1998Flipped from RepublicanFinal results
1998 election for New Jersey's 12th District
U.S. House · New Jersey
Rush Holt (D) won with 50.1% of the vote, defeating Michael Pappas (R) by 2.9 points, a seat Republicans won last time.
Rush HoltDemocrat · winner
50.1%92,528
Michael PappasRepublican
47.2%87,221
Joseph A. SianoIndependent
1.2%2,125
Madelyn R. HoffmanIndependent
0.8%1,409
Beverly KidderIndependent
0.4%749
Mary Jo ChristianIndependent
0.3%578
184,610 votes
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1998
Races before and after
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
Money in this race
Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.
Rush HoltMichael Pappas
$1.2M
Raised by the campaign
$944.4K
$1.3M
Spent by the campaign
$889.5K
$11.8K
Cash on hand
$78.9K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1998.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1998
The candidates
Rush Holt (D)Michael Pappas (R)
Also on the ballot: Joseph A. Siano (Independent), 1.2%; Madelyn R. Hoffman (Independent), 0.8%; Beverly Kidder (Independent), 0.4%; Mary Jo Christian (Independent), 0.3%