Take Action New Jersey

NJ-07 (Kean Jr. - R), NJ-09 (Pou - D)

New Jersey represents a decent chance to pick up a seat in the U.S. Congress. Second-term Republican Congressman Thomas Kean Jr. is vulnerable in the purple 7th New Jersey Congressional District. Cook rates the race as Even, even though no clear Democratic opponent has emerged. In 2024, Nellie Pou (NJ-09) made history as the first Latina from New Jersey elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Pou has decades of legislative service at the state and federal levels. Cook rates her district as Lean D.

The June primary win of Mikie Sherrill to lead the Democrats’ bid to hold on to the governor’s seat has cheered the state’s Democratic party. Sherrill will face a Republican whose political views are tied directly to Trump, whose unfavourability rating is growing.

COMPETITIVE NJ RACES

StateDistrictIncumbentParty in PowerPartisan LeanCook RatingPrimary DateDem CandidateRep Candidate
ArizonaAZ-01David SchweikertRepublicanR+1Toss UpAugust 4, 2026David SchweikertYes
ArizonaAZ-06Juan CiscomaniRepublicanEVENToss UpAugust 4, 2026Juan CiscomaniYes
CaliforniaCA-09Josh HarderDemocraticD+1Lean DJune 2, 2026Josh Harder
CaliforniaCA-13Adam GrayDemocraticR+1Toss UpJune 2, 2026Adam Gray
CaliforniaCA-22David ValadaoRepublicanR+1Lean RJune 2, 2026David ValadaoYes
CaliforniaCA-27George WhitesidesDemocraticD+3Lean DJune 2, 2026George Whitesides
CaliforniaCA-40Young KimRepublicanR+1Lean RJune 2, 2026Young KimYes
CaliforniaCA-41Ken CalvertRepublicanR+2Lean RJune 2, 2026Ken CalvertYes
CaliforniaCA-45Derek TranDemocraticD+1Toss UpJune 2, 2026Derek Tran
CaliforniaCA-47David MinDemocraticD+3Lean DJune 2, 2026David Min
ColoradoCO-08Gabe EvansRepublicanEVENToss UpJune 2, 2026Gabe EvansYes
FloridaFL-23Jared MoskowitzDemocraticD+2Lean DAugust 18, 2026Jared Moskowitz
IowaIA-01Mariannette Miller-MeeksRepublicanR+4Toss UpJune 2, 2026Mariannette Miller-Meeks
IowaIA-03Zach NunnRepublicanR+2Lean RJune 2, 2026Zach Nunn
MaineME-02Jared GoldenDemocraticR+4Toss UpJune 9, 2025Jared Golden
MichiganMI-07Tom BarrettRepublicanEVENToss UpAugust 4, 2026Tom Barrett
MichiganMI-08Kristen McDonald RivetDemocraticR+1Lean DAugust 4, 2026Kristen McDonald Rivet
MichiganMI-10OPEN (John James)RepublicanR+3Lean RAugust 4, 2026
North CarolinaNC-01Don DavisDemocraticR+1Toss UpMarch 3, 2026Don Davis
NebraskaNE-02OPEN (Don Bacon)RepublicanD+3Lean DMay 12, 2026
New JerseyNJ-07Thomas KeanRepublicanEVENLean RJune 2, 2026Thomas Kean
New JerseyNJ-09Nellie PouDemocraticD+2Lean DJune 2, 2026Nellie Pou
New MexicoNM-02Gabe VasquezDemocraticEVENToss UpJune 2, 2026Gabe Vasquez
NevadaNV-03Susie LeeDemocraticD+1Lean DJune 9, 2026Susie Lee
New YorkNY-03Tom SuozziDemocraticEVENLean DJune 23, 2026Tom Suozzi
New YorkNY-04Laura GillenDemocraticD+2Toss UpJune 23, 2026Laura Gillen
New YorkNY-17Mike LawlerRepublicanD+1Lean RJune 23, 2026Mike Lawler
New YorkNY-19Josh RileyDemocraticD+1Lean DJune 23, 2026Josh Riley
OhioOH-09Marcy KapturDemocraticR+3Toss UpMay 5, 2026Marcy Kaptur
OhioOH-13Emilia SykesDemocraticEVENToss UpMay 5, 2026Emilia Sykes
OregonOR-05Janelle BynumDemocraticD+4Lean DMay 19, 2026Janelle Bynum
PennsylvaniaPA-07Ryan MacKenzieRepublicanR+1Toss UpMay 19, 2026Ryan MacKenzie
PennsylvaniaPA-08Rob BresnahanRepublicanR+4Lean RMay 19, 2026Rob Bresnahan
PennsylvaniaPA-10Scott PerryRepublicanR+3Toss UpMay 19, 2026Scott Perry
TexasTX-28Henry CuellarDemocraticR+2Lean DMarch 3, 2026Henry Cuellar
TexasTX-34Vicente GonzalezDemocraticEVENToss UpMarch 3, 2026Vicente Gonzalez
VirginiaVA-02Jen KiggansRepublicanEVENLean RJune 16, 2026Jen Kiggans
VirginiaVA-07Eugene VindmanDemocraticD+2Lean DJune 16, 2026Eugene Vindman
WashingtonWA-03Marie Gluesenkamp PerezDemocraticR+2Toss UpAugust 4, 2026Marie Gluesenkamp Perez
WisconsinWI-03Derrick Van OrdenRepublicanR+3Toss UpAugust 11, 2026Derrick Van Orden
  • Kean’s role on the House Energy and Commerce Committee laid bare his support for cutting taxes on the wealthy while slashing spending on federal programs, notably to social safety net services popular in his district. His votes have followed the MAGA party line.
  • Kean has shunned holding in-person town hall meetings with constituents. Former U.S. Rep. Tom Malinowski, who had flipped the seat blue in 2018 but lost to Kean after redistricting made the district redder. Malinowski, who has yet to announce he is running, met with constituents at a town hall in March to underscore Kean’s unwillingness to do so.
  • Two candidates – former Navy helicopter pilot Rebecca Bennett and former Summit Councilman Greg Vartan – are already in the race; a number of others are actively considering campaigns, among them former Small Business Administration official Michael Roth and Sue Altman, a top staffer for U.S. Sen. Andy Kim, NJ who narrowly lost to Kean in 2024.
  • Over time, NJ-07 has become more ethnically diverse, and it remains one of the most affluent congressional districts in the country, with the twelfth-highest median income in the nation.

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Coordinator(s):
Rina Schneur

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