Trump backs Rep. Smith on eve of New Jersey primary

With hardly any primary resistance in a seat that broke for Trump by 30 points, Smith enters Election Day in a commanding position.

Washington, D.C. -President Donald Trump has endorsed Representative Chris Smith for re-election in New Jersey’s 4th Congressional District, posting his support on Truth Social at 9:40 p.m. June 1 — hours before the state’s primary. Trump praised Smith as a strong advocate for his district, tied him to the administration’s agenda on the economy, energy, the border, and veterans, and called it his “Complete and Total Endorsement.”

Smith is among the most senior figures in Congress. First elected in 1980, he is tied for the longest-serving current House member, and now sits as a senior member of the Foreign Affairs Committee. Over four decades he has built a profile around veterans’ services, health care, and anti-human-trafficking legislation.

The 4th District — covering conservative parts of Ocean and Monmouth counties — is among the state’s most reliably Republican seats, backing Trump by about 30 points in 2024. Smith faces little resistance in the GOP primary, while Democrats choose between John Blake and Rachel Peace for the right to challenge him in November.

President Trump also issued his endorsement for Smith in 2025. The current nod restates his support for the Congressman and is one of more than 200 that President Trump has issued ahead of the 2026 midterms as Republicans defend a narrow House majority. In New Jersey, he has also backed Representatives Jeff Van Drew and Thomas Kean Jr. Polls close at 8 p.m.

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