2002Final results
2002 election for New Jersey's 12th District
U.S. House · New Jersey
Rush Holt (D) won with 61.0% of the vote, defeating Deforest "buster" Soaries (R) by 24.4 points.
Rush HoltDemocrat · winner
61.0%104,806
Deforest "buster" SoariesRepublican
36.7%62,938
Carl J. MayerGreen
1.1%1,871
Thomas D. AbramsLibertarian
0.7%1,259
Karen Anne ZaletalConservative
0.5%839
171,713 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 2002
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 HoltDeforest "buster" Soaries
$2M
Raised by the campaign
$637.7K
$1.8M
Spent by the campaign
$624.1K
$363.2K
Cash on hand
$13.6K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 2002.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 2002
The candidates
Rush Holt (D)Deforest "buster" Soaries (R)
Also on the ballot: Carl J. Mayer (Green), 1.1%; Thomas D. Abrams (Libertarian), 0.7%; Karen Anne Zaletal (Conservative), 0.5%