[4] Radio personality and former NFL linebacker Garry Cobb and perennial candidate Lee Lucas ran in the Republican primary.

[10][11] Note: None of the Republican candidates filed for the special election to fill Congressman Rob Andrews' unexpired term.

Statewide officials Labor unions Organizations Newspapers State legislators The 3rd district is based in South Jersey and includes parts of Burlington and Ocean counties.

Republican Jon Runyan, who had represented the district since 2011, retired, citing a desire to spend more time with his family.

Roy Cho, a Democrat who has worked for the governor's office and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, ran against the incumbent Garrett.

The Star-Ledger called Garrett "a retrograde culture warrior who wants to eliminate a woman's right to choose" and criticized his support for the 2013 budget sequester, which hurt New Jersey; by contrast, Cho is "a centrist who actually wants to govern.

"[70] The Bergen Record criticized Garrett as "a dogmatic conservative who believes ideology trumps compromise" and agreed with Cho's call for a federal role in improving the region's transportation infrastructure.

Curtis Alphonzo Vaughn III, Robert Louis Toussaint, and Aaron Fraser also ran in the Democratic primary.