Democrats Choose Challenger To Smith In NJ's 4th District House Race: AP

Updated, 11 p.m.

Republican incumbent Chris Smith will face a challenge for the House of Representatives 4th District seat in November from Rachel Peace, who has won the Democratic Primary, according to the Associated Press.

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Unofficial results showed Peace with more than 70 percent of the ballots cast in the Democratic Primary on Tuesday, with all 529 districts counted. The 4th District includes 40 towns in Monmouth and Ocean counties.

Smith was running unopposed for the Republican nomination as he seeks to return to Congress for what would be his 24th term in office.

Rachel Peace held a solid margin over John Blake, a fellow Brick Township native, with 17,377 votes to 6,429 for Blake, according to the unofficial tallies.

Smith has faced few challenges to his seat over his 46 years in office. One exception was the 2022 congressional race, when four Republicans sought to unseat him in the GOP primary. Smith won that primary by nearly 12,000 votes.

Peace and Blake both said the district needs new representation after Smith's 46 years in office, and pledged to be more visible and accessible to their constituents. Smith has long been criticized for refusing to hold town hall meetings like those held by many other members of Congress since 2020.

Here are the unofficial results. They do not become official until certified by the Board of Elections in each county.

Unofficial tallies as of 11 p.m.

Democratic Primary

John Blake: 7,538 (Monmouth 2,889, Ocean 4,649)

Rachel Peace: 20,047 (Monmouth 8,213, Ocean 11,834)

Republican Primary

Chris Smith: 33,401 (Monmouth 12,227, Ocean 21,174)