U.S. House, New Jersey 3rd Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in New Jersey's 3rd Congressional District?
Herb Conaway has the strongest record in New Jersey's 3rd Congressional District. Herb Conaway scores 67 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Michael McGuire at 50, as of October 9, 2026. Herb Conaway's highest marks are relevant experience and roots in the constituency. Ryan Michael Kelly (6 of 15 criteria) and Steven Welzer (4 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Democratic · incumbent
Strongest record
Herb Conaway
67 / 100
Public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 55
- Qualifications
- 80
- Performance
- 67
Independent
Ryan Michael Kelly
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 6 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 63
- Performance
- NR
Republican
Michael McGuire
On the ballot as Michael P. McGuire
50 / 100
Public evidence on 8 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 50
- Performance
- NR
Green
Steven Welzer
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 4 of 15 criteria
- Character
- NR
- Qualifications
- 63
- Performance
- NR
The good, the bad and the unresolved
The record
The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.
Herb Conaway
- On the record2025-01-16
Voted for the Preventing Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act when Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries voted against it.
Source: House Clerk Roll Call 17, 2025
- On the record2025-06-10
Voted for a bill barring noncitizens from voting in District of Columbia elections when Leader Jeffries voted against it.
Source: House Clerk Roll Call 163, 2025
- On the record
Directed the Burlington County Health Department for more than five years and served 25 years in the General Assembly.
Source: WHYY, Oct. 2026
- Credit2023
Ranked third in the Assembly on the Center for Effective Lawmaking state effectiveness score for 2022 to 2023, rated above expectations.
Source: Center for Effective Lawmaking, state legislative effectiveness data
- Credit1992
Served as a U.S. Air Force officer from 1992 to 1996.
Source: Ballotpedia, Herb Conaway
Ryan Michael Kelly
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Michael McGuire
- On the record
Is an officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve and a family law attorney.
Source: WHYY, Oct. 2026
- Credit2001-09-11
Served as a New York City police officer and was a first responder on Sept. 11, 2001, after four years in the Marine Corps.
Source: WHYY, Oct. 2026
Steven Welzer
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Herb Conaway. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026, and his 2025 annual financial disclosure is indexed by the House Clerk. No House Ethics Committee matter, FEC administrative fine or periodic transaction report found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search, committee C00859496
Ryan Michael Kelly. No public record found.
Michael McGuire. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026, and a House candidate financial disclosure is indexed by the Clerk. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search, committee C00932319
Steven Welzer. No public record found.
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Herb Conaway. Voted against his party leadership on several significant bills in 2025, including the Preventing Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act and a bill barring noncitizens from voting in District of Columbia elections, both opposed by Leader Jeffries.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 17, 2025, House Clerk Roll Call 163, 2025
Ryan Michael Kelly. No public record found.
Michael McGuire. No public record found.
Steven Welzer. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Herb Conaway. Hosted an in-person town hall at the Burlington County Library in February 2025, his office reports. No 2026 general election debate or forum found.
Ryan Michael Kelly. No public record found.
Michael McGuire. No public record found.
Steven Welzer. No public record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Herb Conaway. Served as an Air Force officer, 25 years in the General Assembly, director of the Burlington County Health Department and, since 2025, in Congress. No censure, reprimand or House Ethics Committee finding found.
Sources: WHYY, Oct. 2026, House Committee on Ethics site search for Conaway
Ryan Michael Kelly. Worked 13 years at the Department of Homeland Security and served on the Lake Como Borough Council. No formal conduct finding found.
Source: WHYY, Oct. 2026
Michael McGuire. Served four years in the Marine Corps and as a New York City police officer, and is a Navy Reserve officer and family law attorney. No formal conduct finding found.
Source: WHYY, Oct. 2026
Steven Welzer. No public record found.
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Herb Conaway. Served in the U.S. Air Force from 1992 to 1996 and held sworn state office from 1998. Took his House seat in 2025, after the January 2021 electoral count; no misuse-of-office finding found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Herb Conaway, WHYY, Oct. 2026
Ryan Michael Kelly. Federal civil servant for 13 years and a former Lake Como Borough Council member. No official finding of misuse of office found.
Source: WHYY, Oct. 2026
Michael McGuire. Served in the Marine Corps and the NYPD and is an officer in the Navy Reserve. No official finding of misuse of office found.
Source: WHYY, Oct. 2026
Steven Welzer. No public record found.
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Herb Conaway. Served 25 years in the New Jersey General Assembly before winning the House seat in 2024; also directed the Burlington County Health Department.
Source: WHYY, Oct. 2026
Ryan Michael Kelly. Former Lake Como Borough Council member and 13-year Department of Homeland Security employee in operations and program administration; now an educator.
Source: WHYY, Oct. 2026
Michael McGuire. Family law attorney, small-business adviser and tax practitioner, with Marine Corps, NYPD and Navy Reserve service. A first-time candidate who has not held public office.
