Candidate · November 3, 2026
Ryan Michael Kelly
On the ballot for U.S. House · New Jersey's 3rd District
- raised through Oct 14, 2026
- $5,725
- cash on hand
- $762
- issues with public statements
- 33
§1On the ballot
Why this matters: This is exactly how the candidate appears on your ballot, from the state's official candidate list.
| Office | U.S. House · New Jersey's 3rd District1, |
|---|---|
| Party on the ballot | AFFORDABILITY, ACCOUNTABILITY, PEOPLE1, |
| Status | Challenger |
| Also on the ballot |
|
§2Who they are
Why this matters: Background and experience help you judge how someone might do the job. These come from public records and the candidate's own materials.
Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.
He served on the Lake Como Borough Council in 2007, where he was the borough's recycling coordinator and acted as the council's liaison with the borough's Board of Education.3 He attended law school, has taught college courses in New Jersey, among them at Mercer County Community College, and is a doctoral student.4 He took part in Air Force ROTC at Colorado State University and has volunteered with the Civil Air Patrol since 2002.4 He joined the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties in 2012 and spent nearly 13 years there, including work supporting Afghan evacuees during Operation Allies Welcome.4
Why they say they're running
His campaign website says he is running because he believes government ought to help people live with dignity and that Congress needs members who will ask hard questions, follow the evidence and protect rights.4,
Websites and accounts
- Campaign websitekellyfornj03.com5
- YouTubeyoutube.com/@KellyForNJ03com5
- Instagraminstagram.com/KellyForNJ035
- Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=615919256474565
- X (Twitter)x.com/KellyForNJ035
§3What they've said on the issues
Why this matters: These are positions the candidate has stated publicly — on their campaign website or in public statements — summarized in plain words with a link to where they said it. Issues they haven't spoken about publicly are left out.
Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.
Each issue has its own range of views. A position is marked on that range only when the candidate's own statement clearly matches one option; there is no overall left–right score.
Economy, Jobs and Trade
His campaign website says he supports stronger federal protections for workers organizing unions, along with policies modeled on the PRO Act.6
- Make it easier to form a union (for example, the PRO Act)
- Keep current rules
- Add requirements such as a secret-ballot election before every union is recognized
His campaign website says he opposes right-to-work laws.6
Family and Social Policy
His campaign website says he supports universal paid family and parental leave.6
- Create a national paid leave program for all workers
- Expand tax credits for employers that offer paid leave, without a national requirement
- Keep current federal law, leaving paid leave to employers and states
Health Care
His campaign website says he supports a universal, single-payer health care system and describes health care as a public good that everyone is guaranteed rather than something tied to employment, income or age.6
- One government plan for everyone (Medicare for All)
- Add a government plan that anyone can choose to buy
- Keep the current mix of private and public coverage, including the ACA
- Fewer federal insurance rules and more private plan choices, with aid paid to individuals
Abortion and Reproductive Health
His campaign website says he supports strong federal protection of reproductive freedom, including access to abortion, and lists protecting reproductive freedom in federal law among his priorities.6
His campaign website says he supports strong federal protections for abortion access, and lists protecting reproductive freedom in federal law among his priorities.6
- A national law making abortion legal in every state, at least until viability, as under Roe v. Wade
- Leave abortion law to each state
- A national law limiting abortion (for example, after 15 weeks of pregnancy)
His campaign website lists protecting medication abortion among the reproductive health care protections he supports.6
His campaign website says he supports federal protections for contraception and fertility care.6
Housing
His campaign website says he supports rent stabilization that would let rents rise in line with real costs while protecting tenants from steep increases.6
His campaign website says he supports Housing First approaches and supportive services, and that clearing encampments without a safe and realistic place to go does not solve homelessness.6
- Provide permanent housing first, without requiring treatment or sobriety beforehand
- Provide housing that comes with requirements, such as treatment, sobriety or work
- Enforce bans on public camping and move people into shelters or treatment, including court-ordered treatment for some
Veterans
His campaign website says he supports adding to and retaining the VA's medical and claims staff.6
- Hire more VA staff, including to replace jobs lost in 2025
- Keep staffing near current levels
- Cut VA staff further, especially in administrative jobs
His campaign website says he supports making it easier for veterans to get care outside the VA when the VA cannot treat them in a timely way.6
His campaign website says he supports reducing delays in disability claims and appeals, and lists faster review of VA errors and protecting benefits for surviving spouses and families while errors are reviewed among his priorities.6
