New Jersey — 8th congressional district
Voting on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, 33 days away. The seat is currently held by Robert Menendez (Democrat).
Who lives here, and what the law and the money look like on this ground: NJ-8.
5 candidates have filed
Everyone below has an active candidate registration with the Federal Election Commission for this seat. That is not the ballot. Most of these names will not survive a primary, ballot access is decided state by state, and people qualify for a ballot without an FEC filing and file with the FEC without ever qualifying.
Some of the registrations below are marked as not yet having reported raising or spending $5,000. That is the threshold at which the FEC calls someone a statutory candidate, and it is about money and nothing else — a campaign announced last month sits below it until its first report is due. It is noted because their money sections are empty for that reason and not because they raised nothing.
The money under each name is receipts into that candidate's own campaign committee for the 2025–2026 cycle, as the FEC reports them. It is not every dollar spent to elect them: leadership PACs, party committees and independent expenditures all sit outside it, and in a contested seat the outside money can exceed everything shown here. Money is not a position. Nobody's place on the Democratic–Republican scale comes from it — that is counted from roll-call votes and nothing else.
Currently holds this seat · first filed 2022-01-07 · FEC filing
Where their votes land
Each scale runs between the two parties. The left end is the side most Democrats took on a set of hand-picked roll-call votes, the right end the side most Republicans took, and Robert Menendez's marker sits at the share of those votes they cast on the Republican side. Votes that most of both parties agreed on are left out, because they cannot show which side anyone was on.
Overall
average of 4 values
Democratic side0 · Voted with Democrats almost every timeRepublican side
- Average House Democrat: 2
- Average House Republican: 98
0 is the Democratic side of every party-split vote and 100 the Republican side of every one. This is the average of the 4 value positions below that rest on 4 or more votes, each counted once however many votes stand behind it; 5 values below have fewer than 4 votes and are drawn but not counted in it, and 3 values have no votes from Robert Menendez at all.
Stronger limits on pollution and development9 of 9 with DemocratsFewer federal restrictions on land and industry
Requiring Congress to authorise military force9 of 9 with DemocratsLeaving the deployment decision with the President
Cutting greenhouse-gas emissions faster5 of 5 with DemocratsCheaper energy now and fewer federal mandates
More legal protection and processing capacity4 of 4 with DemocratsStricter enforcement and less federal benefit access
Stronger federal protection for borrowers3 of 3 with DemocratsLighter regulation of banks and lenders
Only 3 votes — fewer than 4, so this is drawn with a hollow marker and not counted in the overall position.
Stronger bargaining rights and higher wage floors3 of 3 with DemocratsMore employer flexibility and lower labour costs
Only 3 votes — fewer than 4, so this is drawn with a hollow marker and not counted in the overall position.
Broader federal anti-discrimination protection1 of 1 with DemocratsNarrower federal rules, more left to states
Only 1 vote — fewer than 4, so this is drawn with a hollow marker and not counted in the overall position.
Tighter limits on firearms1 of 1 with DemocratsFewer restrictions on lawful gun owners
Only 1 vote — fewer than 4, so this is drawn with a hollow marker and not counted in the overall position.
Wider access to the ballot1 of 1 with DemocratsTighter eligibility and identity checks
Only 1 vote — fewer than 4, so this is drawn with a hollow marker and not counted in the overall position.
Embed this chartPositions count only the votes this person cast, so two people can be placed on different numbers of votes — the count beside each value says how many. How the votes were chosen, and how each party's side is counted.
$2.0M raised by Robert Menendez's campaign through June 30, 2026 · FEC filing
- Small individual donors0.7%$13k
- Large individual donors56.9%$1.1M
- PACs37.5%$734k
- Transfers in4.3%$84k
- Other and unclassified0.7%$13k
Who gave to them
Mussab Ali
DemocraticFiled as a challenger · first filed 2026-01-27 · FEC filing
No congressional voting record. Mussab Ali has not served in the US House or Senate, so there are no roll-call votes to measure and nothing to place on the Democratic–Republican scale.
$274k raised by Mussab Ali's campaign through June 30, 2026 · FEC filing
- Small individual donors21.6%$59k
- Large individual donors76.6%$210k
- PACs1.8%$5k
Who gave to them
Filed as a challenger · first filed 1992-04-09 · FEC filing
Where their votes land
Each scale runs between the two parties. The left end is the side most Democrats took on a set of hand-picked roll-call votes, the right end the side most Republicans took, and Robert Menendez's marker sits at the share of those votes they cast on the Republican side. Votes that most of both parties agreed on are left out, because they cannot show which side anyone was on.
Overall
No overall position. Only 2 values have 4 or more votes from Robert Menendez, and an overall position is only drawn from at least 3. Each value below is still drawn.
Protecting access to abortion, contraception and IVF5 of 5 with DemocratsRestricting abortion and the funding behind it
Did not vote on 3 further party-split votes on this value, which is not counted either way.
Wider access to the ballot4 of 4 with DemocratsTighter eligibility and identity checks
Broader federal anti-discrimination protection3 of 3 with DemocratsNarrower federal rules, more left to states
Only 3 votes — fewer than 4, so this is drawn with a hollow marker and not counted in the overall position.
Tighter limits on firearms2 of 2 with DemocratsFewer restrictions on lawful gun owners
Only 2 votes — fewer than 4, so this is drawn with a hollow marker and not counted in the overall position.
Cutting greenhouse-gas emissions faster1 of 1 with DemocratsCheaper energy now and fewer federal mandates
Only 1 vote — fewer than 4, so this is drawn with a hollow marker and not counted in the overall position.
Stronger federal protection for borrowers1 of 1 with DemocratsLighter regulation of banks and lenders
Only 1 vote — fewer than 4, so this is drawn with a hollow marker and not counted in the overall position.
Higher taxes at the top and stronger collection1 of 1 with DemocratsLower rates and a smaller tax administration
Only 1 vote — fewer than 4, so this is drawn with a hollow marker and not counted in the overall position.
Stronger bargaining rights and higher wage floors1 of 1 with DemocratsMore employer flexibility and lower labour costs
Only 1 vote — fewer than 4, so this is drawn with a hollow marker and not counted in the overall position.
Embed this chartPositions count only the votes this person cast, so two people can be placed on different numbers of votes — the count beside each value says how many. How the votes were chosen, and how each party's side is counted.
$2.0M raised by Robert Menendez's campaign through June 30, 2026 · FEC filing
- Small individual donors0.7%$13k
- Large individual donors56.9%$1.1M
- PACs37.5%$734k
- Transfers in4.3%$84k
- Other and unclassified0.7%$13k
Who gave to them
Da'Shone Hughey
IndependentFiled as a challenger · first filed 2026-06-26 · FEC filing
Registered with the FEC; has not yet reported raising or spending $5,000.
No congressional voting record. Da'Shone Hughey has not served in the US House or Senate, so there are no roll-call votes to measure and nothing to place on the Democratic–Republican scale.
No report filed with the FEC for this cycle yet, so there is no money to show.
Richard Joseph Barilla
IndependentFiled as a challenger · first filed 2025-02-14 · FEC filing
No congressional voting record. Richard Joseph Barilla has not served in the US House or Senate, so there are no roll-call votes to measure and nothing to place on the Democratic–Republican scale.
Where their money came from
Why this seat is on the ballot: Every House seat stands every two years. This seat is NJ-8 in the districting plan for the 119th Congress.