New Jersey 4th District Voter Guide: Smith and Peace on Immigration and Election Rules
Two candidates are on the ballot in New Jersey's 4th Congressional District on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026: Republican Rep. Chris Smith, who was first elected in 1980, and Democrat Rachel Peace, a communications business owner from Brick running for office for the first time.
The Digital Free Press voter guide video compares the two candidates on immigration and election rules. Here is where each one stands, based on the video, Smith's voting record and congressional statements, and the NJ Spotlight News voter guide. Peace answered the NJ Spotlight News survey; for Smith, the guide lists no answers and instead compiles his record.
The district covers parts of Monmouth and Ocean counties, including Toms River, Brick, Lakewood, Jackson, Howell, Wall and Point Pleasant. It is heavily Republican: 40% of registered voters are Republicans and about 23% are Democrats, with most of the rest unaffiliated, according to NJ Spotlight News. Smith has served 45 years and shares the title of most senior member of the House with Kentucky Republican Rep. Hal Rogers.
Why Immigration and Election Rules Are Issues
Both topics have been in the news in New Jersey this year. In July, Gov. Mikie Sherrill said a state Motor Vehicle Commission software error registered about 6,600 non-U.S. citizens to vote between June 2023 and June 2024, and that roughly 400 of them cast ballots in at least one election, according to an early review, NJ Spotlight News reported. Republicans, including Smith, have pointed to it in calling on Congress to pass new voting rules.
On immigration, New Jersey has been at the center of the debate over the Trump administration's enforcement push, with protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention center in Newark, the New Jersey Monitor reported. The state has let residents without legal immigration status get standard driver's licenses since 2021, and its Immigrant Trust Directive limits when state and local police may help with federal civil immigration enforcement.
Chris Smith (Republican, Incumbent)
Smith, 73, grew up in Iselin and lives in Manchester Township. He is in his 23rd term, is a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and chairs its Africa Subcommittee, and co-chairs the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission and the Congressional-Executive Commission on China. His congressional work has focused on foreign affairs, human rights, human trafficking and veterans, WHYY reported.
On immigration, the video says Smith voted for a border security package funding the southern border wall and deportation enforcement. NJ Spotlight News reports that he voted for a $165 billion border security package, "including funds to complete the southern border wall and additional money to the Department of Homeland Security for its deportation efforts." Smith has also called for New Jersey to repeal its so-called sanctuary state status. After a crash in Jackson Township in August that killed a 9-month-old, he said the state "must repeal its so-called sanctuary state status," according to an article he posted on his House website, and WHYY reported his statement that doing so "would allow local law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration officials."
On election rules, the video says Smith voted for the SAVE Act requiring proof of U.S. citizenship to register for federal elections. NJ Spotlight News reports that the bill he voted for would require proof of citizenship to register, have states check citizenship status against a federal database and allow criminal penalties for election officials who register non-citizens. Smith was a cosponsor of the 2024 version of the SAVE Act, and his office said at the time he was a member of the House Election Integrity Caucus. "Noncitizen voting makes our elections vulnerable to foreign interference and violates the constitutional principle that voting is a right reserved for American citizens," he said. In July 2026, after the Motor Vehicle Commission announcement, he urged the Senate to pass the SAVE America Act, which he said would require proof of citizenship to register and a government-issued photo ID to vote in federal elections. "This failure is not merely a 'glitch,'" he said.
Rachel Peace (Democrat)
Peace, 33, grew up in Ocean County and is raising her young son in Monmouth County. A single mother, she founded Hyperfocused Communications, a small strategic communications firm, and this is her first run for office. She won the Democratic primary in June. "While I'm not a politician, I'm not an establishment candidate," she told WHYY.
On immigration, the video says Peace supports earned citizenship paths, a faster asylum process and humane border management. She told NJ Spotlight News she supports comprehensive reform: "a clear, earned path to citizenship for DREAMers and long-term residents; an asylum process that actually works on a real timeline; and strong, humane border management — not chaotic raids that separate families, terrorize US-citizen children, or strip due process." She also said she would "crack down on the employers who exploit undocumented labor to undercut NJ wages."
On election rules, the video says Peace supports free voter ID, mail voting with signature checks and restoring the Voting Rights Act. "I support secure, accessible voter ID — issued free of charge so no working family, senior, or veteran is turned away — and protecting mail-in voting with strong signature verification," she told NJ Spotlight News. She said she would "pass the Freedom to Vote Act and restore the Voting Rights Act," and she supports overturning Citizens United, banning corporate PAC money and banning stock trading by members of Congress.
Where to Follow the Candidates
Chris Smith: @repchrissmith on Instagram; his campaign links to Facebook at Smith4NJ. Rachel Peace: @peace4shore on Instagram and Facebook.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. This guide is for information only; The Digital Free Press does not endorse any candidate.
Yossi Schmidt, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, The Digital Free Press
Hold Everyone Accountable.
Sources: New Jersey Division of Elections, Official List, Candidates for House of Representatives, General Election 11/03/2026: https://www.nj.gov/state/elections/assets/pdf/election-results/2026/2026-official-general-candidates-us-house-0904.pdf ; NJ Spotlight News, 4th Congressional District Election Guide: https://www.njspotlightnews.org/special-report/2026-primary-4th-congressional-district/ ; WHYY, "New Jersey election 2026: What to know about the 4th Congressional District race": https://whyy.org/articles/election-2026-new-jersey-4th-congressional-district-voter-guide/ ; Rep. Chris Smith, "Smith cosponsor of bill to bolster election security and integrity" (July 10, 2024): https://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=413281 ; Rep. Chris Smith, "Smith condemns NJ voter fraud, urges Senate passage of the SAVE America Act" (July 22, 2026): https://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=415777 ; Rep. Chris Smith, Save Jersey article featuring Smith commentary (Sept. 4, 2026): https://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=415825 ; Rep. Chris Smith, House website: https://chrissmith.house.gov/ ; Chris Smith campaign: https://smith4nj.com/ ; Rachel Peace campaign: https://www.peace4shore.com/ ; New Jersey Globe, "Rachel Peace earns NJ-4 Dem nod against Chris Smith": https://newjerseyglobe.com/congress/rachel-peace-earns-nj-4-dem-nod-against-chris-smith/ ; NJ Spotlight News, "Thousands of non-citizens registered to vote in NJ, Sherrill says" (July 22, 2026): https://www.njspotlightnews.org/2026/07/thousands-of-non-citizens-registered-to-vote-in-nj-sherrill-says/ ; New Jersey Monitor, "ICE in the crosshairs as NJ Democrats fight to win back control of Congress" (Oct. 20, 2026): https://newjerseymonitor.com/2026/10/20/democrats-2026-election-immigration-ice/
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