NJ 4th District Congressional Race: Smith Vs. Peace [Live Results]

Updated, 8:30 p.m. Tuesday

The polls have closed across New Jersey and the votes are being counted.

That includes the voting in the race for the New Jersey's 4th District seat in the House of Representatives, where Republican Chris Smith is seeking his 24th consecutive term. Democrat Rachel Peace is hoping to unseat him.

Smith, 73, began serving in 1981, 12 years before Peace, 34, was born.

Early voting and vote-by-mail ballot tallies from Ocean County had Smith with 36,176 votes to 30,084 for Peace. Monmouth County early tallies were not immediately available.

Vote totals remain unofficial until certified by the Ocean County and Monmouth County clerk's offices later in November.

Smith touts his record on pushing through legislation to help combat Lyme disease and support for families of those with Alzheimer's disease and for individuals with autism. Smith has pushed relentlessly to fight human trafficking, particularly in China, and legislation to support military veterans. He has pressed for legislation to fight human trafficking and fought to restore the state and local tax deduction (also known as the SALT deduction) on federal income taxes that was initially eliminated by the Trump administration under the "Big Beautiful Bill."

Locally, he helped get approval for $23.8 million in federal funding for infrastructure and humanitarian projects in Monmouth and Ocean counties in 2026.

Peace, a 2010 graduate of Brick Memorial High School and a 2014 graduate of Hofstra University, has been focused on affordability issues and support for families, including fighting to guarantee health care, paid family leave, and child care. She wants to see efforts to improve coastal resilience and protect against flooding, while also making efforts to improve renewable energy. She wants to see the federal minimum wage increased to a living wage — it has not been increased since the early 1990s — and reforms to make housing more affordable, and home ownership more attainable. She also wants an end to the war in Iran, calling it "a total disregard for international and constitutional law," and "a burden placed on working Americans every time they go to get gas."

Return to Patch tonight for the latest vote tally. Subscribe to free News Alerts for election results.

The 4th District includes 40 towns in Monmouth and Ocean counties.

The Ocean County towns in the 4th District are: Bay Head, Beachwood, Berkeley Township (part; also 2nd District; includes Holiday City-Berkeley, Holiday City South, Holiday Heights, and Silver Ridge), Brick Township, Island Heights, Jackson Township, Lacey Township (part; also 2nd; includes Forked River), Lakehurst, Lakewood Township, Lavallette, Manchester Township, Mantoloking, Ocean Gate, Pine Beach, Point Pleasant Beach, Point Pleasant, Plumsted Township, Seaside Heights, Seaside Park, South Toms River, Toms River.

The Monmouth County towns in the 4th District are: Avon-By-The-Sea, Belmar, Brielle, Colts Neck Township, Eatontown, Farmingdale, Freehold Township (part; also 3rd District), Howell Township, Lake Como, Manasquan, Middletown Township (part; also 6th; includes Lincroft, Navesink, and part of Belford, Fairview, North Middletown, and Port Monmouth), Ocean Township, Sea Girt, Shrewsbury, Shrewsbury Township, Spring Lake, Spring Lake Heights, Tinton Falls, Wall Township.