As part of Denville Now’s Meet the Candidate series, we are sharing publicly available information about individuals running for office in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District. This series is intended to inform residents and does not express support for or opposition to any candidate or party.
Candidate Overview
Name: John Bartlett
Party: Democratic Party
Current Role: Passaic County Commissioner
Residence: Wayne, New Jersey
Race: Candidate in the special election for U.S. House (NJ-11), including the Special Democratic Primary (Feb. 5, 2026) and Special General Election (April 16, 2026).
Background and Experience
John Bartlett is a county commissioner and election law attorney. As a candidate, he emphasizes his record of results in public service, including lowering Passaic County property tax rates for nine years in a row while improving services and building new parks and public schools. Through his role as the county’s representative on a regional transportation board, he has already delivered more than $960 million to NJ-11 in federal transportation funding, including for the major improvements to Routes 46/3 near Montclair State University, to complete the “missing moves” at the interchange of Routes 80, 46, and 23 near Willowbrook Mall, and to support the Pompton Valley Rail Trail from Pequannock to Wayne.
As an attorney, Bartlett has experience in election and voting rights law. He is the only candidate who has gone toe-to-toe with the Republican National Committee in federal Court over racially-targeted voter suppression, and won. He has trained hundreds of lawyers to protect vulnerable voters’ access to the polls.
Campaign Focus
Bartlett’s campaign slogan is public service over self-service. His top priorities as a candidate are affordability and democracy. On the former topic, he has committed to introduce a public option for health care coverage on his first day in Congress, to increase competition for private health insurance companies while lowering costs for those who already have coverage and giving families and small businesses a real choice that keeps prices down. He also points to his success bringing federal transportation and other funds into the District already, which has helped Passaic County lower its county property tax rate for 9 years.
On democracy, Bartlett–a voting rights lawyer with over 20 years’ experience–has committed to use every tool available, including legislation and litigation, to make sure the 2026 and 2028 elections are free and fair. He wrote: “We need a renewed fight for voting rights in Washington. That starts with a new voting rights act, but it cannot end there: Congress must use its power to overturn the President’s attempts to unilaterally rewrite election laws to curtail voting rights by executive order, and protect vulnerable voters in states like Texas from having their votes stolen and diluted by gerrymandering.”
Bartlett is not a machine politician; he has never made his living off his public position, and neither has anyone in his family. He has committed to advocate and abide by a ban on Congressional stock-trading. He has been endorsed by the Port Authority PBA and by numerous current and former local elected officials.
Education and Personal Background
Bartlett is a graduate of Brown University and Harvard Law School. He also studied at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem as a Raoul Wallenberg Scholar. He lives in Wayne with his wife and their son.
Learn More
Voters can find additional information directly from John Bartlett’s campaign website and official social media channels.
How To Vote
Democratic and unaffiliated voters may vote in the Democratic special primary election on February 5, 2026. Early voting starts January 29, and voters can vote by mail by requesting a ballot from the County Clerk.
About This Series
Denville Now’s Meet the Candidate series is designed to help residents become familiar with candidates seeking public office. Information is summarized from public announcements, campaign materials, and biographical details.
Disclosure: This Meet the Candidate feature is a paid informational placement purchased by the campaign. Information is based on campaign materials and other public sources. Denville Now does not endorse any political candidate or party.