Foreign Policy and Defense
His campaign website says Congress should take back its constitutional role in deciding on war, and that military force should be limited to defending the country and its people.6
- Let the president order military action without needing Congress's approval
- Let the president act first, but enforce the 60-day limit and end any action Congress doesn't approve
- Require Congress to approve military action in advance, except to defend against an attack
His campaign website lists redirecting unnecessary military spending toward health care, housing, education and infrastructure, and stronger congressional oversight of defense spending, among his priorities.6
His campaign website says he supports a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and making any future U.S. military assistance depend on following international and humanitarian law, and that he supports ending military aid that enables violations of those laws.6
- Increase military aid to Israel
- Keep military aid at current levels, without new conditions
- Attach conditions, such as limits on how US weapons are used and requirements to let humanitarian aid into Gaza
- Reduce or end military aid to Israel
Education
His campaign website says he supports student loan forgiveness, with a particular focus on people who work in public service, education, health care and nonprofits, and lists strengthening federal forgiveness programs, including public service pathways, among his priorities.6
His campaign website lists studying ways to bring the cost of public and nonprofit colleges and universities down to low or no tuition among his priorities.6
Energy and Climate
His campaign website says he supports substantial investment in clean energy, with offshore wind among the sources.6
His campaign website says he supports substantial investment in clean energy, with responsible nuclear power among the sources.6
His campaign website lists a moratorium on new AI data centers until their energy, water, ratepayer and infrastructure effects are addressed, and says future data centers should be allowed only where evidence shows they can run without imposing unreasonable costs on communities.6
- Encourage new data centers with tax breaks and faster approvals
- Require data centers to pay the full cost of the power plants and lines they need
- Pause or limit new data centers
Crime, Policing and Prisons
His campaign website says he supports ending cash bail and pretrial detention that depends on wealth, while allowing brief detention in limited cases where evidence points to a serious and immediate danger.6
- Require bail or jail before trial for more charges
- Keep current bail rules
- End or reduce cash bail, with judges deciding release based on risk
His campaign website says he supports moving resources toward social workers, mental health workers, violence prevention, treatment and community services, and having law enforcement concentrate on serious threats and violent crime.6
Guns
His campaign website says he supports expanded background checks.6
His campaign website says he supports Extreme Risk Protection Orders, provided they have strong due-process safeguards.6
- Adopt more red flag laws, including a national one
- Leave the choice to each state
- Repeal existing red flag laws and adopt no new ones
His campaign website says he does not back reinstating the federal assault weapons ban or any wide-ranging ban on firearms that are commonly owned.6
Courts, Rights and Civil Liberties
His campaign website says he supports LGBTQ+ equality and nondiscrimination protections covering jobs, housing, schools, health care and public services.6
- Pass broad protections such as the Equality Act
- Add protections with broad exemptions for religious groups and businesses
- No new federal protections; leave it to the states
Immigration
His campaign website says he supports abolishing ICE and designing a replacement structure for federal immigration enforcement built around due process, civil rights and independent oversight.6
- Abolish ICE and move any remaining enforcement work to other agencies
- Deport only people convicted of serious crimes or who threaten national security
- Focus on people with criminal records and recent border crossers
- Deport as many people here without legal permission as possible, with or without criminal records
His campaign website says he supports sanctuary policies that stop local police from automatically serving as federal civil immigration officers.6
His campaign website says he supports putting stronger protections for people seeking asylum, refugees and TPS recipients into statute.6
Elections and Government Reform
His campaign website says he supports both constitutional and legislative changes in response to Citizens United, stronger campaign finance transparency and less influence from big money in politics.6
His campaign website lists supporting limits on how long members of the House and Senate can serve, through legal or constitutional reform, among his priorities.6
His campaign website lists either banning stock trading by members of Congress or limiting it strongly, along with stronger conflict-of-interest rules, among his priorities.6
§4Money
Why this matters: Campaigns report where their money comes from and how much they have left. Outside groups that spend on their own, without coordinating with the campaign, report that too.
Reported to the Federal Election Commission for the 2025–2026 election cycle, through October 14, 2026.7
| Raised | $5,725 |
|---|---|
| Spent | $4,964 |
| Cash on hand | $762 |