Justin Murphy

R

Won the June 2 Republican primary with 33.4% in a four-candidate field

Justin Murphy is a U.S. Navy veteran, self-employed businessman, and former Deputy Mayor of Tabernacle, New Jersey who won the 2026 Republican Senate primary. He previously ran for the Republican Senate nomination in 2024, losing that primary.[4]

Positions on the issues

  • OpposesRaise taxes on high earners or corporations

    Calls for abolishing the IRS and current tax code in favor of a flat income tax of 10–12%, and eliminating the capital gains and estate taxes entirely.[5]

  • SupportsExpand immigration enforcement and deportations

    Supports completing the southern border wall, securing the northern border, expanding 287(g) state/local immigration enforcement partnerships, and stationing the U.S. military on the border.[5]

  • OpposesProtect legal access to abortion

    Describes himself as pro-life, with exceptions for the life of the mother and cases of rape/incest; opposes taxpayer funding of abortion and supports parental notification requirements.[5]

  • OpposesStricter gun laws

    Says he will oppose any government attempt to restrict Second Amendment rights and supports Constitutional Carry.[5]

  • SupportsPublic funding for school choice (vouchers / charters)

    Supports school choice and competition between schools, and would redirect federal Department of Education funding to local school boards including for voucher programs.[5]

  • OpposesExpand public health coverage

    Says he opposes government-run healthcare, instead proposing universal Health Savings Accounts, a national health-insurance marketplace across state lines, and anti-fraud enforcement in Medicare and Medicaid.[5]

In their words — priorities

  • Campaign platform calls for abolishing the IRS and the Internal Revenue Code and replacing them with a flat income tax of 10–12%, eliminating the capital gains tax and estate/death taxes.[5]
  • Supports completing the southern border wall, securing the northern border, withholding federal aid from self-declared sanctuary cities/states, and stationing the U.S. military on the southern border.[5]
  • Supports abolishing the federal Department of Education and dividing its roughly $100 billion budget among local school boards for public education funding and school-voucher programs.[5]

Background

  • Served in the U.S. Navy.[4]
  • Career experience includes work as Deputy Mayor of Tabernacle, New Jersey; currently self-employed.[4]
  • Ran for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination in 2024 and lost that primary, finishing third with 11.3% of the vote.[4]

Campaign money

Raised $27K · spent $26K · $123 cash on hand (through 2026-06-30) FEC filing ↗

Also on the ballot for this seat: Cory Booker, Veronica Fernandez, Joanne Kuniansky, Eduardo Castillo · Compare side by side

Sources cited in this profile

  1. 4.Justin Murphy · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
  2. 5.Murphy for U.S. Senate 2026 — My Senate Pledge · Justin Murphy for Senate campaign · 2026-05-20 Candidate's own words