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 Lean R. Former Navy helicopter pilot Rebecca Bennett is emerging among the crowded Democratic field to challenge Kean. 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. The question is: Will Trump voters bother to turn out to the November election when Trump isn't on the ballot.
- 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 running, met with constituents at a town hall in March to underscore Kean’s unwillingness to do so.
- Ten Democratic candidates have filed to run in the primary for NJ-07. Former Navy helicopter pilot and aircraft commander Rebecca Bennett and grassroots organizer Brian Varela are leading the pack in contributions to their campaigns.
- Others in the NJ-07 race include former Summit Councilman Greg Vartan, 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.
