NJ midterm elections 2018: Everything you need to know to vote in the NJ House races

1st District

Parts of Burlington, Camden and Gloucester counties

Democratic incumbent Rep. Donald Norcross, 60, of Camden is seeking a third term against Republican Paul E. Dilks, 50, a reverse mortgage specialist and former radio personality from Washington Township.

Dilks has seized on some of President Donald Trump’s themes, such as declaring solidarity with a Veterans of Foreign Wars post that said it would not watch NFL games as long as players kneel during the national anthem. Dilks also said he would support a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who arrived as children if they pay for a wall on the Mexican border through annual fees.

Norcross is a former electricians' union leader who had urged party leaders to demand a vote on raising the minimum wage to $15 before supplying any votes to help Republicans raise the debt limit. Norcross also aired a television commercial before the primary promoting his (unsuccessful) vote to begin the process to impeach Trump in December.

The district is heavily Democratic, and the polling and political analysis site FiveThirtyEight.com said Norcross's chances of winning are greater than 99 out of 100. 

Three independent candidates are running: Paul Hamlin of Cherry Hill on the "We Deserve Better" slogan; Mohammad Kabir of Bellmawr on the "Your Voice Hard" slogan; and Libertarian Party candidate Robert Shapiro of Haddonfield.

Election Day:Where to vote, who is running, and where do they stand on the issues?

NJ election results:District-by-district House race results

2nd District

All of Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland and Salem counties; parts of Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Ocean counties

State Sen. Jeff Van Drew, a Democrat from Cape May Court House, was a quick favorite when he jumped into the race to succeed Republican Rep. Frank LoBiondo of Ventnor, who announced in November that he would retire rather than seek a 13th term.

LoBiondo had never gotten less than 57 percent of the vote, but the district also backed Democrat Barack Obama for president twice before Trump beat Hillary Clinton there by 4.6 percentage points in 2016. 

Van Drew, 65, won his legislative district six times for state Assembly and Senate and was one of the more conservative Democrats in Trenton. He earned a 100 percent rating from the National Rifle Association in 2017, for example.

Republicans in June nominated 69-year-old former Atlantic City councilman and attorney Seth Grossman. The National Republican Congressional Committee rescinded an endorsment and urged Grossman to drop out when bigoted writings and statements came to light. For example, a CNN investigation found that Grossman wrote, "This is where 'multi-culturalism' and 'diversity' has taken us" when he shared an article on Facebook about Muslims throwing Christians overboard from a ship carrying migrants to Italy.

“We have written off the LoBiondo seat,” NRCC chairman Steve Stivers said last month.

"I speak the truth, not what is politically correct," Grossman wrote in an opinion piece in The Daily Journal. He pledged to support Trump, fight against "sanctuary cities" for immigrants and protect gun rights. He also told the Press of Atlantic City that the state was wrong to take federal aid for Superstorm Sandy recovery.

Van Drew, a dentist, is making a pitch to both parties, saying in a TV ad launched Wednesday that he treated Republicans and Democrats the same when they came to his dental office or his legislative office. Van Drew has also said he would not support Nancy Pelosi for another term as House Democratic leader.

Independent candidates are Steven Fenichel of Ocean City on the "Time for Truth" slogan; Libertarian Party candidate John Ordille of Northfield; Anthony Parisi Sanchez on the "Cannot be Bought" slogan; and William R. Benfer of Millville, who has different slogans in different counties in the district.

NJ Senate race 2018:Who's running and where they stand on the issues

2018 election:NJ campaigns that could decide control of Congress

3rd District

Parts of Ocean and Burlington counties

Republican Rep. Tom MacArthur of Toms River faces one of the most competitive fights in the country for re-election, against Democrat Andy Kim of Bordentown, a race that has already drawn more than $5 million in spending by outside groups.

MacArthur, 57, had the highest percentage of votes to support Trump's position in the New Jersey delegation, and Trump headlined a private fundraiser for him last year.

MacArthur, a former insurance executive who spent $5 million of his own money winning the 3rd District seat four years ago, cast the only New Jersey vote for the tax overhaul in December. He touts benefits that include the increase in the child deduction, economic and jobs growth, and reduced rates for small businesses.

MacArthur also helped revive a stalled bill to repeal and replace Obamacare, negotiating changes that brought hard-line conservatives on board and got the bill over to the Senate, where it died. He faced angry confrontations at town-hall-style meetings afterward.

Kim, 36, is a Rhodes Scholar who grew up in Marlton and worked as a national security official in Afghanistan and in Washington during President Barack Obama's administration.

Kim has been embraced by some of the Democrats' most liberal groups, and pledged to hold monthly in-person town hall meetings and not to take corporate political action money. 

Political handicapper Nathan Gonzales of Inside Elections says the 3rd District race "tilts Democratic," while FiveThirtyEight.com says Kim's chances of winning are 2-in-3. 

Constitution Party candidate Lawrence Berlinski of Pine Beach is also running.