Source: WHYY, Oct. 2026
Steven Welzer. Retired computer technician with the state judiciary; a founding member of the Green Party of New Jersey who served on the national Green Party steering committee. Has not held public office.
Sources: WHYY, Oct. 2026, Ballotpedia, Steven Welzer, candidate survey
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Herb Conaway. Serves on the House Armed Services and Veterans' Affairs committees; a physician and lawyer who chaired a committee in the Assembly per the state effectiveness data. Positions are published in general terms.
Ryan Michael Kelly. Published positions in general terms on affordability, health care, war powers and oversight of federal spending.
Source: WHYY, Oct. 2026
Michael McGuire. Published positions with some specific items, such as repealing the SALT deduction cap, expanding the child tax credit, a congressional stock trading ban and term limits.
Source: WHYY, Oct. 2026
Steven Welzer. Published positions in general terms on electoral reform, military spending and climate.
Source: WHYY, Oct. 2026
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Herb Conaway. His House office offers an e-newsletter and issue pages, and he gave WHYY statements on his positions. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Office site, home page, WHYY, Oct. 2026, Ballotpedia, Herb Conaway
Ryan Michael Kelly. Completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey, gave WHYY statements and publishes issue pages on his campaign site.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Ryan Kelly, WHYY, Oct. 2026, Campaign site, home page
Michael McGuire. Completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey and gave WHYY statements on his positions.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Michael McGuire, WHYY, Oct. 2026
Steven Welzer. Completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey, gave WHYY statements and publishes a platform on his campaign site.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Steven Welzer, WHYY, Oct. 2026, Campaign site, home page
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Herb Conaway. A lifelong Burlington County resident who lives in Delran, in the district. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 69 percent of itemized individual contributions from New Jersey.
Ryan Michael Kelly. Based in Hightstown, which is in the district. Length of residence not established.
Sources: Campaign site, home page, WHYY, Oct. 2026
Michael McGuire. Lives in Freehold Township, which is in the district. FEC by-state totals show about 35 percent of itemized individual contributions from New Jersey.
Steven Welzer. Lives in East Windsor, in the district, and describes himself as a lifelong New Jersey resident.
Sources: WHYY, Oct. 2026, Ballotpedia, Steven Welzer, candidate survey
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Herb Conaway. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026, with no administrative fine found. Earlier directed the Burlington County Health Department for more than five years; staff size not found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, WHYY, Oct. 2026
Ryan Michael Kelly. No public record found.
Michael McGuire. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search, committee C00932319
Steven Welzer. No public record found.
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Herb Conaway. Not yet scored for Congress. In his last Assembly term (2024 to 2025) his State Legislative Effectiveness Score met expectations with seven bills enacted, after an above-expectations score (third in the chamber) in 2022 to 2023. No House bill of his has had committee action.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking, state legislative effectiveness data, WHYY, Oct. 2026
Ryan Michael Kelly. No public record found.
Michael McGuire. No public record found.
Steven Welzer. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Herb Conaway. Missed 15 of 676 roll call votes, 2.2 percent, from January 2025 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Ryan Michael Kelly. No public record found.
Michael McGuire. No public record found.
Steven Welzer. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Herb Conaway. Runs three district offices, in Hamilton (Trenton), Freehold and Marlton, and offers help with federal agencies by appointment. No published casework totals found.
Source: Office site, Office Locations
Ryan Michael Kelly. No public record found.
Michael McGuire. No public record found.
Steven Welzer. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Herb Conaway. No public record found.
Ryan Michael Kelly. No public record found.
Michael McGuire. No public record found.
Steven Welzer. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Herb Conaway. No public record found.
Ryan Michael Kelly. No public record found.
Michael McGuire. No public record found.
Steven Welzer. No public record found.
How to read this
Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.
A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.
No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 9, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in New Jersey's 3rd Congressional District?
Herb Conaway has the strongest record in New Jersey's 3rd Congressional District. Herb Conaway scores 67 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Michael McGuire at 50, as of October 9, 2026. Herb Conaway's highest marks are relevant experience and roots in the constituency. Ryan Michael Kelly (6 of 15 criteria) and Steven Welzer (4 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in New Jersey's 3rd Congressional District in 2026?
Herb Conaway (Democratic, incumbent), Ryan Michael Kelly (Independent), Michael McGuire (Republican), Steven Welzer (Green). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Herb Conaway a good candidate for Congress?
Herb Conaway scores 67 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria: character 55 of 100, qualifications 80 of 100, performance 67 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Ryan Michael Kelly a good candidate for Congress?
Ryan Michael Kelly has public evidence on 6 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
Is Michael McGuire a good candidate for Congress?
Michael McGuire scores 50 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 8 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 50 of 100, performance no record. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Steven Welzer a good candidate for Congress?
Steven Welzer has public evidence on 4 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
How is the strongest record decided?
The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.
More on this race: every New Jersey race scored, and the New Jersey 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.