State Sen. Jon Bramnick (R-Westfield) appears to be laying the groundwork for a 2027 re-election campaign, signaling Thursday that he is preparing for another run even if he is not yet ready to make a formal announcement.
Asked about his political future, Bramnick said he was “gearing up” for another campaign.
While he stopped short of officially declaring his intentions, the comments suggest the veteran Republican wants a third term in the New Jersey State Senate.
Bramnick has already begun sending out direct mail in the 21st legislative district, highlighting his moderate, non-Trump-aligned brand of Republican politics. It is a notable move considering he will not be on the ballot again for nearly a year.
He held a town hall meeting in Westfield on May 27, livestreamed by the New Jersey Globe, and has a second one scheduled in Summit on June 23 at the local Elks hall.
The two-term state senator and former Assembly Minority Leader represents the 21st legislative district, one of the few districts in New Jersey that sends two Democrats to the General Assembly while electing a Republican to the State Senate. His district includes parts of Union, Morris, Somerset, and Middlesex counties. Last year, Bramnick sought the GOP nomination for governor.
Bramnick could be one of Democrats’ top targets in 2027, but he has proven to be a durable vote-getter. First elected to the Assembly in 2003, he has continued to win in a district that has steadily trended Democratic since 2016. The district voted for Joe Biden by 17 points in 2020, Kamala Harris by 14 points in 2024, and Mikie Sherrill by 11 points last year.
He has survived competitive races before. Bramnick was the top vote-getter overall in his 2017 and 2019 re-elections, winning by 2,564 votes and 3,335 votes, respectively.
He was elected to the State Senate in 2021 by eight points, defeating Roselle Park Mayor and future Union County Commissioner Joseph Signorello III, and won re-election by eight points in 2023 against Democrat Matt Marino, a former Bernardsville Councilman.
The district’s increasingly Democratic tilt was evident in 2025, when Bramnick’s Republican Assembly running mates, Assemblywomen Michele Matsikoudis (R-New Providence) and Nancy Muñoz (R-Summit), lost re-election bids to now-Assemblymen Andrew Macurdy (D-Summit) and Vinnie Kearney (D-Garwood).
Both Macurdy and Kearney are considered potential State Senate candidates, along with Union County Commissioner Kimberly Palmieri-Mouded.