4th District

Parts of Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean counties

Republican Rep. Chris Smith of Robbinsville is the longest-serving member of the state delegation in Washington, winning his first election in 1980 against a longtime Democrat who had been indicted in the FBI's Abscam investigation.

This year, the 65-year-old Smith faces 39-year-old Naval Academy graduate and Afghanistan and Iraq veteran Josh Welle of Rumson, who was 1 year old when Smith first won the seat.

Smith is running on a record as a staunch social conservative and national leader fighting to ban abortion who also focused on international human rights and bucked his party to support environmental protection and organized labor issues. Welle has railed against Smith for not holding town-hall-style meetings with constituents, and is running on a more liberal social platform. 

"For the first time in 38 years, you're going to have a leader in Congress who's going to fund Planned Parenthood and protect a woman's right to choose," Welle says in a biographical video on his campaign website.

Democrats hope for a sweep of all five Republican-held seats in the state's delegation, but ousting Smith is least likely to happen. FiveThirtyEight.com set Welle's chances of winning as 1-in-20, and Inside Elections calls the race "safe Republican."

Independent candidates are Brian J. Reynolds of Belford, running on the "Check this Column" slogan; Edward C. Stackhouse of Hamilton, running as "Ed the Barber"; Libertarian Party candidate Michael Rufo of Jackson; Felicia Stoler of Holmdel, running as "The Inclusion Candidate"; and Allen Yusfov of Holmdel, on the "Time for Change" slogan.

5th District

Parts of Bergen, Passaic, Sussex and Warren counties

Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer, 43, of Wyckoff will find out next month if his ouster of a six-term conservative Republican in a GOP-leaning district in 2016 was a fluke.

He faces Oakland attorney John McCann, 58, who is running as a Trump supporter who would tighten border controls against immigration "and make it as hard as possible for terrorists, gangs and drugs to enter into this country."

Gottheimer has one of the most conservative voting records of all the Democrats in the House, supporting measures backed by Trump more than even some Republicans, according to FiveThirtyEight.com's vote-tracking tool. Gottheimer had $4.5 million in his campaign account on June 30, when McCann reported he was in debt after winning a competitive primary.

The National Republican Congressional Committee originally said it was targeting Gottheimer for defeat because Trump beat Clinton by 1 percentage point in the district in 2016. But the NRCC has offered no outward help for McCann, and Inside Elections rated the race "safe Democratic."

Independents running are Wendy W. Goetz of Newton on the "Trade, Health, Environment" slogan and Libertarian Party candidate James Tosone of Washington Township.

6th District

Parts of Middlesex and Monmouth counties

As he vies for a 16th term in Congress, Democratic Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. faces Republican Rich Pezzullo, a veteran candidate who has run unsuccessfully before for governor, U.S. Senate and state Senate, and twice for House in another district.

Pallone, 66, of Long Branch, is in line to become chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee if he is re-elected and Democrats capture control of the House. As chairman of the panel's health subcommittee in 2010, he helped write the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, and battled in 2017 against efforts to repeal it.

Pezzullo, 60, of Freehold, says on his campaign website that he "supports a full Obamacare repeal" and if the Senate and House cannot agree on a replacement, that "shows that when debated, there is no proper way for the federal government to design a 'One Size Fits All' solution." 

As of June 30, Pallone had $1.8 million in his campaign account to Pezzullo's $76,000, and handicappers have rated the race "safe Democratic."

7th District

All of Hunterdon County and parts of Essex, Morris, Somerset, Union and Warren counties

Republican Rep. Leonard Lance's campaign for a sixth term against Democrat Tom Malinowski is one of the most intense in New Jersey and nationally, with outside groups pouring in $5.7 million already, much of it for TV ads trading charges and countercharges.

Lance, 66, of Clinton Township, touts his bipartisanship, which includes getting one of the few Republican endorsements from former Rep. Gabby Giffords' gun control advocacy group.

"The district is a moderate district. I'm a moderate conservative," Lance told Fox Business Network in a video clip posted on his website. "I believe deeply in bipartisan cooperation."

Malinowski, 53, is a former assistant secretary of state under Obama, and also led the group Human Rights Watch. 

"We are the fiscally responsible, pro-family-values, pro-law-enforcement party in America," Malinowski says in a campaign video. "We believe the FBI over Fox News."

Handicappers at Politico, the University of Virginia and the Cook Political Report call the race a toss-up, while Inside Elections gives a slight edge to Lance and calls the race "tilt Republican." FiveThirtyEight.com, meanwhile, gives an edge to Malinowski.

A Monmouth University survey taken Sept. 13-17 found Malinowski up, 47 percent to 42 percent, while a Siena College/New York Times poll taken Sept. 17-21 showed Lance ahead, 45 percent to 44 percent.

Independent candidates running are Gregg Mele of Bridgewater, running on the "Freedom, Responsibility, Action" slogan; and Green Party candidate Diane Moxley of Garwood.

