U.S. House, New Jersey 9th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in New Jersey's 9th Congressional District?
Nellie Pou has the strongest record in New Jersey's 9th Congressional District. Nellie Pou scores 67 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Nellie Pou's highest marks are relevant experience and showing up. Terrisa Bukovinac (2 of 15 criteria) and Rosie Pino (7 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.
Independent
Terrisa Bukovinac
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 2 of 15 criteria
- Character
- NR
- Qualifications
- 38
- Performance
- NR
Republican
Rosie Pino
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 7 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 60
- Performance
- NR
Democratic · incumbent
Strongest record
Nellie Pou
On the ballot as Nelida Pou
67 / 100
Public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 55
- Qualifications
- 80
- Performance
- 67
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.
Terrisa Bukovinac
- On the record2022-04-05
Said at an April 2022 news conference that she and activist Lauren Handy took a box of fetal remains from a medical waste truck outside a Washington clinic; the waste company denied handing over any package.
Sources: Rolling Stone, April 5, 2022, NPR via GPB, April 6, 2022
Rosie Pino
- Credit2019
Elected to the Clifton City Council after serving on the Clifton Board of Education from 2014 to 2019.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Rosemary Pino, City of Clifton, Council
Nellie Pou
- On the record2025-02-06
Voted for the HALT Fentanyl Act; Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries voted Nay.
Source: House Clerk Roll Call 33, 2025
- On the record2019-01-03
While a state senator, took a $56,000 part-time Paterson Parking Authority job working on state tax credits she had sponsored; the authority said it sought no other applicants.
- Credit2026-09
Missed none of 676 House roll call votes from January 2025 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
- Credit2024-08-30
Became the first Hispanic woman to represent New Jersey in Congress after Democrats chose her to replace the late Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. on the ballot.
Source: CBS New York, Aug. 30, 2024
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Terrisa Bukovinac. No public record found.
Rosie Pino. Campaign reports and House candidate financial disclosures are on file. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk candidate financial disclosure, Filing ID 10083016, FEC administrative fines search, committee C00911339
Nellie Pou. Her 2025 annual financial disclosure was filed May 15, 2026; no stock transaction reports are indexed for her. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10077198, FEC administrative fines search, committee C00887547
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Terrisa Bukovinac. No public record found.
Rosie Pino. No public record found.
Nellie Pou. Voted for the 2025 HALT Fentanyl Act, a bill barring noncitizen voting in District of Columbia elections and the D.C. Policing Protection Act, each time opposite Democratic Leader Jeffries.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 33, 2025, House Clerk Roll Call 163, 2025, House Clerk Roll Call 275, 2025
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Terrisa Bukovinac. No public record found.
Rosie Pino. No public record found.
Nellie Pou. Holds telephone town halls. No 2026 general election debate record was found.
Source: Office site, Contact
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Terrisa Bukovinac. No public record found.
Rosie Pino. No public record found.
Nellie Pou. Served in the New Jersey Legislature from 1997 to 2025 and as Paterson business administrator; no censure, reprimand or conduct finding found.
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Terrisa Bukovinac. No public record found.
Rosie Pino. Holds sworn office as a Clifton City Council member and earlier sat on the Clifton Board of Education. No official finding of misuse of office found.
Sources: City of Clifton, Council, Ballotpedia, Rosemary Pino
Nellie Pou. Took the oath as a state legislator and U.S. representative; she was not in Congress for the 2017 or 2021 electoral vote objections. No official finding of misuse of office found.
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Terrisa Bukovinac. Founded and led the anti-abortion group Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising; has not held public office.
Source: The Cut, April 2022
Rosie Pino. Clifton City Council member since 2019 and a Clifton Board of Education member from 2014 to 2019.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Rosemary Pino, City of Clifton, Council
Nellie Pou. U.S. representative since 2025 after more than two decades in the New Jersey Assembly and Senate; earlier Paterson business administrator.
Sources: GovTrack member page, CBS New York, Aug. 30, 2024, North Jersey Record, Jan. 3, 2019
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Terrisa Bukovinac. No public record found.
Rosie Pino. Publishes issue positions on the economy, health care, public safety, energy, schools and the border, mostly in general terms.
Source: Campaign site, Issues
Nellie Pou. Serves on the Transportation and Infrastructure and Homeland Security committees and publishes issue pages.
Sources: GovTrack, committee membership, Office site, home page
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Terrisa Bukovinac. No public record found.
Rosie Pino. Publishes plain-language issue pages. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Nellie Pou. Completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey, offers a newsletter and holds telephone town halls.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Nellie Pou, Office site, Contact
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Terrisa Bukovinac. Her address on the official candidate list is in Ellendale, Tennessee, outside New Jersey.
Source: New Jersey Division of Elections, official candidate list, Sept. 4, 2026
Rosie Pino. Lives in Clifton, in the district, where she attended high school and has held local office since 2014. FEC by-state totals show about 39 percent of itemized individual contributions from New Jersey.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Rosemary Pino, Wikipedia, New Jersey's 9th congressional district, FEC contribution totals by state
Nellie Pou. Paterson resident who worked in city government from 1975 and represented the area in the Legislature. FEC by-state totals show about 30 percent of itemized individual contributions from New Jersey.
Sources: North Jersey Record, Jan. 3, 2019, New Jersey Division of Elections, official candidate list, Sept. 4, 2026, FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Terrisa Bukovinac. No public record found.
Rosie Pino. 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 C00911339
Nellie Pou. Was Paterson's business administrator from 2014 to 2018. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026, with no administrative fine.
Sources: North Jersey Record, Jan. 3, 2019, FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search, committee C00887547
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Terrisa Bukovinac. No public record found.
Rosie Pino. No public record found.
Nellie Pou. No Center for Effective Lawmaking score yet for her House service and no enacted House bill. As a state senator she sponsored the law creating state tax credit funding for Paterson development.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Terrisa Bukovinac. No public record found.
Rosie Pino. No public record found.
Nellie Pou. Missed 0 of 676 roll call votes from January 2025 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Terrisa Bukovinac. No public record found.
Rosie Pino. No public record found.
Nellie Pou. Runs a Paterson district office plus weekly hours in Lyndhurst and Passaic and offers help with federal agencies. No published casework totals found.
Source: Office site, Contact
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Terrisa Bukovinac. No public record found.
Rosie Pino. No public record found.
Nellie Pou. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Terrisa Bukovinac. No public record found.
Rosie Pino. No public record found.
Nellie Pou. 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 9th Congressional District?
Nellie Pou has the strongest record in New Jersey's 9th Congressional District. Nellie Pou scores 67 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Nellie Pou's highest marks are relevant experience and showing up. Terrisa Bukovinac (2 of 15 criteria) and Rosie Pino (7 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 9th Congressional District in 2026?
Terrisa Bukovinac (Independent), Rosie Pino (Republican), Nellie Pou (Democratic, incumbent). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Terrisa Bukovinac a good candidate for Congress?
Terrisa Bukovinac has public evidence on 2 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 Rosie Pino a good candidate for Congress?
Rosie Pino has public evidence on 7 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 Nellie Pou a good candidate for Congress?
Nellie Pou 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.
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.