






Democratic candidate for U.S. House in New Jersey
NJ-11 special Democratic nominee?
Candidate standings
Live market pricing for the leading candidates in this election.
Current prediction-market probability for the candidate, updated as market prices change.
1%chance to win
Key details about the candidate’s background, party, office sought and current campaign.
Current roleCommissioner
PartyDemocratic
Political ideologyLiberal Democrat
LocationNew Jersey
BackgroundAttorney
EducationHarvard Law School
Notable personal detailsJohn W. Bartlett is a Passaic County Commissioner in New Jersey and an attorney. He has represented Passaic County on the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority and served as its board chair in 2022–2023. He is a partner at Murphy Orlando LLC and has worked on election and voting-rights matters. He ran for U.S. House in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District in the 2026 cycle.
Supports fiscal restraint through balanced budgets and lowering local tax rates while prioritizing investments in infrastructure, economic development, and services for vulnerable populations. Emphasizes keeping county taxes low and claims a record of multiple years with no county tax levy increase. Advocates supporting small businesses as part of economic policy.
Supports creating a public health insurance option to increase competition, lower costs, and expand access; plans to sponsor a public option on day one in Congress. Emphasizes affordability and using government policy to restrain insurance companies and reduce premiums.
John Bartlett has emphasized protecting immigrant communities and expanding inclusion and language access; he has publicly urged Governor Murphy to sign legislation protecting immigrants’ privacy and trust with law enforcement and called for immigration reform addressing visa issues. His public statements prioritize community protections and reducing enforcement-related harms while supporting reforms to ease immigration-related burdens for local immigrant families.
Supports climate resiliency and transportation investments to address climate impacts and has advocated for federal funding to improve infrastructure, public transit, and regional climate resilience. Emphasizes planning and investment to make transportation systems and county infrastructure more resilient to flooding and extreme weather. No explicit statements found endorsing Green New Deal–level fossil-fuel phaseouts or explicit opposition to transitional fossil fuel use in the sourced materials.
Opposed federal concealed-carry reciprocity and says he has worked on litigation protecting local authority over gun safety; emphasizes public safety while building relationships with law enforcement, as reflected by at least one law-enforcement endorsement.
John Bartlett is in the news because he is a candidate tied to the New Jersey special election landscape, where the NJ-11 Democratic primary has already been decided and the race is moving toward the April 16 special election. The broader April election slate, including contests in New Jersey and Georgia, is being watched for its possible impact on control of the U.S. House. The available summaries do not give many direct details about Bartlett’s own actions or standing, so the reporting is mostly about the election environment around him.
Recent polling results and the candidate's current average in the race.






Aggregation source: FiftyPlusOne
Campaign finance totals from the latest available reporting period.
2022
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LatestCycle 2022
Cycle 2024
Cycle 2026
Source: FEC
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We're monitoring and will update when new data impacts the race.