U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross is headed back to Washington for another term representing New Jersey's 1st Congressional District, which covers Camden County and parts of Gloucester and Burlington counties. The Camden County Democrat defeated Republican Damon Galdo, keeping a seat that has stayed in Democratic hands since 1975.
According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Norcross has served as the district's representative since 2014, and both he and Galdo won their party primaries unopposed back in June. The outlet's live election coverage confirmed the district remained with Garden State Democrats following Tuesday's vote.
Norcross first arrived in Congress after a 2014 special election, which was called after then-Rep. Rob Andrews resigned from the House to take a position in the private sector, according to the New Jersey Monitor. Before entering politics, Norcross worked as a union electrician and later served as president of the Southern New Jersey AFL-CIO for nearly 20 years, according to a voter guide from WHYY.
Who Was Running Against Him
Galdo, 45, is a construction superintendent from West Deptford, per the same voter guide from WHYY. Election Day fell on Tuesday, Nov. 3, and the district's long Democratic run made Norcross the heavy favorite heading into the contest; the seat has been considered reliably safe for the party since 1975, per the station's reporting.
On the campaign trail, Galdo focused part of his pitch on gas prices, tying them to the conflict involving Iran and what he described as an unfulfilled promise from President Donald Trump. “Trump made a promise that gas prices would be low, he'd 'drill baby drill,' and then we get into this conflict, and gas prices are through the roof,” Galdo said, according to the New Jersey Monitor. The same report noted that candidates from both parties called for more scrutiny of foreign aid and war spending amid voters' broader economic concerns.
A Familiar Result in South Jersey
This isn't the first time Norcross has turned back a Republican rival in the district. In 2024, voters reelected him over Republican Teddy Liddell, part of a trio of South Jersey congressmen in safe districts who won that year, the New Jersey Monitor reported at the time. Before Tuesday's election, Galdo had been positioning himself as the challenger taking on Norcross in the 1st District, according to the outlet's earlier campaign coverage.
Norcross's brother, George Norcross, is a South Jersey power broker and insurance executive, a detail the New Jersey Monitor's coverage of the race notes as part of the congressman's family background. The New Jersey Monitor is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors.
