Monmouth County Democrats met for the first county convention of 2026 today, awarding their endorsement to Rachel Peace for the Democratic nomination against Rep. Chris Smith (R-Manchester).
Peace, a small business owner and single mother who became a prominent local advocate against Medicaid cuts in last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill, got 40 votes to professor Julie Flynn’s 32, union electrician John Blake’s 31, and local activist Bob English’s 13.
The 4th congressional district is the state’s most Republican district, voting for Donald Trump by 30 percentage points in 2024; Smith has represented the district in one form or another since 1981. Around 40% of the district’s Democrats live in Monmouth County, while the rest live in Ocean County, which will hold its Democratic convention on March 15.
Earning the Monmouth Democratic endorsement unopposed today were Senator Cory Booker, 3rd district Rep. Herb Conaway (D-Delran), and 6th district Rep. Frank Pallone (D-Long Branch). Booker and Pallone both have declared primary challengers; Booker’s opponent, Chris Fields, took issue with the county party’s December filing deadline and attempted to put his name into contention at the convention, but was unsuccessful.
Monmouth Democrats, who last won a countywide election in 2008, have not yet chosen candidates for county surrogate and two county commissioner seats.
“In my first term as Chair, I am proud of our Democratic endorsement process and most importantly our phenomenal candidates who have stepped up to the plate to represent our county,” Monmouth Democratic Chair Dyese Davis said in a statement. “We look forward to continuing our grassroots efforts with our endorsed candidates as we work hard to flip Congressional District 4 blue and defend our Democratic incumbents from U.S. Senate to Congressional Districts 3 & 6.”
