Rep. Donald Norcross, the Democrat who represents Cherry Hill in Congress, has not debated a congressional opponent in 10 years.

That is the longest no-debate streak among all 12 of New Jersey's sitting U.S. House members, as first reported by WHYY. Norcross's last known debate was a May 31, 2016, forum sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce Southern New Jersey.

Since then, four Republican challengers have lost to Norcross without ever facing him on a debate stage, WHYY reported.

Norcross, 67, is seeking a seventh term in New Jersey's 1st Congressional District, which covers Camden County and parts of Burlington and Gloucester counties. The seat has been held by a Democrat since 1975, according to a WHYY voter guide for the district.

His Republican challenger this cycle is Damon Galdo, a 45-year-old construction superintendent from West Deptford. This is Galdo's first general election run for the seat after unsuccessfully seeking the GOP nomination in 2022 and 2024. He was the only Republican to file for the race, the New Jersey Globe reported.

Galdo has spent at least three months trying to get Norcross to debate, according to WHYY's reporting. His tactics have included hand-delivered and certified letters, social media outreach and a cardboard cutout of the congressman that Galdo brought to a music festival.

Galdo also pressed the issue at a town hall at Haddon Township High School in September, WHYY reported. Norcross told WHYY the event was a "governmental" forum and said he holds town halls monthly.

Asked directly whether he would debate Galdo, Norcross told WHYY, "I hold the debate on the issues every day."

Norcross also told WHYY that Galdo's focus is on publicity rather than policy, characterizing his challenger as aligned with former President Donald Trump.

The trend is not unique to NJ-1. Only five of the state's 12 congressional districts have held or scheduled debates during the 2026 midterm season, according to WHYY's analysis. Among South Jersey incumbents, only Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew of the 2nd District was scheduled to debate.

Micah Rasmussen, director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University, told WHYY that candidates nationwide are opting for advertising over debates to control their message.

The general election is Nov. 3.