Republican Scott Fegler Challenges Frank Pallone For NJ6 Congress Seat

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — It's not just Donald Trump vs. Kamala Harris this November.

Every two years, there is an election for who will represent your town in United States Congress. New Brunswick is part of New Jersey's Sixth Congressional District, which has been represented by Frank Pallone, a Democrat, for the past 36 years.

The election will be the same day as the presidential, Nov. 5.

Pallone was first elected to represent this part of Central Jersey in Congress in 1988.

He will be challenged this year by Scott Fegler, a Republican. Two years ago, Pallone was challenged by a well-known Central Jersey Republican, former Hazlet mayor Sue Kiley, and she failed to gain enough votes to unseat him (106,238 votes for Pallone, 75,839 for Kiley). NJ's Sixth District is solidly blue, and has voted for a Democrat for president for decades.

Fegler grew up in Matawan, graduated from Christian Brothers Academy, the private Jesuit boys' high school in Lincroft. and then St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. Fegler works in the food industry, and served on the USDA Pork Board and other trade organizations. Fegler currently lives in Highlands.

He is a strong backer of Trump, saying on his X platform July 13, the day of the assassination attempt: "I wholeheartedly support President Trump. They will stop at nothing to end his life or career. This is why I am running. We need to pursue. We need to carry on. We need to Make America Great Again."

According to his website, Fegler has more conservative opinions than Pallone on issues such as:

Immigration: Fegler is running on a platform of securing the border and ending the illegal immigration that has surged in the past four years.

"The U.S. border is critical for national security, with a focus on preventing illegal immigration, drug trafficking and infiltration by criminal or terrorist elements," said Fegler. "Emphasis needs to be placed on robust border security measures to protect American citizens and communities. We must provide our law enforcement teams with necessary support, including resources, technology, and authority to enforce immigration laws."

Energy: Pallone has backed Gov. Phil Murphy in pushing for wind turbines off the New Jersey coast. Fegler argues "oil, gas, propane and even coal will play a significant role in the immediate future as we transition into greener energy. Nuclear energy should be further utilized as clean, reliable and cost-effective," he said.

Of wind turbines, Fegler warned that "these energy projects will cost taxpayers billions throughout their lifecycle, endangering marine wildlife while achieving very little in our rush to decarbonize haphazardly."

Israel: Fegler is also making support for Israel one of his campaign highlights. He is also calling for term limits in U.S. Congress and Senate.

"Supporting Israel is crucial as it embodies democracy and stability in the Middle East," he said.

By contrast, Pallone was a very vocal critic of Trump's when Trump was in office. He voted twice to impeach Trump.

Abortion: Pallone has said the lack of access to abortion is one of the most pressing issues facing America today.

"If we don’t take swift action, the standard of medical expertise will plummet, putting the lives of women everywhere, including in New Jersey, in grave danger," Pallone said this week at a roundtable he held at Rutgers with NJ Planned Parenthood.

Pallone said this week that abortion restrictions in the U.S. "have severely reduced OB-GYN training and worsened reproductive health care."