Gregg
Mele
Republican attorney Gregg Mele challenges for New Jersey's open 12th Congressional District seat in 2026
- sources
- 10
- positions
- 12
- endorsements
- 3
Background
Gregg Mele is a Republican candidate for U.S. House in New Jersey's 12th Congressional District in the November 2026 election, running for an open seat vacated by retiring incumbent Bonnie Watson Coleman. 23
Mele is an attorney and businessman whose career spans corporate law, contracts, securities, real estate, and technology. He has also taught graduate-level law and finance courses at Stevens Institute of Technology and paralegal courses at Fairleigh Dickinson University. 317
He holds a B.S. from Montclair State University (1986), an M.S. from Stevens Institute of Technology (1988), an M.B.A. from Baruch College (1998), a J.D. from New York Law School (1998), and an LL.M. from New York University School of Law (2001). 17
Mele has run for office multiple times without success: he ran for U.S. House in New Jersey's 7th District in 2018, for mayor of Bridgewater in 2019, as the Libertarian nominee for governor of New Jersey in 2021, and in the Republican primary for New Jersey's 6th Congressional District in 2024. He resides in Plainfield, New Jersey. 5213
At a glance
- Party
- Republican
- Running for
- U.S. House · District 12, New Jersey
- Election
- Nov 3, 2026
- Current office
- Attorney and candidate for U.S. House, NJ-12
- Website
- mele4america.com(opens in a new tab)
Where they stand
Each position links to the page it was drawn from. Quotes are verbatim.
Timeline
- Oct 9newsPatch publishes Mele's policy questionnaire; he was first of four candidates to respond
Patch published Mele's answers to ten policy questions, noting he was the first of four general-election candidates to respond. Positions included opposition to a nationwide data center ban (while calling for environmental review and disclosure), support for faster permitting for power generation, infrastructure-matched housing development, and Medicaid eligibility verification with price transparency. He also called for faster disclosure of large campaign contributions and criticized outside spending supporting his opponent, while acknowledging federal law prohibits coordination.
Candidate Profile: Gregg Mele For NJ-12 Congressional ... · Oct 9, 2026 (opens in a new tab) - Sep 4filingMele listed as Republican candidate for NJ-12 on New Jersey's official House candidate list
New Jersey's official House candidate list, dated September 4 and drawn from Division of Elections records, included Gregg Mele as the Republican candidate for NJ-12. The general election is scheduled for November 3.
New Jersey Candidates 2026: Who Is on the Ballot - Vote Clock · Oct 6, 2026 (opens in a new tab) - Jun 30newsMele's campaign reported ~$79,425 in receipts through June 30 FEC period
FEC filings through June 30 showed Mele raised approximately $79,425 in receipts, including about $25,679 from individuals and $53,746 in candidate loans. By contrast, Democratic opponent Adam Hamawy had about $1.53 million in receipts. Mele also noted roughly $1.55 million in independent expenditures by the American Priorities Super PAC supporting Hamawy during the primary.
Candidate Profile: Gregg Mele For NJ-12 Congressional ... · Oct 9, 2026 (opens in a new tab) - Jun 2filingGregg Mele wins Republican primary unopposed for NJ-12 congressional seat
Mele ran unopposed in the Republican primary for New Jersey's 12th Congressional District. The seat is open because Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman is retiring.
Candidate Profile: Gregg Mele For NJ-12 Congressional ... · Oct 9, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
Endorsements
- Middlesex County Republican Organization organizationListed on the organization's 2026 endorsed-candidates page for U.S. Congress, District 12. Date not stated. middlesexgopnj.org
- New Jersey Libertarian Party (NJLP) organizationListed under endorsements on iVoterGuide profile, marked 'Reported by candidate.' No independent 2026 party announcement found to confirm. Date not stated. ivoterguide.com
- Mercer County Regular Organization Republican organizationNJ official 2026 primary-results document labels Mele as 'ENDORSED MERCER COUNTY REGULAR ORGANIZATION REPUBLICAN.' Date not stated. nj.gov
Campaign finance
Totals filed with the Federal Election Commission for the 2026 election cycle.
- Raised
- $79K
- Spent
- $76K
- Cash on hand
- $3,084
As of Jun 30, 2026. Filings are periodic, so recent money may not be included yet. ↳ FEC record H2NJ06210(opens in a new tab)
Sources 10
- [1] Gregg Mele for Congress | A Fighter for New Jersey(opens in a new tab) Oct 12, 2026
- [2] Candidate Profile: Gregg Mele For NJ-12 Congressional ...(opens in a new tab) Oct 9, 2026
- [3] New Jersey Candidates 2026: Who Is on the Ballot - Vote Clock(opens in a new tab) Oct 6, 2026
- [4] Our 2026 Endorsed Candidates(opens in a new tab) Oct 2, 2026
- [5] Voter Guide Profile for NJ Governor candidate - Gregg Mele(opens in a new tab) Sep 27, 2026
- [6] NJ election 2026: Voter guide for 12th Congressional District - WHYY(opens in a new tab) Sep 11, 2026
- [7] N.J.-12 candidates meet at Princeton Windrows in first forum of general election(opens in a new tab) Sep 2, 2026
- [8] [PDF] 07/27/2026 Page 1 of 19 Official List Candidates for House ... - NJ.gov(opens in a new tab) Aug 10, 2026
- [9] Platform(opens in a new tab) Jun 25, 2026
- [10] Issues - Gregg Mele(opens in a new tab) Jun 17, 2026