Terrisa Bukovinac, an anti-abortion activist and former Democratic presidential candidate, is expected to appear on the ballot in New Jersey’s 9th Congressional District after the campaign of Republican Rosie Pino dropped a challenge to her independent bid.
The New Jersey Globe first reported earlier this week that Bukovinac was facing a challenge by Pino’s campaign. Bukovinac, who filed under the slogan “Save Our Babies,” submitted 459 signatures, well over the 250 required to qualify for the ballot this November. However, the challenge reportedly questioned the legitimacy of a substantial number of those signatures.
More recent reporting now states that Pino’s campaign has ended its challenge to Bukovinac’s nominating petitions ahead of a scheduled hearing, indicating that it would instead prefer to focus its time and resources on incumbent Democratic Rep. Nellie Pou.
Bukovinac, who lives in Tennessee despite her New Jersey bid, founded Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising and previously served as president of Democrats for Life of America, according to her Linkedin account. Her advocacy has centered on opposing abortion, primarily from the political left, including during the 2024 Democratic presidential primary, when she campaigned against then-President Joe Biden in New Jersey and New Hampshire.
In New Jersey, Bukovinac received 14,179 votes, placing third behind Biden and an uncommitted effort organized by the Democratic Socialists of America and using the slogan “Justice for Palestine, Permanent Ceasefire Now.” In New Hampshire, she received 101 votes in a crowded field of 21 ballot-qualified candidates, while several write-in efforts, including one supporting Biden after he did not appear on the ballot, also received votes.
Notably, Bukovinac is married to Randall Terry, who is himself a longtime anti-abortion activist and past presidential candidate currently living in Tennessee. Terry had also filed to run as an independent in New Jersey this cycle, petitioning to appear on the ballot in the state’s 7th Congressional District before withdrawing after facing a separate challenge.
Earlier reporting, also from the Globe, said that Terry had filed under the slogan “Life Truth Justice” in the race against Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. and Democratic nominee Rebecca Bennett. Republicans reportedly challenged his candidacy over both his petition signatures and his separate filing as an independent candidate for Hawaii’s 2nd Congressional District in the same election cycle. Terry later confirmed to the outlet that he would exit the New Jersey race.
Terry has made numerous bids for office, most of them centered on his opposition to abortion. During the 2024 presidential election cycle, he ran as the Constitution Party’s presidential nominee with Stephen Broden as his running mate. While the nominee, he used his status as a federal candidate to air graphic anti-abortion campaign commercials.
Terry later ran as an independent in Florida’s 6th Congressional District special election during the 2025 cycle, where he came in fourth with 526 votes in a field of four candidates.
However, he is still active in Hawaii, though, unlike his New Jersey effort, coverage of Terry’s Hawaii congressional bid has been sparse so far. Under state election law, Terry will first need to appear on the state’s August 8 primary ballot, where he would need to receive either at least 10 percent of all votes cast for the office or at least as many votes as the lowest-vote partisan candidate who wins a nomination in order to advance to the general election.
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