Rosie Pino Wins GOP Primary, Will Face Rep. Nellie Pou In November

By Nikita Biryukov, New Jersey Monitor

June 22, 2026

Republican Rosie Pino will face Rep. Nellie Pou (D) for the 9th District’s seat in the House of Representatives after winning the June 2 GOP primary, the Associated Press projects.

Pino, a Clifton councilwoman who previously served on the school board there, defeated attorney Tiffany Burress, the wife of former New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress.

The call comes 10 days after the election. Just 350 votes separate Pino and Burress out of more than 13,000 ballots cast.

Pou was unopposed in her race for the Democratic nomination.

The 9th District has historically been safe Democratic ground, and Republicans have not won a House election there since the Reagan administration.

But the district grew more Republican after lines were redrawn in late 2021, and longtime Rep. Bill Pascrell’s August 2024 death injected new uncertainty into contests there.

Pou’s 4.9-point victory in the district in 2024 was the narrowest this millennium, and President Trump carried it narrowly against Democrat Kamala Harris that year.

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