New Jersey 101.5 is following live election results for the four most-watched congressional races, which could decide whether Republicans take back control of the House of Representatives. Scroll down to see the hot races in the Garden State.

New Jersey voters returned incumbents to Congress in most of the state's districts in the 2022 election, though the Republican challenger moved ahead in the too-close-to-call 7th District.

Democratic Reps. Andy Kim, Mikie Sherrill and Josh Gottheimer were declared the winners of their races by the Associated Press late Tuesday, after each had been targeted for defeat by the Republican campaign committee.

The closest race, as expected, was in the 7th District. Early returns showed Democratic Rep. Tom Malinowski with a narrow lead that dwindled as more returns came in that favored Republican challenger Tom Kean Jr.

Updates from Sussex, Morris and Somerset pushed Kean ahead, and that lead was further fortified when Warren County reported its Election Day votes. Kean was leading by nearly 5 percentage points, though some precincts remain outstanding.

Rider University political scientist Micah Rasmussen said that result was expected but that overall things didn’t go as well for the GOP elsewhere.

“It’s a good night for Republicans, especially in New Jersey," Rasmussen said. "But it is not in any way, shape or form the kind of red wave either here in New Jersey or across the nation that many Republicans had been calling for and hoping for.”

Kim was favored in the race though thought to be vulnerable, but if the unofficial results from early this morning hold up, he will wind up winning pretty handily – by a slightly larger margin than Gottheimer and even Bill Pascrell Jr.

“In the end, Andy Kim just outworked the Republicans," Rasmussen said. "... Although Bob Healey won in the Monmouth portions of the district, it wasn’t by nearly enough votes to offset Andy Kim’s huge wins in the other parts of the district.”

National update

Ron DeSantis wins in Florida.

Trouble at some polling places in NJ

Voting machines were down Tuesday morning across Mercer County, leaving voters to fill out paper ballots that would have to be counted by hand.

That could mean that the winner of the 3rd Congressional District race, which includes part of Mercer County, might not be known for a few days. Read more here. 

Races we're watching in NJ

The four potentially close races are held by Democratic incumbents in the 3rd, 5th, 7th and 11th Districts.

Democrats gained five House seats in New Jersey — one in 2016 and four in 2018 — when Donald Trump was president. They lost one when Rep. Jeff Van Drew switched parties in 2020 and now are on defense in the other four.

The House seat most likely to flip parties remains the 7th District. It's a rematch from two years ago for two-term Democratic Rep. Tom Malinowski.

The contest in the 3rd District appears to have tightened in recent weeks. That's where Democratic Rep. Andy Kim faces Republican Bob Healey.

Representatives Josh Gottheimer in the 5th District, who faces Frank Pallotta in a rematch, and Mikie Sherrill in the 11th District, who faces Paul DeGroot, are also Democratic incumbents to watch if it turns into a huge wave election.

Early voting in NJ

Nearly 744,000 New Jerseyans had already voted in the 2022 general election in advance of Election Day, either through vote-by-mail ballots or early in-person polling places.

Democrats, who have embraced early voting in greater numbers, accounted for 59% of the early ballots cast through Monday, with an edge in every congressional district. Republicans tend to favor Election Day voting and account for 23%. The remaining 19% are unaffiliated or registered with one of the minor parties. Read more about early voting here.

Check back for updated election results

This page will be refreshed as vote totals are reported by county clerks.

Andy Kim and Bob Healey. (File photos)
Andy Kim and Bob Healey. (File photos)
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Josh Gottheimer and Frank Pallotta (File photos)
Josh Gottheimer and Frank Pallotta (File photos)
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Tom Malinowski and Tom Kean Jr. (File photos)
Tom Malinowski and Tom Kean Jr. (File photos)
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Mikie Sherrill and Paul DeGroot (File photo)
Mikie Sherrill and Paul DeGroot (File photo)
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Other congressional races in New Jersey

Donald Norcross and Claire Gustafson (File photos)
Donald Norcross and Claire Gustafson (File photos)
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In the 1st Congressional District, Democratic U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross was expected to win re-election against Republican Claire Gustafson.

Other candidates on the ballot:
Isaiah Fletcher (Libertarian)
Allen J. Cannon (Cannon Fire)
Patricia Kline (For the People)

Jeff Van Drew and Tim Alexander (File photos)
Jeff Van Drew and Tim Alexander (File photos)
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In the 2nd Congressional District, Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew was exepcted to win re-election against Democrat Tim Alexander.

Other candidates on the ballot:
Michael Gallo (Libertarian)
Anthony Parisi Sanchez (Not For Sale)

Chris Smith and Matthew Jenkins (File photos)
Chris Smith and Matthew Jenkins (File photos)
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In thr 4th Congressional District, Republican U.S. Rep. Chris Smith was expected to win re-election against Democrat Matthew Jenkins.

Other candidates on the ballot:
Jason Cullen (Libertarian)
Pam Daniels (Progress with Pam)
David Schmidt (We The People)
Hank Schroeder

Frank Pallone and Susan Kiley (File photos)
Frank Pallone and Susan Kiley (File photos)
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In the 6th Congressional District, Democratic U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone was expected to win re-election against Republican Susan Kiley.

Other candidates on the ballot:
Tara Fisher (Libertarian)
Eric Antisell (Move Everyone Forward)
Inder Jit Soni (New Jersey First)

Rob Menendez (File photos)
Rob Menendez (File photos)
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In the 8th Congressional District, Democrat Rob Menendez was expected to defeat Republican candidate Marcos Arroyo.

Other candidates on the ballot:
Dan Delaney (Libertarian)
Joanne Kuniansky (Socialist Workers Party)
David W. Cook
Pablo Olivera (Labour Party)
John V. Salierno (Truth and Merit)

Bill Pascrell Jr. and Billy Prempeh (File photos)
Bill Pascrell Jr. and Billy Prempeh (File photos)
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In the 9th Congressional District, Democratic U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. was expected to win re-election against Democrat Billy Prempeh.

Other candidates on the ballot:
Sean Armstrong (Libertarian)
Lea Sherman (Socialist Workers Party)

Donald M. Payne Jr. (File photos)
Donald M. Payne Jr. (File photos)
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In the 10th Congressional District, Democratic U.S. Rep. Donald Payne Jr. was expected to win re-election against Republican David Pinckney.

Other candidates on the ballot:
Kendal Ludden (Libertarian)
Clenard Howard Childress Jr. (The Mahali Party)
Cynthia A. Johnson (Jobs and Justice)

Bonnie Watson Coleman and Darius Mayfield (File photos)
Bonnie Watson Coleman and Darius Mayfield (File photos)
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In the 12th Congressional District, Democratic U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman was expected to win re-election against Republican Darius Mayfield.

Also on the ballot:
C. Lynn Genrich (Libertarian)

New Jersey's new congressional districts for the 2020s

A district-by-district look at New Jersey's congressional map following the redistricting done after the 2020 Census.

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