On every Paterson ballot
CommissionerOrlando Cruz (D) · Nick Veliky (D) · Ed Leonard (R) · John Rodriguez (R)
Orlando Cruz Democratic Incumbent
Orlando Cruz is president of the Greater Paterson Chamber of Commerce and previously served as executive director of the Downtown Paterson Special Improvement District, per New Jersey Globe reporting. A Paterson native who attended Eastside High School, he began his career as a professional DJ before rising to chief operations officer at a Northeast entertainment company, per TAPinto Paterson. He was sworn in as Passaic County Commissioner in 2023. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Orlando Cruz.
Nick Veliky Democratic Incumbent
Nick Veliky was appointed to the Passaic County Board of County Commissioners in 2026 to fill the vacancy left by John Bartlett's resignation, per the West Milford Messenger. He works in marketing and business development, previously served as president of the Clifton Democratic Club, and is an ordained permanent deacon in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Nick Veliky.
Ed Leonard Republican
Ed Leonard serves as Council President of the Wanaque Borough Council, where he chairs committees including Ordinances, Public Works, Sewer, and Veterans, per the borough's official website. He was selected as the Passaic County Republican Organization's nominee for county commissioner after original primary winner Daniel Sagan withdrew from the race, per New Jersey Globe. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Ed Leonard.
John Rodriguez Republican
John Rodriguez is a former law enforcement official and a career New Jersey Transit locomotive engineer, per New Jersey Globe reporting on the Passaic County commissioner race. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for John Rodriguez.
Commissioner (Unexpired Term)Aleksandra Tasic (D) · Marko Kopec (R)
Aleksandra Tasic Democratic
Aleksandra Tasic is an attorney and a Haledon Councilwoman, per New Jersey Globe reporting. She was selected by the Passaic County Democratic Committee's screening committee as its nominee to fill the unexpired County Commissioner term left vacant by John Bartlett's resignation. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Aleksandra Tasic.
Marko Kopec Republican
Marko Kopec appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Passaic County Commissioner (Unexpired Term), per the county elections office's certified candidate list. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Marko Kopec.
SurrogateZoila Cassanova (D) · Jessica Sprague (R)
Zoila Cassanova Democratic Incumbent
Zoila Cassanova is a former attorney with the New York Supreme Court's Criminal Division in Queens and the Bronx, per New Jersey Globe. She was first elected Passaic County Surrogate in 2021 and is seeking a second five-year term. As Surrogate, she has hosted a free guardianship-application clinic and an annual disability-inclusion event for county families, per an official county news release. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026; the official roster and election filing is the only verifiable source for Zoila Cassanova.
Jessica Sprague Republican
Jessica Sprague is a shareholder at Jardim Meisner Salmon Sprague & Susser specializing in family and matrimonial law, and is certified as a Matrimonial Attorney by the New Jersey Supreme Court, per her law firm's attorney profile. She served as the 100th President of the Passaic County Bar Association and currently serves as general counsel for the Passaic County Regular Republican Organization. She holds a B.A. from Fairleigh Dickinson University and a J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Jessica Sprague.
Full candidate profiles, priorities and campaign sites are on the Passaic County page.
Statewide races
U.S. SenateCory Booker (D) · Justin Murphy (R) · Veronica Fernandez (Independent) · Joanne Kuniansky (Socialist Workers Party)
Cory Booker Democrat Incumbent
- Lower health care and living costs for New Jersey families
- Advance criminal justice reform and economic opportunity
- Defend democratic institutions and civil rights
About Cory Booker
Cory Booker is New Jersey's incumbent U.S. senator and the Democratic nominee for a third full term in 2026. The former mayor of Newark, he has served in the Senate since 2013 and set the record for the longest Senate floor speech in 2025 protesting administration policy. His work centers on justice reform, economic opportunity, health care, and defending democratic institutions.
- Opposed the Laken Riley Act as one of nine Senate votes against it, saying it would expand mandatory detention of people not convicted of crimes and invite profiling of immigrant communities. Opposed
- Opposed the Republican stopgap funding measure during the government shutdown that began October 1, 2025, holding out for an extension of Affordable Care Act health insurance tax credits. Opposed
Justin Murphy Republican
- Replace the tax code with a flat income tax
- Expand parental rights and school choice
- Increase domestic energy production, including nuclear power
About Justin Murphy
Justin Murphy is the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate, a self-employed small business owner from Tabernacle in Burlington County's Pine Barrens, per his campaign site and the New Jersey Globe. He served four years in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Comte De Grasse, including six months in the Persian Gulf, per WHYY, and served one term on the Tabernacle Township Committee after his 2000 election, per the New Jersey Globe. He won the four-way June nomination with about a third of the vote.
Veronica Fernandez Independent
- Campaign finance reform, opposing the influence of big donors and special interests
- Making it more affordable to own a home, raise a family and access healthcare
- Answering to constituents rather than party leadership or donors
Per the campaign site.
About Veronica Fernandez
Veronica Fernandez is an independent candidate for U.S. Senate from New Jersey, running under the slogan "End the Corruption." A lifelong New Jersey resident, Fernandez co-owns a small commercial electrical contracting business with her husband, according to the campaign site. Fernandez's platform centers on campaign finance reform, affordability and answering to constituents rather than party leadership.
Joanne Kuniansky Socialist Workers Party
- Breaking from the Democratic and Republican parties to build independent working-class political action
About Joanne Kuniansky
Joanne Kuniansky is the Socialist Workers Party nominee for U.S. Senate from New Jersey. Kuniansky joined the Socialist Workers Party in 1977 and has worked in oil refineries, railroads, meatpacking and as a Walmart deli worker, according to Insider NJ. Kuniansky submitted 3,000 petition signatures to qualify for the ballot and has run for New Jersey governor and U.S. Senate in earlier cycles, per The Militant. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026.
See your full ballot
Voting info and more
City boundaries and ZIP codes from the U.S. Census Bureau (2024 Gazetteer, 2020 ZCTA relationships). Candidate fields follow official election office filings; confirm with the New Jersey election office before voting.