Rob Canfield Launches GOP Primary Challenge in NJ-04, Targets Guns, Debt, and Cost-of-Living Squeeze

Rob Canfield announced today that he is running in the Republican primary for Congress in New Jersey’s 4th District, positioning his campaign as a reform challenge to a long-tenured incumbent and arguing that Washington policies favor banks, universities, and bureaucracies over Shore families.

Canfield, a small-business owner and firearms instructor, said his campaign will focus on four core issues he says matter most to NJ-04 voters: Second Amendment trust, student-loan reform, credit-card interest and fees, and the rising cost of living for families and small businesses.

“The systems in Washington are working great—for banks, for universities, and for career politicians,” Canfield said. “But families here in NJ-4 are getting crushed. I’m running to take on the institutions that profit while our kids, our businesses, and our communities pay the price.”

Sharp Contrast on Gun Rights

Canfield drew a direct contrast with incumbent Congressman Chris Smith’s record on firearms, criticizing Smith’s gun-rights ratings and arguing that NJ-04 Republicans deserve a representative they can trust on the Second Amendment.

“As a firearms instructor and constitutional-carry advocate, I don’t just vote the right way—I live this issue,” Canfield said. “NJ-4 needs a congressman with an unambiguous pro-2A record.”

Aggressive Student-Loan and Credit Reform

Canfield is proposing a sweeping overhaul of federal student loans, including 0% interest, retroactive interest recalculation so borrowers repay principal only, and strict tuition caps and outcome requirements for colleges that accept federal funds.

He fully supports legislation that puts caps on credit-card interest rates for federally protected institutions and an end to what he calls “junk fees that punish working families.”

“If banks get federal protections, they shouldn’t be charging 25 to 30 percent interest and stacking predatory fees,” Canfield said.

Cost of Living at the Shore

Canfield framed the race around rising prices across Monmouth and Ocean Counties, citing housing, food, energy, childcare, and insurance costs.

“Washington is thriving,” he said. “But Shore families and small businesses are being squeezed from every direction. This campaign is about guns, debt, prices, and kids—and whether we’re willing to challenge the systems driving those costs.”

Canfield said his campaign will focus on reforming federal policies that inflate household expenses and undermine small businesses.

Rob Canfield lives in Brick, New Jersey, with his wife and children. He is a small-business owner, real estate broker, firearms instructor, and community advocate.

Rob Canfield, Republican Candidate for NJ District 4