NJ Spotlight News | Democratic candidates step up for Kean Jr. seat | Season 2025

Democrats in New Jersey are already eyeing Congressional District seven as a target to flip in the next election cycle.

And they’ve got a new challenger who they believe can take on incumbent Representative Tom Kean Jr. Rebecca Bennett already has growing support among Garden State Democrats as a moderate candidate with military experience.

With Congressman Kean Junior only beating challenger Sue Altman by five points in the last election.

Democrats believe there is an opening.

Senior political correspondent David Cruz explains what we know about Bennett, the candidate, and how she’ll match up in the race.

I joined the military because service is a big part of my life and I wanted to give back in some way.

Rebecca Bennett is the latest Democrat to announce her candidacy donning a bomber jacket.

The Navy helicopter pilot smiles at a reporter noticing that and makes no excuses for it.

You have to work quite hard to earn that jacket.

So, yes, it’s definitely a source of pride to have that.

The mother of two and a medical administrator is a first time candidate, but has drawn a great deal of attention for raising close to $200,000 in the first week of her campaign.

It’s a race that’s still over a year away, but Bennett sounds a familiar theme.

When it comes to incumbent Tom Kean Jr, I will say I think there’s a lot of trepidation and uncertainty.

There’s certainly been a lot of change with the new administration coming in.

And so I think feel folks are feeling a little bit uncertain on not knowing where, you know, kind of what’s going to happen with with all the change that’s happening.

You know, quite frankly, I’ve not heard much from Tom Kean Jr in the last several weeks, so it’s hard to know what his position is on on the things that are happening.

Democrats have been here before in districts seven where redistricting in 2020 made this once solidly blue district, more purple, costing Democrat Tom Malinowski the seat.

Then progressive Sue Altman, repackaged as a moderate, lost the bid to unseat Kaine after national Dems failed to show financial enthusiasm until it was too late.

Dems are still reeling from November’s results.

I don’t think the Democrats soul searching is over in any way.

I think so many were surprised by the MAGA movement and the kind of huge popularity that was unexpected of Trump’s return to office.

I don’t think that’s going to kind of be understood or resolved by the Democrats about what to do about that.

One lightning rod appears to be the growing impact of ex CEO Elon Musk, who, as head of DOE’s the Department of Government Efficiency, has become the focus of Democratic attacks after some Internet polling found him to be even more unpopular among Democrats than the president.

Former summit councilman Greg Vartan, who’s announcing his candidacy here today, says Musk is an easy foil, but it will take more than that to unseat Kean.

I don’t think it’s about focusing in on just Elon Musk.

Right.

I think it’s basically what the administration is doing is for a very, very, very small class of people that are basically billionaires.

Right.

And I think that and I think that for everyday people who want to work hard and who want to make sure that they’re going to be able to have a life for themselves in New Jersey.

These policies are not going to work for them.

And I think people are going to see that.

And Democrats say Kean’s silence in the face of that discussion.

He didn’t return our calls for comment on this story either.

Will hurt him with voters.

It’s worth noting, however, that Kean’s no comment strategy has served him well in this district in the last two election cycles.

I’m David Cruz.

NJ Spotlight News.