8th District

Parts of Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Union counties

Democratic Rep. Albio Sires of West New York is seeking a seventh term against Republican John R. Muniz, senior pastor at Second Reformed Church in Jersey City.

Among other things, the platform on Muniz's campaign website calls for an end to standardized testing in schools, a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, increased border security, and ensuring that zoning laws are not changed to benefit big corporations.

In a year when first-time candidates in battleground districts are raising and spending millions, Sires' campaign spent just $65,000 during the third quarter, with the biggest expenses being $15,000 for a fundraising consultant.

But Sires, 67, has never gotten less than 74 percent of the vote since his first election in 2006. And Muniz, 61, reported raising just $1,050 so far, with $350 of it coming from his own pocket. Muniz had $220 in his account on Sept. 30, while Sires had $250,000.

Handicappers rate the race solidly Democratic.

Independent candidates in the race include the Libertarian Party's Dan Delaney of Jersey City and Mahmoud Mahmoud of Edgewater, who is running on the "New Way Forward" slogan.

9th District

Democratic Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. faces Republican Eric Fisher of Fort Lee in his bid to win a sixth term in the House at age 81.

Fisher, 58, has what appears to be a campaign Facebook page but has not posted any biographical information. As of June 30, he had not filed a fundraising disclosure with the Federal Election Commission or a personal financial disclosure with the House clerk, both of which are required of candidates who raise or spend $5,000 or more.

Fisher's campaign Facebook page includes links to several articles, including one in which Fisher praised the way Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, addressed the allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh by California psychologist Christine Blasey Ford. 

Fisher also shared a National Review article that said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., should be censured for "deception and maneuvering" that "seriously interfered" with Kavanaugh's confirmation.

As a member of the Ways and Means Committee, Pascrell opposed the tax package adopted in 2017 and a companion package that passed the House last month but is unlikely to go further. 

He also made numerous efforts, blocked by the GOP, to have the committee use its power to access Trump's tax returns. He believes Democrats will succeed in obtaining them if they take control of the House next year. 

Handicappers rate the race "safe Democratic."

Also running is Libertarian Party candidate Claudio Belusic of Palisades Park.

10th District

Parts of Essex, Hudson and Union counties

Democratic Rep. Donald M. Payne Jr. of Newark represents the 10th-most-Democratic district in the country, a place where Hillary Clinton beat Donald Trump by 72 percentage points and Payne beat his 2016 opponent with 86 percent of the vote.

Payne, 59, won his first term in 2012 when he filled the seat opened up by his father's death. His Republican challenger this year is 69-year-old Agha Khan of Jersey City, who ran in 2016 against Rep. Albio Sires in the 8th District and got 19 percent of the vote.

Khan's campaign website says he is vice chairman of the Hudson County Republican Organization and president of the American Muslim Foundation. 

Independent candidates are the Libertarian Party's Scott Diroma of East Orange; Cynthia Johnson of Glen Ridge, running on the "C4C 20118" slogan; and Joanne Miller of Newark, running on the "Never Give Up" slogan.

11th District

Parts of Essex, Morris, Passaic and Sussex counties

The race to succeed Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, who announced his retirement in January, pits Democrat Mikie Sherrill of Montclair against six-term Assemblyman and former Republican state Chairman Jay Webber.

Both are 46. Webber has seven children; Sherrill has four.

Sherrill is a former Navy helicopter pilot and federal prosecutor who was called "one of the best candidates in the country" by Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the No. 2 Democratic leader in the House. She has raised more than $7 million for the race, breaking House fundraising records for a New Jersey candidate, and recently had a campaign rally headlined by former Vice President Joe Biden.

Webber is an attorney and onetime employee of a conservative think tank who had Vice President Mike Pence headline a private fundraiser, was endorsed on Twitter by Trump, and had a rally with House Speaker Paul Ryan.

The district is 4.5 percent more Republican than the country as a whole, according to FiveThirtyEight.com, but the site gives Sherrill a 3-in-4 chance of winning. A Monmouth University poll had Sherrill leading among likely voters 49 percent to 44 percent, a spread that was within the survey's margin of error.

Independent candidates on the ballot are Robert F. Crook of Essex Fells, who is running on the "Honesty, Integrity, Compassion" slogan, and the Libertarian Party's Ryan Martinez of Butler.

12th District

Parts of Mercer, Middlesex, Somerset and Union counties

Democratic Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman has voted to support the position taken by Trump just 6.5 percent of the time in the current Congress, less than every member of the House but one. 

Watson Coleman, 73, of Ewing, has also been an outspoken critic of Republican investigations as a member of the House Government and Oversight Committee. In July, she reacted to a GOP colleague's outburst at a witness by saying, "Do you need your medication?"  

Her Republican challenger is attorney Daryl Kipnis, 38, of Franklin Township, who ran for state Senate in 2017 and received 29 percent of the vote. On his Facebook page, Kipnis has called on Watson Coleman to denounce Hillary Clinton, and says that if elected he would "be the foremost advocate for individual liberty in New Jersey's congressional delegation."