MAYS LANDING, NJ — Bayly Winder’s campaign for Congress in New Jersey’s 2nd District continues to be the most high-profile candidate to run for the seat in years, with a unique story as a public servant who most recently served at USAID before it was unconstitutionally torn down. His early decision to run, at a time when the district was widely viewed as too difficult to flip, reshaped the political landscape, elevating NJ-02 into a race now drawing sustained regional and national attention. 

Winder closed 2025 as the clear fundraising leader in the Democratic primary field. He raised $141,000 in the fourth quarter and reported $231,000 cash on hand at year’s end, with a total fundraising figure of more than $450,000. To date, the campaign has received donations from more than 3,100 individuals, establishing a financial foundation unmatched by any other declared or potential entrant. 

Over the course of the campaign, Winder built a broad coalition of support across South Jersey, earning endorsements from elected officials, labor leaders, and community advocates, including: 

• Former Assemblyman Ed Salmon
• Former New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Doug Fisher
• Former Atlantic County Democratic Chair Jams Schroeder
• Joseph Kuehner Jr., former mayor and current City Council President of Egg Harbor City, along with newly elected Councilmember Tanner Ortiz and former Councilwoman Hazel Mueller ● Pleasantville Council President Carla Thomas and Councilman Charles Oglesby, Sr. ● Hamilton Township Committeewoman Tracy Thompson
• Richard Tolson, former Director of the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Administrative District Council of New Jersey

Winder’s campaign has emphasized direct engagement with voters, hosting seven well-attended town halls so far in every corner of the district, most recently in Vineland, Woodstown, Seaville, and Atlantic City. 

Winder enters the next phase of the cycle having already defined the race’s seriousness, viability, and scope, turning a once-overlooked seat into one that is now firmly on the political map.