jersey Shore, and improving Medicare for seniors.

Specifically, some of Murphy’s ambitions, if elected, include abolishing the Internal Revenue Code and enacting a flat tax rate of 10 percent to 12 percent, abolishing the Federal Department of Education, and supporting the expansion of nuclear power in the U.S.

Murphy has also expressed opposition to tax dollars funding abortion, the establishment of sanctuary cities, and the repression of Second Amendment Rights.

Murphy beat out three candidates in June for the GOP nomination, despite having -$24 in his campaign account during this race, according to the Federal Election Commission.

If Murphy wins the general election, it would be the first time a Republican won a Senate race in New Jersey since 1972.

Click here to learn more about Murphy.

Veronica Fernandez

Independent candidate Fernandez is running on the End the Corruption! Party seeking the senator's seat.

Fernandez is a New Jersey native who owns a small commercial electrical contracting business in Morris County.

She describes herself as an "independent progressive" and has expressed support for Medicare for All, passing "common sense" gun laws, and electoral reform.

The businesswoman has also condemned ICE, the actions of both HAMAS and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and campaign finance corruption.

Click here to learn more about Fernandez.

Joanne Kuniansky

Third-party candidate Kuniansky is running for the Socialist Workers Party.

Garden State voters might recognize Kuniansky from her former campaigns. She ran for governor against Phil Murphy in 2021 and Mikie Sherrill in 2025, ran a campaign for U.S. Senate in 2024, and was a candidate for a New Jersey Senate seat in 2023.

The first time that she attempted to run for governor, Kuniansky was employed as a deli worker at Walmart, a gig that offered a stark contrast to Murphy’s pedigree from Goldman Sachs. The longtime labor organizer has also worked in oil refineries and the meatpacking industry. Read More: Meet The Socialist Walmart Worker Running For NJ Governor

Click here to learn more about Kuniansky.

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Other unofficial candidates who announced their candidacy for Senate include Natalie Rivera and Eduardo Castillo.

Election Day is Nov. 3.